Exile can be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome. While exile is hard to overcome, it can also be enriching at the same time. In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the Price family experiences exile . The four girls and their parents leave the United States and go to the Congo to spread the word of God to their people. Nathan, the father who made this decision, is a Baptist Minister who wants to spread the word of God to the Congolese people. The Price's experience faced many hardships and have to overcome them.
One character that faced the most hardships was Adah Price. When Adah arrived to the Congo, she was very young. Also, Adah suffers from a disease called hemiplegia that prevents the whole left side of her body to function. Having to go from the United States to a third world country would be very hard for any one her age. Adah experienced things that no one her age should experience. Adah witnesses her sisters death while in the Congo which puts sadness in her as you could imagine. Adah also witnesses her parents not caring for each other which also hits her hard. After all of these horrible things happen, Adah doesn't let it effect her too much. Adah matures greatly and starts to value her life. Adah then attends a college in the Congo and becomes a brilliant researcher in science, something she loves and truly believes in. She loves studying the life of viruses and it has also helped her look at the world at a much different angle. Although exile can be alienating and hard, it can also be enriching, just like Adah's experience.
Overall, this novel does send an important message about having to overcome hardships. Hardships can actually help one look at life differently and help them in the long run. This novel also allows the readers to relate to having to overcome hardships. Everyone has faced some sort of exile or change that they have had to overcome. Whatever the exile or change someone faces, it is important to benefit from the situation just as Adah did, which is enriching.
No comments:
Post a Comment