Essay #1

The Poisonwood Bible

     In The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Barbara has a character named Orleanna. Orleanna is a strong mother who must watch her four children in the Congo. In the beginning Orleanna is excited for the trip but soon becomes exiled from the United States. This causes her to become alienated and enriching. 

     Orleanna's time in the Congo is good but then becomes to much for her to handle. She is overwhelmed from everything going on and wants to return to the United States. Unfortunately, Orleanna is exiled by her husband. She is exiled by her husband because he forbids her and the children to return to the United States. Nathan claims that it is God's plan for them to stay there. Another example as to why she is exiled from the United States is because Nathan also uses hostile actions towards Orleanna when she wants to leave. Orleanna tried again to ask to go home but when she did Nathan got angry and threw her to the ground. 

     While in the Congo Orleanna becomes alienated from her family and the villagers were she is living. This is because of the bad news she has just received. She has received news that they may stay there longer than intended to and do not know when they will be returning home. This causes Orleanna to alienate herself from everyone and stay in bed for days.

     Being isolated from the United States was not all bad for Orleanna. It was also enriching. It was enriching for Orleanna because she learned to stand up for herself and take charge. An example is when she gets out of bed and tells the girls that they are going to leave the Congo. They gather what they can carry and go. This shows that Orleanna has courage because she is going without her husbands approval.

     Being exiled from home can cause people to loose it. Orleanna experienced this in The Poisonwood Bible and it was an alienating experience. It was also enriching for her as well because she learned to live on her own and take charge of what she is doing.