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Maggie Boyer

Balden Pd. 3

English IV AP

13 September, 2016

The Poisonwood Bible Timed Write

In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver portrays young Ruth May Prices naivet

to reveal the incompatibility of innocence within the Congo.

Innocence plays a major role in the lives of the people in the village of Kilanga. The

villagers have experienced a lot, whereas the Price family, who just moved from the United

States, is not aware of the dangers in the Congo. It takes time for most family members to

assimilate, but Ruth May, the youngest, has the hardest time of all. Because of her youth, she

doesnt understand the importance of health in the underdeveloped village of Kilanga. During

their stay in the Congo, Orleanna, the mother, and her four children must take malaria pills to

help prevent themselves from attracting the disease. Over time, Ruth Mays health begins to

deteriorate and her fevers are more frequent. Orleanna discovers white pills stuck to the wall and

beneath Ruth Mays cot; she hadnt been swallowing the pills because she didnt like them. As a

result, Ruth May gets malaria and has to rest in bed until her fevers become less frequent.

Additionally, Ruth May is unaware of many of the dangers in the Congo. The Price family learns

that mamba snakes are fatal to humans and if spotted, villagers must run. Ironically, Ruth May

dies from a poisonous bite of the mamba snake that was meant for a villager. Her death

represents that the lack of innocence is necessary for survival in the Congo.

Moreover, survival is only possible if inhabitants are aware of the dangers of the Congo.

In the beginning of the novel, Orleanna describes that the Congo is a dangerous jungle filled with
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wild animals. She further explains how the Congo killed her youngest daughter and that

innocence and naivet are what killed her. The natives have been exposed to the dangerous world

of the jungle, but the Prices have a difficult time adjusting to the lack of modernity. For example,

they dont understand that gathering water from the river is the only way to receive it; they

eventually learn to grow their own food and gather their own water. Unfortunately for Ruth May,

it is typical for the older members of the family and men to do the hunting and gathering. Not

experiencing or participating in the rituals, especially for people who havent been exposed to a

society like this, can be detrimental to survival.

The Prices come from a westernized society and are not accustomed to the harsh

differences in Kilanga. Contrastingly, Leah Price is avid about learning how to hunt, which is

traditionally a male-dominated activity. She forms relationships with the younger villager boys

and starts to participate in weekly hunts. In the end, this helps her with the understanding of

avoiding dangerous things in the jungle. Even though Ruth May isnt portrayed has having a lack

of education of the Congo, she still doesnt fully understand all reasons for staying safe and

healthy; this is mainly due to her youth.

The lack of innocence within the Congo is not necessarily the key to survival, but the

idea of incompatibility within it is what makes it so interesting. As previously mentioned, in

order to survive, people must be exposed to and understand the dangers of the Congo in order to

survive. Unfortunately for a western-influenced young girl, innocence comes and bites her in the

back.