Poisenwood Bible: Symbolism
Roshanna Masilamani
The use of symbolism is the best way to shed light on the darker or deeper messages of a text.
I strongly agree with the statement ‘the use of symbolism is the best way to shed light on the darker or deeper messages of a text’. A text that exemplifies the statement is Barbara Kingsolver’s novel ‘The Poisonwood Bible’. Symbolism was used in the text to highlight the darker and deeper messages of the text. ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ is a novel about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo. Kingsolver’s purpose in the text was to tell a story of destruction, not only of the Price family but also of the Congo.
The parrot, Methuselah was used in ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ as a symbol to best shed light on the darker or deeper messages of the text. In the text the parrot is a symbol for the future ruined republic of Congo. Methuselah is initially described by Adah as ‘a man drowning in his cage’ which hints at the impending doom, and his 'mumbling speech' shows he is rather helpless to the situation. Methuselah is denied freedom for most of his life, and while he is kept in a cage and fed by his masters, he loses the ability to fend for himself. Even after Nathan frees him, Methuselah continues to stay close to the house he has always known, seen in the text ‘he made his way around our house in insecure spirals’, dependent on humans for his food. He even sleeps in their latrine at night, for fear of predators. Inevitably, the vulnerable Methuselah is ultimately caught by a cat, meeting his doom on the same day that the Republic of Congo begins its own short-lived independence. This can be seen as an act of foreshadowing as within a few months the equally vulnerable nation will is set upon by a predator, the United States. This use symbolism was hugely significant in highlighting the darker issues of the Congo of the time. By using Methuselah as a symbol Kingsolver
The use of symbolism is the best way to shed light on the darker or deeper messages of a text.
I strongly agree with the statement ‘the use of symbolism is the best way to shed light on the darker or deeper messages of a text’. A text that exemplifies the statement is Barbara Kingsolver’s novel ‘The Poisonwood Bible’. Symbolism was used in the text to highlight the darker and deeper messages of the text. ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ is a novel about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo. Kingsolver’s purpose in the text was to tell a story of destruction, not only of the Price family but also of the Congo.
The parrot, Methuselah was used in ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ as a symbol to best shed light on the darker or deeper messages of the text. In the text the parrot is a symbol for the future ruined republic of Congo. Methuselah is initially described by Adah as ‘a man drowning in his cage’ which hints at the impending doom, and his 'mumbling speech' shows he is rather helpless to the situation. Methuselah is denied freedom for most of his life, and while he is kept in a cage and fed by his masters, he loses the ability to fend for himself. Even after Nathan frees him, Methuselah continues to stay close to the house he has always known, seen in the text ‘he made his way around our house in insecure spirals’, dependent on humans for his food. He even sleeps in their latrine at night, for fear of predators. Inevitably, the vulnerable Methuselah is ultimately caught by a cat, meeting his doom on the same day that the Republic of Congo begins its own short-lived independence. This can be seen as an act of foreshadowing as within a few months the equally vulnerable nation will is set upon by a predator, the United States. This use symbolism was hugely significant in highlighting the darker issues of the Congo of the time. By using Methuselah as a symbol Kingsolver