Analysis Of Barbara Kingsolver's 'The Poisonwood Bible'

Do something for me. Forget everything you know about where you’re at right now, who you’ve spent your life with, and what you believe in. Would you still be the same person you are today? Probably not. How would you be different? In The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Leah Price trades her dependent, people-pleasing personality for a strong, independent woman who can do things for herself. When Leah was forced to move to the Congo at age fourteen, she was unaware of who she was and had filled herself with things in which she didn’t really believe. Like people of the Congo, Leah was unsure of her belief system and if it even existed. The people with whom Leah surrounded herself with in America were unlike her in their actions, thoughts, and beliefs. This all changed when she moved to the Congo. This opened her eyes to new people, new belief systems, and a new standard of living. Leah transitioned from being a young, conservative Christian young lady to a strong woman who believed in justice for everyone. Leah learned from her parents, Anatole, a Congolese man that she would soon fall in love with, and the Congolese women about how to live in the Congo and what were the acceptable lifestyle habits. Leah Price was in her father’s shadow throughout the majority of The Poisonwood Bible. She was in the garden with him, went on special trips with him, and even went hunting with him. She heard every sermon that he spoke and could quote many verses out of the Bible. Leah’s
He called her “beene beene”, meaning the “truest truth.” (Kingsolver 286-287). This is captivating to Leah and she is almost instantly drawn to him. Later in the novel, we learn how Anatole contributed to Leah’s devotion to human rights and justice. This is one way in which Leah has changed since the beginning of the novel. She changed from being conservative to being very outspoken about human rights and