Wllklns 1

Mitchell Wilkins Mrs. Carter AP Language and Composition 18 March 2014

The Contrast between the Poisonwood and the Holy Bible
The Poisonwood Bible and the Holy Bible have many similarities between them. Besides
the obvious fact that they share similar names, they are both made up of a similar structure. The
fictional novel and the scriptures in The Bible are broken up into multiple sections and told from
different accounts, both working together to convery the overall message. While the novel by
Barbara Kingsolver is a tale of a missionarys family and their attempt to convert as many people
as possible, and the Bible is composed of the accounts of the prophets of Jesus Christ and the
expansion of His gospel, both are abudant with pain and suffering. It is through these
misfortunes that the central theme of forgiveness and guidance from the Lord is developed, the
two writings simply talk of it differntly.
Composed of separate books, including : Genesis, The Revelation, The Judges, and
Exodus, it is made very clear that the Poisonwood Bible has a strong correlation to the wrtitings
in the Bible. The characters within the novel have a large age and personality range, including a
very young girl with the innocence of youth to an older man distraught with sin attempting to
change his salvation with a last ditch effort at what he perceives as good works. Throughout the
novel, each character tells the story differently, but the collaboration between them all allows the
reader to understand the central idea: there will always be people who suffer and are in physical
pain, but the outlook those individuals have on life is what makes the difference. Nathan is
financially much more stable than the rest of the people in the Congo, but his mindset acts as a
mental barrier between him and happiness. His craving to receive forgivness from the Lord
without truly understanding what that means influences the lives of those around him, told by the
rest of his family.
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:07 AM
Comment [1]: 8LMCvL
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:01 AM
Comment [2]: convey*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:02 AM
Comment [3]: abundanL*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:08 AM
Comment [4]: guldance and forglveness*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:02 AM
Comment [5]: dlfferenLly*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:08 AM
Comment [6]: 8LMCvL
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:02 AM
Comment [7]: WlLh Lhe olsonwood 8lble belng
composed of separaLe books,
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:02 AM
Comment [8]: 8LMCvL
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:09 AM
Comment [9]: 8LMCvL
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:03 AM
Comment [10]: wrlLlngs*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:09 AM
Comment [11]: slzeable*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:03 AM
Comment [12]: 8LMCvL
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:10 AM
Comment [13]: by dolng whaL*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:03 AM
Comment [14]: forglveness*
Wllklns 2

The Holy Bible, on the other hand, includes many of the same troublesome times but
portrays them differently. The scriptures are full of instances where individuals suffer, but in
most cases it is a result of sin, and the prophets of Christ are the ones to turn the focus of
suffering into forgivness, and eventual salvation. In this case, the prophets have the same role of
the many narrarators of the Poisionwood Bible. They all tell the tales of the gospel and interepret
the blessings on Earth differently, but together the reader is able to understand the overall
message that through trials and strife, the Lord is able to help if the people simply ask for it.
The correlation between the two writings are different in the words they use, but similar
in that they convey the same message. The Poisonwood Bible is centered around
misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the acceptance of Christ, and as a result Nathan Price
ultimately suffers and never receives happiness. As a contrast, the Bible talks of the people who
understand their mistakes and misfortunes, and turn their grief into acceptance of the Lord,
resulting in the happiness and salvation that follows.
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:12 AM
Comment [15]: 8LMCvL
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:03 AM
Comment [16]: forglveness*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:04 AM
Comment [17]: narraLors*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:04 AM
Comment [18]: olsonwood*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:04 AM
Comment [19]: lnLerpreL*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:14 AM
Comment [20]: Auu: !usL as each propheL
accounLs of Lhe Llmes dlfferenLly, so do Lhe
characLers of Lhe olsonwood 8lble, porLraylng Lhe
same evenLs ln dlfferenL ways.
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:05 AM
Comment [21]: Whlle Lhe dlcLlon used ln each
wrlLlngs ls dlfferenL,
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:19 AM
Comment [22]: are slmllar ln LhaL Lhey are boLh
accounLs of how rellglon can be boLh Lroublesome
and rewardlng*
Mitchell Wilkins 5/6/14 9:05 AM
Comment [23]: 8ased on*