Essay #1

Alienation and Enrichment

When one importance is lost, another can be gained. In The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the Price family encounters a rift from their home to an entirely new world, Africa. Leah Price, a fourteen year old twin girl in particular, is simultaneously alienated and enriched in Kilanga by her exile. Her encounters teach her the true appreciations of life, while alienating her with her American friends.  Her alienation and enrichment gives meaning to Kingsolver’s work as a whole by identifying several universal themes.

Leah’s exile has brought her many forms of alienations in Kilanga, Africa. In a world without popular media and culture, Leah was alienated with new movies, music, and other American culture. With the exception of the few magazines the family brought with them, Leah could not consume the popular culture of 1960’s America. She was also alienated with the common consumer goods that many Americans took granted for. Another form of alienation Leah encountered was the lack of her American friends and relatives. Since she was exiled into Kilanga for her father’s Baptist mission, her friends and family were left behind. Leah only made few local friends such as Pascal, who is a boy. She never made friends with local girls her age since most were mothers. Therefore, her rift to Africa brought social alienation in the form of her American friends and family. However, at the same time, Leah became enriched with many of Africa’s cultures and land.

Leah is a tomboy who likes to spend time outdoors. As she explored the thick jungles of Kilanga, Leah became enriched with the natural habitat. Pascal, Nelson and Mama Mwanza would teach her many things about the plants, environments, and wildlife. Through her contact with nature, Leah enriched her knowledge of nature in Africa by directly feeling and working with it. For example, she learned how to hunt from the village men and killed her first prey at the big food hunt. This experience is truly an enrichment caused by her exile because she could have never have had the same experience in America. Aside from nature, the twin girl was also enriched with learning a completely different culture. One can learn about the culture of another nation through a textbook, but actually living the culture intensifies that enrichment. By actually observing and practicing the cultures of Kilanga, Leah was able to develop knowledge of a less developed nation. Through Leah’s exile, the author was able to illuminate the meaning to her work as a whole.

By portraying both the alienation and enrichment of Leah Price, the author was able to identify the themes and meaning in her novel. As a whole, the good and bad experiences of Leah helps shape the universal themes of The Poisonwood Bible. One theme emphasized in the story is for one to appreciate what you have in life. Many developed countries take it as granted whereas Leah learned that it is not in third world countries. Without being alienated with common American goods, Leah could not have understood the value of appreciation for material things. Her deep enrichment of the nature and culture of Kilanga also contributes to the central meaning of the novel.

Leah Price is a young daughter who is “exiled” to Africa. Her rift to a new world gives both alienation and enrichment at the same time. Leah is isolated from her American friend and even friends her age in the village. However, she becomes enriched with the beautiful wild nature and culture of Africa. These opposing experiences give meaning to Kingsolver’s work as a whole by underlying the main themes universal to all.