The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, is about a reverend who takes his family to the Belgian Congo in 1959. However, the novel is only narrated by the mother and the four daughters instead of their father, the reverend. The Poisonwood Bible has many biblical allusions throughout the novel. Even the characters in the novel allude to their biblical character counterpart. One of the daughters, Adah Price, in the novel has many similarities with the character Adah from the bible. Both of them are always second to something, often overlooked, and are the saving grace of the family. One is clearly able to see these allusions as the novel progresses because Adah Price goes through a major development in her character. Kingsolver uses many literary
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Unlike the rest of her family in the Congo she does not feel separated from the Congolese people. Adah was usually the one who everyone looked as like a "freak of nature" (52), but in the Congo everyone has some sort of handicap so she fits in perfectly. She is often portrayed by Kingsolver as a character who is closer to the Congolese than her own family. Since Adah is able to see things from different viewpoints than her family, it further isolates her from them. An example of this is when Adah reads a book she reads it from back to front (57). She is able to see the book in two different ways because of her different way of reading. Furthermore, since Nathan Price is always trying to convert the Congolese into his religion, Adah disapproves of his actions. Adah is clearly shown in a mocking tone, through her use of diction, because she always calls Nathan "The Reverend" or "Our Father" (69). Not once in the book does she ever regard the fact that he is her father. She is even able to notice that during Nathan's sermons he often says the wrong things. Multiple times Nathan repeats the phrase "Tata Jesus Is Bängala" (276), but he did not realize that means Jesus is …show more content…
During the ant crisis when everyone was making a run for the river, Adah was having a tough time finding someone to help her get there. With her twin sister forgetting about her and leaving her behind she turned to her mother for help. Her mother was already helping her little sister, Ruth May, so Adah “spoke out loud, the only time: help me” (305) and her mother ignored her even though Adah spoke again to say please. Adah’s word choice of “please” and “help me” emphasize how desperate Adah was to get help. Adah even starts this chapter with the palindrome “Live was I ere saw evil” (305) to convey her feelings about what her mother has done. Before this moment, Adah always saw herself as a life that was not worth saving, but now she realizes no one is going to save her, therefore, she will have to take care of herself. That was not the only change to occur in Adah after the ant crisis. Her diction also changes again when she no longer calls herself Ada and now refers to herself as Adah. Kingsolver develops this change in order to show how, in the Congo, Adah feels more of a stronger and united person (343). The author uses complex and in-depth syntax to define Adah’s characteristics. When Ruth May dies, Adah describes the death in complex syntax. Adah is able to describe Ruth May’s life as a palindrome. Kingsolver develops Adah’s intricate understanding of life by using
Unlike the rest of her family in the Congo she does not feel separated from the Congolese people. Adah was usually the one who everyone looked as like a "freak of nature" (52), but in the Congo everyone has some sort of handicap so she fits in perfectly. She is often portrayed by Kingsolver as a character who is closer to the Congolese than her own family. Since Adah is able to see things from different viewpoints than her family, it further isolates her from them. An example of this is when Adah reads a book she reads it from back to front (57). She is able to see the book in two different ways because of her different way of reading. Furthermore, since Nathan Price is always trying to convert the Congolese into his religion, Adah disapproves of his actions. Adah is clearly shown in a mocking tone, through her use of diction, because she always calls Nathan "The Reverend" or "Our Father" (69). Not once in the book does she ever regard the fact that he is her father. She is even able to notice that during Nathan's sermons he often says the wrong things. Multiple times Nathan repeats the phrase "Tata Jesus Is Bängala" (276), but he did not realize that means Jesus is …show more content…
During the ant crisis when everyone was making a run for the river, Adah was having a tough time finding someone to help her get there. With her twin sister forgetting about her and leaving her behind she turned to her mother for help. Her mother was already helping her little sister, Ruth May, so Adah “spoke out loud, the only time: help me” (305) and her mother ignored her even though Adah spoke again to say please. Adah’s word choice of “please” and “help me” emphasize how desperate Adah was to get help. Adah even starts this chapter with the palindrome “Live was I ere saw evil” (305) to convey her feelings about what her mother has done. Before this moment, Adah always saw herself as a life that was not worth saving, but now she realizes no one is going to save her, therefore, she will have to take care of herself. That was not the only change to occur in Adah after the ant crisis. Her diction also changes again when she no longer calls herself Ada and now refers to herself as Adah. Kingsolver develops this change in order to show how, in the Congo, Adah feels more of a stronger and united person (343). The author uses complex and in-depth syntax to define Adah’s characteristics. When Ruth May dies, Adah describes the death in complex syntax. Adah is able to describe Ruth May’s life as a palindrome. Kingsolver develops Adah’s intricate understanding of life by using