The Tragedy of Loneliness
The novel Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingslover is a tale of a woman finding her place in a life she never could have imagined for herself. Through many trials and tribulations, Orleanna Price (one of the main characters) learns to adjust to the ways of the natives in a small village in the Congo. Being able to get to know these natives and learn to be more flexible under harsh circumstances, is definitely a benefit of her time in the Congo. Where as the end of her marriage and the loss of her youngest daughter, Ruth May, could be considered reasons why this exile had unfortunate consequences.
What Orleanna gained from her time in Africa goes far beyond a good story to tell her grandchildren. She learned to respect herself enough to stand up for what she believed was right. Readers were first shown this side of her, when she finally decided it was time to get up out of bed and find a way to get her children back to the United states. Going against her husband's wishes was, at the beginning of the book, a perfidy that she would never even think to commit. After seeing the women of her village take on all the tasks that they do on a daily basis, she begins to realize that she is capable of way more than she gives herself credit for. Bringing her to the realization that she can make it in the world without her husband.
When Orleanna was brought to Africa, she was isolated from her friends, family, and the easy life that she was accustomed to. As the story progresses, even though she is in closer quarters with her family, she finds herself further from her family than ever. Her husband, who she once had a deep respect for, seems to be changing. She is finding it harder and harder to connect with him, because he is involvolved in his beliefs and making everyone else believe him. With her daughters each becoming their own women and finding their place in the world, Orleanna seems to have lost hers.
In conclusion, there are numerous ways isolation can affect people. In this paricular case, it caused Orleanna to change the way she thought, in order to adapt to her environment. With the loss of much of her family to Africa, she is left with a new perspective of the world she lives in. She now knows what it is like to feel truly alone.
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