Poisonwood Bible: Analysis of Ruth May

Point/Purpose The classic novel The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, features, among her three other sisters and mother, pity may Price, who is the 5 socio-economic class old daughter of high-minded Nathan Price, who has been stationed in the Congo for a mission trip in the name of the Baptist Church in the year 1959, a time when many of the racial biases and attitudes toward Afri hatfuls and women are still prevalent in the US, especi all in ally the Prices theme state of Georgia.These biases and views have rubbed off on Ruth May, who as a young child absorbs and regurgitates all that she hears and experiences, which is why Ruth May represents the ignorance of some Western views towards the customs and general bias towards anyone with an African background. However, as she is integrated into her new society, Ruth May is able to befriend the entirety of the children in the settlement.Quotation/question The biased way that Ruth May has been taught to see her future, alon g with how young and uneducated she is shown when she says, Father says a girls cant go to college because theyll pour water in your shoes, (pg 117). The way that Ruth May talks somewhat her own gender and the Africans is in truth ignorant. Commentary Ruth May has been affected by her surroundings precise dramatically.The way that she thinks about Africans and women in a lesser manner than American men shows makes her situation a perfect example of nature vs.nurture. In this case, Ruth May is a product of her past, and her biased lookout man on life is due to the way that she was brought up in the southern United States, which was a hotbed for racialism in the early to mid-20th century. This state of mind is not permanent, however. Ruth May is just a child, and it is believed that childrens minds are the most moldable, so even though she had a prejudiced mind Ruth May has changed by hanging around the African kids.Ruth May is not only a character, as she could very well be an att empt by the origin to show the biased nature of the south in 1959. Ruth May is an innocent result of her father and other mens prejudice towards women and Africans. proficiency Barbara Kingsolvers method to defining Ruth Mays character is based on her limited vocabulary and grammar knowledge, along with showing how she is a sponge for education.The way that Ruth May is allowed to be indoors the vicinity of conversations that the other girls would normally be futile to listen into shows how it is believed that, since she is just a young child, she is unable of making sense of the more mature topics that may be discussed. And this is true for the most part, as Ruth May mostly just simply files away the information that she may have been privy to. The author shows clearly Ruth Mays age along with her innocence and ability to accept information easily by writing from her point of view in the way that it would be expected a 5-year-old would think and act.