Symbols/Motifs

Symbolism is prevalent through each and every life and the way we utilize symbols often has greater impacts than we realize. Whether it be the cross that represents Jesus Christ or the sign that tells you which bathroom to walk into, we are constantly dependent on symbols. Kingsolver utilizes symbols quite often in The Poisonwood Bible to demonstrate the cultural ignorance that the Price family portrays. For example, the title of the book is a symbol within itself. It shows the lack of understanding when it comes to mending the two cultures together. When Nathan Price, or the reverend, tries to speak the local language of the people of Kilanga he often does not try with diligence. The language, Kikongo, is complicated and simple changes in tone can change the meaning of the word. He failed to attempt the complexity of the language because he lacks the ability to care about it. Nathan’s wife says “But Nathan wouldn’t hear my worries. For him, our life was as simple as paying in cash and sticking the receipt in your breast pocket”(Kingsolver 96). He is a stubborn man who is culturally unaware and who is so fixated on his personal goals of conversion that he fails to immerse himself in the culture. He views learning the peoples way of life as taboo and sinful which is quite ironic being a missionary. Due to his inability to learn, most of the time he preached to the people and they could not even understand him. If they did understand it, the message would come out differently than he intended it.