Like the previous lesson with the Heart of Darkness, the purpose of this lesson is to get you acquainted with The Poisonwood Bible. In the last lesson, we focused upon the frame story and opening descriptions as a means for beginning the novel. For this microlesson, we will look at point of view and allusion as key organizing factors for the novel. As you read be aware of key passages that lend themselves to close reading and analysis for preparation of the final assignment at the end of the module. As with The Heart of Darkness, students are encouraged to find a simple plot summary and character list before starting this novel.

Key Characters TPB

The Prices

• Orleanna Price – Nathan's wife and the mother of their four daughters. Born in Mississippi, she is deferential to her husband but independent-minded
• Nathan Price – Orleanna's husband. An evangelical (Southern Baptist) minister and a World War II veteran from Georgia, determined to "save Africa for Jesus".
• Rachel Price (15 at start of the novel) – the oldest Price girl; blonde and self-centered, she is obsessed with her looks and American consumer culture.
• Leah Price (14 at start of the novel) – Adah's tomboyish twin; intelligent, self-confident, competitive, and tenacious. The most outspoken of the women, Leah is prone to dogmatism and concerned with her own salvation.
• Adah Price (14 at start of the novel) – Leah's twin, hemiplegic from birth. Silent but witty, she is brilliant in math and languages, but is envious of her twin. She is also skeptical, sarcastic, envious, and prone to self-pity.
• Ruth May Price (5 at the start of the novel) – the youngest Price girl; she is playful, independent, adventurous, perceptive, and inquisitive.

Other characters

• The Underdowns – Belgian mission chiefs who welcome and send supplies to the Prices.
• Eeben Axelroot – a corrupt South African mercenary pilot.
• Anatole Ngemba – the village teacher; an orphan, his fluency in English allows him to be an interpreter for Nathan's sermons.
• Brother Fowles – a New Yorker; the Prices' predecessor on the mission. Married to a local woman.
• Mama Tataba – a village woman, formerly employed by Fowles, who works for the Prices. Best known and celebrated for her prestigious quote 'You got to be make hills.'
• Tata Ndu – the chief of Kilanga.
• Tata Kuvudundu – the spiritual leader of the village.
• Nelson – an orphaned village boy; he is Anatole's student who works for the Prices. He is forced to sleep outside in the chicken coop.
• Methuselah – a parrot left by Brother Fowles; it is excellent at imitating human speech.

Reading The Poisonwood Bible

In this video presentation, we will highlight some important details and advice prior to your reading of The Poisonwood Bible. Make sure that your volume is turned up. Prepare to take notes.

It is now time to read The Poisonwood Bible. It is highly recommended that you purchase your own copy of the novel to read and reread and potentially markup. However, you may also check out a copy from the library or click here to access an online text. Links to an external site.

As you read Poisonwood Bible, filling out a book structure character chart will help you remember the novel's details within the thematic and ironic context of the novel. Click on the button below to access a pre-made chart that you can download and use. The challenge activity will walk you through what to do on the chart.

Click here for the Book Structure Character Chart template document. Links to an external site.

Let's Review

Final Thoughts

Like The Heart of Darkness, The Poisonwood Bible explores several common themes and has a complex narrative structure. The novel allows for the perspectives of five characters which contributes to its overall ironic understanding of the 20^th Century Congo Experience. As you read the novel be aware that all of the characters are experiencing some degree of alienation as they grapple with their overall significance of their place in the universe.

IMAGES & PRESENTATIONS CREATED BY GAVS