The Poisonwood Bible
10
Love
Betrayal
" Love changes everything. I never suspected it would be so. Requited love, I should say, for I've loved my father fiercely my whole life, and it changed nothing." p.399
The most obvious act of betrayal had to be when Orleanna chose to save Ruth May's life rather than Adah's.
~ " She studied me for a moment, weighing my life. Then nodded, shifted the load in her arms, turned away." p.306
Word cloud of the PB
This is another example of how well the Congolese were adapted to their environment.
This quote acknowledged two strikingly different forms of love Leah experienced in the novel
- True love for Anatole.
- Unrequited love from her father.
Love
- The Congolese knew that this would happen and were prepared for it when it finally arrived.
Motherly love was also present throughout the novel.
- Orleanna gave her entire life to her family.
- It was ironic when Orleanna said" one has only a life of one's own." p.8 because she has never really had a life of her won , giving everything she had for the well being of her husband and children.
ANTS
- The ants were also a form of cleansing in Kilanga, signaling a fresh tart.
- all of the people were driven to the river (even though the "water was seen as death")
- Could be seen as a form of Baptism, not only a cleansing of Kilanga itself, but its residents as well.
- "... poor chickens shut up... in the coop. I pictured their bones laid clean and white ina pile... Two days later, that is exactly how we found them ." p.311
ANTS
The episode with the ants also served to bring out elements of each character's personality that had been carefully surpressed until that point.
- almost served as a climax because it brought each character to a crisis level.
(even thought the most crucial turning point was yet to come)
THEME: Love and Betrayal
- Rachel's reaction was not surprising and only confirmed that she was only concerned with herself.
Symbol: Ants
The flood of ants was an almost exact mirror of what was happening in the Congo as a whole at that point in time.
-" Don't blame god for what ants have to do . We all get hungry, Congolese people are not so different from the Congolese ants. When they are pushed down long enough they will rise up..." p.308
Betrayal by a loved one is the worst form of betrayal because that individual is supposed to be protecting you from harm, not inflicting pain.
The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver
Betrayal
- Leah's faith in god was lost and immediately replaced with her love for Anatole, illustrated when she "...felt the breath of God go cold on her skin." and later repeated his name " in the place of prayer." p.310
- Nathan had the duty to protect his family, however only thinks of himself.
He loves god as much as he loves himself but doesn't respect his family.
~ "...several other children remembered this game.. Their eyes ft father and came to rest on Ruth May inside the drenched cloud of netting.. while father moved around the circle baptizing each child in turn..." p 375
ANTS
Adah's loss was much worse than Leah's because Leah had something to fill the gap left behind, Adah had yet to find anything that could do the same.
ANTS
- Adah realized that she actually valued her won life when she said " That night marks my life's dark center, the moment when growing up ended and the long slope toward death began. The wonder to me now is that I thought myself worth saving." p.306