Injustice In The Poisonwood Bible

Throughout The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver implements the nature of cruelty into her writing to underscore the themes of cultural arrogance and societal injustice. Additionally, the cruel actions taken place in this detailed novel highlight the four individual daughter’s unique and intriguing perspectives along their journey in the Congo. From the innocence of young Ruth May to the unbound recklessness of Reverend Price, the reader witnesses the compelling mindsets and thought processes in times of adversity and hardships as they reflect on how cruel the world can be. Cruelty functions both significantly in the connection between the reader and the characters view points as well as conveying the central theme of injustice in the work,

One example of Price’s cruelty happens when Adah informs the reader that they “had to endure Father’s escalating rage” (Kingsolver 219) and “rubbed their bruises when it “reached a certain point” (Kingsolver 219). These series of quotes focuses on the cruel physical abuse that the daughters have to encounter as well as underscoring the Reverend’s lack of patience and understanding. Also when Leah disobeys her father for the first time, his berserk character uncovers as he “thrashes the trees with his belt” (Kingsolver 340). Of course, the rest of the family was terrified to death of Nathan’s rage, as they “pushed the beds around so that the door was blocked” (Kingsolver 340). The frightened females even obtained “metal pot lids and knives and things from the kitchen to protect” (Kingsolver 340) themselves. This burst of cruel relentless implies to the reader that Nathan Price intends to inflict harm against anyone who opposes by the way his family barricaded themselves in the bed room with kitchen armor. This defensive reaction therefore suggests that Nathan Price has used his power to hurt and abuse his wife and children which conclusively reveals his violent, prideful, and arrogant nature.

In conclusion, cruelty fulfills a vital role in Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible where it contributes immensely in reader engagement and theme awareness. From the many cruel actions imbedded in the in story line, the reader benefits tremendously in analyzing the characters in precise detail. Successfully, Kingsolver applies cruelty to her advantage as it enhances the work to strengthen the plot, theme, and reader