The Poisonwood Bible Summary
Description
Here you will find a The Poisonwood Bible summary (Barbara Kingsolver's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters The Poisonwood Bible Summary Overview
In 1959, a zealous Baptist preacher, Nathan Price, relocates his wife and their four daughters to the deep jungles of Congo with a mission to convert the local African tribes to Christianity. Each woman in the Price family has a unique perspective on this move. Orleanna, the mother, follows her husband's decision without protest, whereas their eldest daughter, Rachel, is disgruntled about being uprooted from her normal teenage life. The youngest, Ruth May, is a mix of thrill and fear. Leah, the enthusiastic 14-year-old, is the only one who fully supports her father's religious fervor. Lastly, there's Leah's twin Adah, who despite being physically challenged, is a keen observer. All of them, however, have a firm belief that their culture is far superior to that in the village of Kilanga, and that they will easily adapt and master their new surroundings. However, their overconfidence quickly begins to crumble. The first hint of a reality check comes when Nathan is unsuccessful in planting a vegetable garden, as the North American plants don't adapt to African conditions. Then, their local help, Mama Tataba, leaves in anger because of Nathan's insistence on baptizing the locals in a river infamous for a recent crocodile attack. As the cultural shock continues to affect the women, Nathan remains stubbornly focused on his mission, refusing to adapt or learn from the locals. Even when the country is on the brink of gaining independence from Belgium, and the family is advised to leave due to an anticipated purge of Westerners, Nathan declines. As a result, Orleanna falls into a state of despair, and the older daughters must step up to take care of the family. During this time, the family undergoes significant changes. Orleanna becomes more assertive towards Nathan and looks desperately for a way to escape Africa with her daughters. Leah loses faith in her father's rigid worldview while falling in love with the local teacher, Anatole. Rachel pretends to be engaged to a mercenary pilot to avoid marriage to a local chieftain. Adah develops a fascination for the local language. A bout of malaria leaves Ruth May a shadow of her former self. Tragedy strikes when a snake bite kills Ruth May. In the aftermath, Orleanna leads her daughters away from Kilanga. Rachel moves to South Africa, Adah and Orleanna return to the US, and Leah, recovering from malaria under Anatole's care, decides to stay in Congo and marry him. The women go on to lead different lives, with Orleanna always carrying guilt and seeking forgiveness from Ruth May, which is eventually granted in the afterlife.
book 1
Orleanna Price, in the present day, recalls her experiences in Africa. She remembers a picnic by a stream in the forest with her daughters, where they felt like "pale, doomed blossoms" amid the wild vitality. She had a brief encounter with an okapi, a kind of gazelle. But these aren't just memories; she's speaking to one of her kids, who she hints is dead and haunting her. She pleads for judgement, seeking solace from her child's restless spirit and her own distressing recollections. Back in 1959, the Price family is getting ready for their year-long missionary journey to Africa. They're only allowed 44 pounds of luggage each, leading to tough decisions about what to bring. They manage to sneak additional items, like cake mix and tools, under their clothes. Upon landing in Africa, they're welcomed by the Underdowns, a missionary couple who formerly lived in Kilanga, the village they'll be stationed at. There used to be a whole mission in Kilanga, but now only the Price family remains. The locals greet the Prices with a feast and merry-making. The family tries to acclimate to the alien environment, but Nathan, the father, instead scolds the women for being naked. His angry sermon ends the festivities and the family struggles to eat their goat stew. Their new home is a simple three-room house with a separate kitchen, a latrine, and a chicken house. They're watched by curious locals as they adjust to their new surroundings. The daughters are both fascinated and scared by the foreign environment, except for Leah who helps Nathan in the garden. When planting their garden, they don't heed the advice of their housekeeper, Mama Tataba, about making hills for the seeds and avoiding the poisonwood plant. Nathan ends up with a rash from the poisonwood and their garden gets washed away by rains. Nathan replants the garden correctly after the disaster. At the same time, Nathan is working on converting the villagers to Christianity. His efforts are barely successful, so he plans an Easter Sunday in July, including a river baptism that the villagers reject. Instead, they have a picnic by the river with fried chicken, with Orleanna working hard to create a festive mood. Life in Africa is challenging for Orleanna without modern conveniences and dealing with the tropical climate, insects, animals, and potential diseases. Mama Tataba's help is crucial. Nathan too is struggling. His flourishing garden isn't producing any vegetables due to the lack of necessary pollinators. His attempts to baptize the villagers are also failing. When Mama Tataba tells Nathan that the villagers fear the river due to a crocodile attack the previous year, she quits after arguing with him. Nathan, in his anger, releases their parrot, Methuselah, into the wild.
book 2
Presently, Orleanna is still haunted by her time in Africa. She acknowledges, "Africa, where one of my children remains in the dank red earth," but doesn't specify who. She remembers her struggle to keep her family sustained and safe after Mama Tataba's departure, and Nathan's growing obsession with his mission. During their second six months in Congo, the Price family learns the local language, Kikongo, and gets to know the flora and fauna. Leah is enchanted by the Congo, despite the difficulties they face. She remarks, "Oh, it's a heavenly paradise in the Congo and sometimes I want to live here forever," but also acknowledges the hardships. In time, they get to know their neighbors like Mama Mwanza and Tata Boanda. They also realize their own peculiarity through the eyes of the locals. To keep up with their studies, Orleanna homeschools Rachel, Leah, and Adah. The girls start making friends with local children and learn about their survival skills, which leaves Leah feeling disgruntled about her own impractical upbringing. Leah is fascinated by the local women and their lifestyle. She also spies on Axelroot, a white bush pilot. One day, Ruth May breaks her arm while spying on the Congolese revolutionaries. This leads to Nathan taking her to Stanleyville where they encounter a doctor who discusses the political turmoil in the country. They soon make the acquaintance of Anatole Ngemba, a local schoolteacher who helps Nathan with his sermons. However, a dinner with Anatole ends badly when he mentions the villagers' preference for traditional spirituality over Nathan's teachings. Nathan's influence in the community improves after Adah narrowly escapes a lion attack. With the onset of the rainy season, Orleanna tries to keep her daughters indoors to avoid sickness. For Christmas, she gifts them needlework materials for their hope chests. In January, the Underdowns bring news of the Congo's impending independence and advise the Prices to leave. However, Nathan refuses to leave. As the village prepares for independence, a warning sign is left outside the Prices' door. Despite a letter from the Underdowns imploring them to leave, Nathan remains steadfast. When the Underdowns arrange for a plane to take them home, only Nathan and Leah board. Leah and Nathan witness the Congolese independence ceremonies in Leopoldville, while back in Kilanga, Adah discovers Methuselah's remains, seeing it as a symbol of the Congo's newfound independence.
book 3
Orleanna recalls her early marriage to Nathan just as World War II began. Nathan was drafted, shipped to the Philippines, and wounded. His comrades were captured and died on the infamous Bataan Death March. This left Nathan with lingering guilt, which he seemed to compensate for through fervent preaching. They settled in Bethlehem, Georgia when Orleanna was pregnant with their first child, Rachel. The twins came less than two years later, and Orleanna's life became dominated by motherhood and housework. In 1960, the Prices must adapt to life without support from the Mission League. As Orleanna and Ruth May are often sick, Rachel, Leah, and Adah step up to manage the household. During this time, they come to appreciate the efforts their mother put forth to sustain them. Leah even daydreams of having more competent parents. One day, Anatole visits and brings a rabbit for supper, as well as news about political unrest in the Congo. Ruth May falls ill with malaria, and a local man named Nelson gives her a charm for protection. Ruth May imagines her safe place as a green mamba in a tree, offering her a bird's-eye view of the world. Meanwhile, Orleanna starts to regain her health and strength. She becomes more outspoken and is resolved to leave Africa. Leah starts questioning her father's decisions, which opens the door to further doubts about his judgment. Brother Fowles, the prior missionary in Kilanga, pays the village a visit along with his Congolese wife and children. He is well-received by the village, but not by Nathan, who disapproves of his gentle approach to conversion. Before they leave, the Fowles family offers the Prices books, food, and medicine. A drought compromises the food supply, prompting the chief, Tata Ndu, to court Rachel with the aim of reducing the strain on the Prices. Rachel is upset, leading Nathan to arrange a fake engagement for her to Axelroot, a pilot. Rachel hopes to manipulate Axelroot into helping the family escape Kilanga, as he frequently boasts of his connections to the CIA. Rachel learns from Axelroot about a plot to assassinate Lumumba, the Congolese leader. Adah overhears and shares the news with Leah. Leah, meanwhile, has started teaching at a local school and spends a lot of time with Anatole, discussing politics and culture. She is attracted to him but her hunting hobby is frowned upon by the villagers because it's considered unfeminine. A horrific night ensues when a wave of ants invades the village. The villagers scramble to the river for safety. Adah, hampered by her disability, is saved by Anatole. This incident deeply troubles her as she feels her mother prioritized Ruth May over her. Leah, on the other hand, escapes with Anatole but confides in him about her dwindling faith in God. Although she confesses her love for him, Anatole advises her not to repeat it.
book 4
Still troubled by her past in Africa, Orleanna envisions the political maneuverings that led to Lumumba's downfall and Joseph Mobutu's rise to power in Congo. Historical records show that the United States, including President Eisenhower and the National Security Council, orchestrated this change, leading to Lumumba's arrest, Mobutu's military control, and eventually Lumumba's brutal death. Following an ant invasion, distressed villagers in Kilanga find their food reserves depleted. The drought worsens, water sources dry up and crops fail. Doubts about Christianity grow among the villagers. One Sunday, during Nathan's sermon, Tata Ndu declares an immediate vote to decide if Jesus should continue as their chosen deity. Despite Nathan's protest, the vote proceeds and Jesus loses, 11 to 56. Shortly after, Tata Ndu declares a grand hunt for the entire village. Leah, who has been developing her hunting abilities, wishes to join, but faces opposition from Tata Ndu and the elder men. However, Anatole supports Leah, advocating for change. The villagers vote again, with a slim majority in favor of Leah joining the hunt. After a heated argument with her father, Leah decides to participate in the hunt. Anatole narrowly escapes death when he finds a venomous mamba snake in his bed. On the hunt day, the villagers trap animals by setting tall grass on fire. As the animals try to escape, the hunters shoot at them. Leah kills an antelope, but Gbenye, the chief's son, disputes her claim. Nelson confirms Leah's kill, leading to a village-wide argument. Tata Ndu humiliates Leah by tossing the antelope's hind leg at her, which she retaliates by throwing back at Gbenye. The hunt concludes in disarray. Afterwards, the Prices savor the antelope leg. Nelson alerts them to an ominous sign near the chicken house. Nathan dismisses his superstition, refusing Nelson's request to stay indoors. The girls eventually accompany Nelson to secure the chicken house perimeter with ashes, and Nelson spends the night at Anatole's place. The next morning, Nelson and the girls find footprints, unique to six-toed Tata Kuvudundu, in the ashes. Inside the chicken house, they encounter another mamba snake. Amid the commotion, they notice Ruth May turning blue from snakebite above her heart. Before they can get help, Ruth May passes away. Upon learning of Ruth May's death, Orleanna bathes the child and creates a shroud for her. She moves the dining table outside, laying Ruth May's body on it. Villager women begin child death mourning rituals. Orleanna starts giving away their possessions to the women. The yard fills with village children, and a sudden rain prompts Nathan to baptize them. The confused children start calling out to Ruth May's body, asking, "Mother may I?"
book 5
Orleanna recalls her sorrow following Ruth May's death, forcing her to constantly keep moving to outrun her pain. She and her remaining daughters, Rachel, Leah, and Adah, leave their village home. It's evident that Orleanna's reflections are directed at Ruth May, as she pleads for forgiveness, questioning if Ruth May's spirit has merged with the spirit of Africa. The Price women embark on a challenging journey to Bulungu amidst a rainstorm and mosquito swarm. Leah falls ill with malaria and is carried the rest of the way. In Bulungu, Orleanna arranges for Rachel to be flown out of Congo and for herself and Adah to be transported to the embassy in Leopoldville, leaving Leah under the care of Anatole. Leah recovers, decides to stay with Anatole, and eventually marries him. Rachel is taken to Johannesburg, South Africa by Axelroot where they cohabit but don't marry. She immerses herself in the social scene and eventually marries a friend's spouse, moving to Brazzaville, French Congo. Adah, back in America, breaks her silence and enrolls in medical school at Emory University, visiting Orleanna often. Anatole gets arrested, leaving Leah in a convent where she learns languages and tries to cope with her family's fate. Once Anatole is freed after three years, they relocate to Bikoki Station, start a family, and engage in professional duties. Adah undergoes an experimental procedure in medical school to correct her physical disability. After six months of not walking, she regains her ability, leaving her unsure of her identity without her disability. She occasionally sees Orleanna, Leah, and Anatole, who are engaged in civil rights activities, academic pursuits, and family life. They all continuously mourn Ruth May. In the '70s, Mobutu renames cities to reflect authenticity, a practice Leah and her family adopt. Life is challenging in Kinshasa, with food scarcity, fear of Anatole's re-arrest, and widespread corruption due to Mobutu's financial mismanagement. Rachel, now a widow and hotel owner in French Congo, prides herself on her business acumen, but her prejudices are evident in her disregard for Leah's biracial children. By 1981, Anatole is again arrested for treason. Orleanna and her friends from Amnesty International rally for his support. In 1984, the sisters reunite a month before Anatole's scheduled release. Their contrasting perspectives resurface during their reunion, and they learn about their father Nathan's death. He was blamed for a crocodile attack on village children, chased out of the village, and killed when his watchtower was set ablaze. Adah sees a biblical parallel in Nathan's end and later informs Orleanna about it.
book 6
Rachel shares her thoughts on her existence. While she takes pride in her hotel and self-maintenance, she yearns for her homeland and laments her childless state. She feels she can't return to the US due to the drastic events in her life, and acknowledges the unchangeable nature of Africa, "The way I see Africa, you don't have to like it but you sure have to admit it's out there." Leah contemplates pre-colonial Africa and the detrimental impact of European colonization. After a life dedicated to justice, she concludes that "there is no justice in this world... What there is in this world, I think, is a tendency for human errors to level themselves like water throughout their sphere of influence... There's the possibility of balance." Living in Angola with Anatole, they coexist with families that assist them in pig farming and cultivation of maize, yams, and soybeans. Leah seeks pardon from Africa for her ancestors' wrongs, seeing her offspring as part of Africa's rehabilitation. Adah devotes herself to studying diseases to safeguard children at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She investigates the evolutionary history of viruses, including AIDS and Ebola. Though unmarried, she shares her life with a fellow hermit suffering from post-polio syndrome. She amasses Bibles with typographic errors like the Camel's Bible and the Murderers' Bible. She recalls her father's misinterpretation of 'bangala', a Kikongo word, while preaching to villagers. Depending on pronunciation, 'bangala' can mean beloved or poisonwood. Nathan, her father, always used the latter interpretation, inspiring Adah to consider her family's narrative as the Poisonwood Bible.
book 7
Ruth May's spirit, blended with the essence of Africa, observes from the trees as Orleanna, Rachel, Leah, and Adah traverse a market. Mobutu, the fugitive leader, dies on this particular day, marking a significant shift in Congo's history. They pause at a stall where a woman from Bulungu sells wooden animal figurines. However, she doesn't recall a place called Kilanga, claiming it doesn't exist. Orleanna purchases elephant figures for her great-grandchildren and receives an okapi figure as a present. Ruth May's spirit recollects how their trek through the jungle caused an okapi to retreat deeper into the forest while a spider was killed by Ruth May. The spirit asserts, "Every life is different because you passed this way and touched history." Orleanna spots a boy mirroring Ruth May's size at her death, leading her to contemplate Ruth May's current age. However, the okapi figure in her pocket soothes her. The spirit tells her, "Mother, you can still hold on but forgive, forgive and give for long as long as we both shall live I forgive you, Mother . . . The teeth at your bones are your own, the hunger is yours, forgiveness is yours." With this forgiveness, the spirit encourages Orleanna to "Move on. Walk forward into the light."
