“The Poisonwood Bible” is the novel written by Barbara Kingsolver, and it depicts the story of the family of an American Christian missionary who moved to Congo in the late 50’s. During this period, the colonial country was involved in the struggle for independence. The dramatic story with dense and dynamic plot narrated on behalf of five women – the priest’s wife and daughters, unfolds the large-scale picture of the country which failed to withstand the pressure of colonialism and then crushed under the weight of the so-called democracy.
Kingsolver unfolds several themes in her book. The major subject is the domination of the Western culture in different regions of the world. The author looks at the issue from the local and the national points of view.
At the local level of the village where the story unfolds, the political and economic issues are interrelated with the spiritual ones. While the father of the family, Nathan Price, flamingly preaches for the locals and cherish the dream about their baptism, his wife and daughters have to struggle for survival in the severe and unfamiliar environment. Food and water are hard to get even for the indigenous people, and when it comes to the selection of religion, the villagers would prefer a God who would protect them from hunger, natural calamities, and diseases.
“The Poisonwood Bible” depicts the history of Congo during the time of Patrice Lumumba’s political performance; he was a leader of the independence movement. Kingsolver’s ideas may be interpreted from the point view of the Marxist philosophy which states that the individuals who were dominated by the elite classes over the ages will eventually rise and will fight for their inherent rights in society and economy.
In the same way, the dominant Western culture and control will be overthrown by the African people who were kept poor and deprived of access to the national wealth. According to Marxist concepts, the working class will introduce a new form of economy and government structure supporting the philosophy of the shared wealth and encouraging the equal distribution of resources (Little 325). And it was expected that the fighters for independence in Congo will achieve similar positive results and will share the national wealth among all indigenous citizens.
At the local level, in the economic and social systems of Kilanga district where the priest’s family lived, the villagers who had more food than it was needed simply gave it to the neighbors. The example illustrating the case of compliance with the common wealth conception is associated with the values of communist ideology. From the perspective of novel’s characters, Leah and Anatole, the Western rule, capitalist political and economic systems, and the imposition of the colonialism destroyed the social performance in compliance with the values of shared wealth in the local communities (Kingsolver 174).
Overall, the book represents the evaluation of the political crisis and the violent implanting of Christianity among the indigenous people. By skillfully applying the African context, the author depicts the transformation in the foreigners’ worldviews and perception of Africa, raises the global questions about political, social, and economic problems which inevitably emerge when two distinct cultures encounter. Barbara Kingsolver doesn’t claim that she has all solutions for the introduced questions but, as any excellent writer, she provokes thoughts and urge for finding these answers in every reader.
Works Cited
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel. New York: Harper Flamingo, 1998. Print.
Little, Daniel. “Communism and Marxism.” Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Ed. Fedwa Malti-Douglas. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 324-326. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.