The Poisonwood Bible Essay

“The Poisonwood Bible” is mostly based on 1960s Congo, although the story continues until after that. The author, Barbara Kingslover, draws on the independence and political conflict in the Congo when telling the story of the Prices, a missionary family, during their time there. The Congo declared independence from Belgium in 1960 and elected a prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who was placed under house arrest and murdered only months after becoming prime minister. Joseph-Désiré Mobutu replaced him and began a period of fear and unrest. The book is centered on how these events and their consequences affected the family.

As a family in Kilanga in the beginning of the book, the Prices face many challenges because of the Congo Crisis. In the
Of course, Adah has many other challenges to overcome. For her entire childhood, she is crippled, and does not speak very much. Being in Kilanga helps her some, since she is more accepted there (many people have some sort of disability). Her way of thinking is different from everyone else’s, but that does not mean that she isn’t concerned and annoyed about her family’s situation and the Congo’s situation. She becomes very worried when she learns of the assassination plot of Prime Minister Lumumba, and that Eeben Axelroot is involved. Adah tells her sisters about it; however, there is nothing she can do, and Lumumba is assassinated. As an adult, Adah is back in America. She becomes a doctor and studies tropical epidemiology and new viruses, particularly in Africa. This is her way of helping and coping. She sends Leah letters and packages relating to Africa. She tries as hard as she can to help. Even though she isn’t in Africa, she’s still involved. Africa stays with her throughout her life. Adah resists the historical challenges of her time but cannot affect them because she is not directly