The Poisonwood
Bible
 By Barbara
Kingsolver
Author Background
 Born in 1955 in Annapolis, Maryland but
grew up in rural Kentucky
 Lived in the Congo for 2 years and kept
detailed diaries of what she saw
 Said that she never considered writing
because all the authors she knew were
“old dead men.”
 Went to DePauw University in Indiana to
study biology (after giving up on classical
piano)
 Became very interested in social activism
 She believed her calling
was to change the world
through fiction
 She worked in the field of
scientific journalism while
writing novels at night
 The Bean Trees was her
first novel
 All of her novels have
social, ecological, or
political messages
centered around family
stories
Background on Novel
 Set in the Congo in
Africa mainly during the
late 1950’s and 60’s.
 Traces the story of a
missionary family
(parents and 4
daughters) when they
move to the Congo
Background on the Congo
 The Congo is
located in the
heart of Africa
and had no
borders until
Europeans
took over in
1881.
Belgium as Colonialists
 The Belgians ran the Congo very brutally
 Diamonds and rubber were the main
export in the Congo
 If Congolese miners didn’t work “hard
enough” or produce enough diamonds,
the Belgian leaders cut off their hands.
 The leaders didn’t allow the Congolese to
become educated for fear that they would
one day retake their nation.
 At the urging of the United Nations in
1960, Belgium withdrew from the Congo
and the Congo gained independence.
 Chaos ensued as law and order
collapsed.
 No one had any idea how to run a
country…there were less than two dozen
people with degrees at the time in the
country.
 Patrice Lumumba: elected prime
minister by the people and the UN
protected him with its troops.
Charismatic, beloved by people.
 Clashed with army (didn’t raise their pay)
and President Joseph Kasa-Vubu
(elected by Parliament)
 He asked for aid from the U.S. and was
denied. When he considered aid from the
Soviet Union, he was seen as a threat
(aligned with a communist nation)
 Within 10 weeks of election, Lumumba
was removed from office and was
murdered by Joseph Mobutu, a former
army sergeant and Lumumba aide, who
took over.
 It is well documented that the CIA and
Belgian authorities were complicit in
Lumumba’s murder.
 Mobutu renamed the country Zaire
 He won the support of western
leaders who merely saw him as anticommunist. US gave millions in aid.
 For 30 years, he robbed his country,
taking government revenue for
himself.
 Mobutu was overthrown by rebel
forces in 1997 and a rebellion in 1998
launched the country into renewed
chaos.
 The Democratic Republic of the
Congo today is a country where
poverty is rampant and corruption is
the norm
Post-Colonial Lit Crit Theory
 Concerned with works produced by colonial
powers (formerly or currently) OR by those that
were/are colonized.
 Analyzes issues such as power, religion,
culture, and economics, particularly when
viewing the Western colonizers’ control of the
colonized.
 Believes those colonized are marginalized.
“History is written by the victors,” so texts are
biased or have omissions. “Empire” is not
seen in positive light.
Some Post-Colonial Lit Crit
Questions
 How does the text, explicitly or allegorically, represent
various aspects of colonial oppression?
 What does the text reveal about post-colonial identity?
(“double-consciousness”)
 What group is treated as “the other”? How are they
treated?
 What does the text reveal about the politics and/or
psychology of anti-colonialist resistance?
 What does the text reveal about cultural differences
that shape identity (race, religion, class, gender,
customs)?
Theme Topics
 The cultural arrogance of the West
(including the United States)
 Guilt and redemption
 The picture of true Christianity/faith
 Social justice issues (poverty, war,
injustice done by those in power)
Characters
 Nathan Price —preacher, father in the family,
arrogant, determined
 Orleanna Price —mother
 Rachel —15, girly, hates the Congo
 Leah —14, admires her father, strong mentally
and physically (enduring)
 Adah —14, twin of Leah, has a limp, doesn’t
speak but understands others, has strange
talents (reads backwards, poetic)
 Ruth May —6, gives the child’s perspective
Central questions…
 How does the Price family (and others) function
on a smaller, fictitious level to symbolize
universal themes that occur on a broader level
throughout history? (What can each character
“stand in” for?)
 How are Biblical allusions used to add
meaning? (Look for irony!)
 How are the themes timeless and universal
(transcending gender, culture, race, time and
religion)?
 How does Kingsolver’s style establish and build
character in the novel?