Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

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In Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible the importance of the feminist perspective is being portrayed as the theme. The book explains the experiences of being a missionary family in the African Congo from five contrasting female perspectives. The male point of view is prominent in this time period, the 1960’s, but The Poisonwood Bible focuses on the views and thoughts of the five women, which is rare. Nathan Price, the husband of Orleanna Price, controls his family by not allowing the women to have a opinion. He has complete dominance over his four daughters and also his wife, which he allows her no control of her children. Nathan is not a speaker in The Poisonwood Bible, however he is the antagonist of the book because of his dreadful personality. …show more content…
The women are allowed to do most of the activities men are, but they also have the responsibility of having and raising children. Throughout The Poisonwood Bible the female perspective is superior over the male perspective and is proven by the five women sharing their perspectives about living in the Congo and the opinions about their father, Nathan Price. Nathan Price’s point of view is never displayed in the book. His wife, Orleanna Price, and his four daughters, Leah, Rachel, Ruth May, and Adah, have superior voices in The Poisonwood Bible. The woman in this time period (1960) are not expected to have any control or opinion over their husband or children. Women are expected to have children, obey their husbands, and take care of the house. The feminist movement of the 1960s are based on developing equal opportunities for work, such as, pay, type of job, and discrimination for black women. (tavanna.org) While the family is living in the Congo, Nathan continues to control his family. One of the most disturbing phases Nathan says to Adah is, "Sending a girl to college is like pouring water in your shoes... It's hard to say which is worse, seeing it run out and waste the water,
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