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Boyer
Boyer
Boyer
Maggie Boyer
Balden Pd. 3
English IV AP
13 September, 2016
In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver portrays young Ruth May Prices naivet
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
Boyer 2
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
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
The lack of innocence within the Congo is not necessarily the key to survival, but the
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.