Essay #1

          When most people think about getting banned from their favorite restaurant or club, or even their home, they won't think of the silver lining of the event. The Price family from the novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver are no different. Four young girls and their loving, yet shortsighted parents were separated from their homeland of the beautiful United States by the decision of the father, Nathan, to spread the word of god to the Congolese people. As one would expect, the family face plenty of hardships in the Congo, and as a literary therorist by the name of Edward Said once said, "[Exile] is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home; its essential sadness can never be surmounted."Paradoxically, he also states that it can be a "potent, even enriching" experience. How can this be? Read on to find out.

          

          For slightly handicapped and shy Adah Price, the Congo expedition was seen as nothing but an obstacle. Adah was was nothing but a prepubescent young girl when she arrived and had a very cynical outlook on life despite her natural intelligence and brilliant observation skills. On top of all that, she suffered from a disease called hemiplegia which paralyzes an entire side of her body. Like any kid her age, she was afraid of change, especially one this monumental. Having to endure great hardships like witnessing her sisters death and watching her parents neglect each other had a engraved an insurmountable sadness in her heart. As she progressed, however, she matured greatly and changed the way she thought about the world. It may have taken a life threatening situation to get her to realize how much she valued her life, but hey, whatever works, right? With her scholarliness and dedication, she managed to make it into a college in the Congo and study her passion in the medical field. Her experience of exile may have scarred her deeply, but the accomplishments made and the personality changes achieved are things that could have never occurred if she were to never have the experience.

          

          The novel reveals its inner message of enduring hardships to advance to the next chapter of your life in a very discreet way. In a way, Kingsolver hides that message beneath others of culture or faith and loyalty to religion, etc. The importance of overcoming hardships is what enables the novel to extend its reach to the audience and try to relate to the reader. We all face some form of exile or banishment from something. Whether it be our home, our family, or some other sentimental place, it takes willpower to enrich the experience and make our lives benefit from such an event.