Anna Lucas
Mrs. Berry
AP Literature IV- 7
18 January 2018
A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of The Poisonwood Bible
“To be, or not to be” is at the crux of humanity’s downfall. To have a personhood is in absence of the “uncivilized” and “inhumane.” Colonialism fabricated dialectic oppositions of race to maintain economic dominance and secure a sense of self in the colonizer. Kingsolver’s postcolonial nineties novel, “The Poisonwood Bible”, she critiques imperialist, racist, sexist, and ablest assumptions. Her characters’ experiences embody overarching ethical dilemmas within a hierarchical society. Kingsolver challenges ethical dilemmas particularly through her depiction of the characters’ internal desires for satisfaction and self-security. …show more content…
Nathan Price, an ironically fiendish minister, dehumanizes the Congolese and demeans the women in his family to secure his superiority. Nathan’s “attempts to impose his will on the villagers can be seen as efforts to . . . sustain his own classist and racial superiority, and from the angles of . . . disability studies, he puts his daughters on the same inferior level” (Fox par. 12). That is, if Nathan is not black, disabled, or female, then he is. His identity is dialectical to what he is not. Kingsolver is pointing to how Nathan ultimately embodies the original colonizer of The Congo (Weese par. 9). Nathan views the Congolese are uncivilized and therefore inhumane (par. 10). His own daughter, Ruth May, depicts how Nathan proclaimed that the Congolese were descendants of the “Tribe of Ham” and therefore biologically inferior (Hunter par. 29). Nathan’s depiction of the Native’s barbarism and nakedness re-entrenches the libidinal economy that feeds Nathan’s identity, and thus self-satisfaction. …show more content…
Her role is that of the historical analyzer and the ethical educator. She recognizes the false nature of the U.S. endorsed president Mobutu and the importance of language in shaping people’s realities (Jacobson par. 53). As a young woman, Leah rejected the subordinate female role her father confined her to. In Africa, she disrespects Nathan’s dominance and in her search for social redemption she joins forces with Africa, both spiritually and politically (Karen par. 17). This move can be understood as an alliance between the colonized. She expresses to Anatole, her Congolese love-interest and soon-to-be husband, how her deepest desire is to find truth and be redeemed. Hence, Anatole’s nickname for her is “Beene” or “most truthful truth” in Congolese. Leah experiences a sense of relief in Anatole’s acceptance of her. His approval strips her of the guilt of Ruth May’s death and the crimes that whiteness has historically inflicted upon Africa (Kilpatrick par. 60). Throughout her life, Leah continuously struggles to cope with the privilege of her skin color and looks to her biracial family for repentance. In observing her sons, she remarks “I look at my four boys, who are the colors of silt, loam, dust, and clay, an infinite palette for children of their own, and I understand that time erases whiteness altogether.” This expression is an active
Mrs. Berry
AP Literature IV- 7
18 January 2018
A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of The Poisonwood Bible
“To be, or not to be” is at the crux of humanity’s downfall. To have a personhood is in absence of the “uncivilized” and “inhumane.” Colonialism fabricated dialectic oppositions of race to maintain economic dominance and secure a sense of self in the colonizer. Kingsolver’s postcolonial nineties novel, “The Poisonwood Bible”, she critiques imperialist, racist, sexist, and ablest assumptions. Her characters’ experiences embody overarching ethical dilemmas within a hierarchical society. Kingsolver challenges ethical dilemmas particularly through her depiction of the characters’ internal desires for satisfaction and self-security. …show more content…
Nathan Price, an ironically fiendish minister, dehumanizes the Congolese and demeans the women in his family to secure his superiority. Nathan’s “attempts to impose his will on the villagers can be seen as efforts to . . . sustain his own classist and racial superiority, and from the angles of . . . disability studies, he puts his daughters on the same inferior level” (Fox par. 12). That is, if Nathan is not black, disabled, or female, then he is. His identity is dialectical to what he is not. Kingsolver is pointing to how Nathan ultimately embodies the original colonizer of The Congo (Weese par. 9). Nathan views the Congolese are uncivilized and therefore inhumane (par. 10). His own daughter, Ruth May, depicts how Nathan proclaimed that the Congolese were descendants of the “Tribe of Ham” and therefore biologically inferior (Hunter par. 29). Nathan’s depiction of the Native’s barbarism and nakedness re-entrenches the libidinal economy that feeds Nathan’s identity, and thus self-satisfaction. …show more content…
Her role is that of the historical analyzer and the ethical educator. She recognizes the false nature of the U.S. endorsed president Mobutu and the importance of language in shaping people’s realities (Jacobson par. 53). As a young woman, Leah rejected the subordinate female role her father confined her to. In Africa, she disrespects Nathan’s dominance and in her search for social redemption she joins forces with Africa, both spiritually and politically (Karen par. 17). This move can be understood as an alliance between the colonized. She expresses to Anatole, her Congolese love-interest and soon-to-be husband, how her deepest desire is to find truth and be redeemed. Hence, Anatole’s nickname for her is “Beene” or “most truthful truth” in Congolese. Leah experiences a sense of relief in Anatole’s acceptance of her. His approval strips her of the guilt of Ruth May’s death and the crimes that whiteness has historically inflicted upon Africa (Kilpatrick par. 60). Throughout her life, Leah continuously struggles to cope with the privilege of her skin color and looks to her biracial family for repentance. In observing her sons, she remarks “I look at my four boys, who are the colors of silt, loam, dust, and clay, an infinite palette for children of their own, and I understand that time erases whiteness altogether.” This expression is an active