YunSoo Lee
AP English & Literature
Plot
In
"Genesis," the family first arrives in the Congo, leaving their
friends and family back in Georgia. They are unprepared for the trip, though
they attempt to bring large amounts of their possessions with them. They soon
find that even these possessions do them little good in the African jungle.
They are forced to quickly learn the ways of the jungle, both in the manner in
which Reverend Price tries to preach to the people, and in the ways their
native Georgia plants won't flower in the African jungle and are washed away
when the heavy rains finally come.
In "The
Revelation," the political situation of the Congo becomes clearer.
Specifically, there are threats that the communists from Russia will come in
and take over, as well as rumblings of a new leader named Patrice
Lumumba emerging
from the people. The Prices also begin to learn some of the language and
customs of the village, though there are new revelations each day that prevent
them from fully assimilating into the culture.
"The
Judges" focuses on the Price's struggles to stay in the Congo as the
political and living situations deteriorate. Lumumba is elected President of
the Congo, and with him comes the danger of war from those that oppose him. The
missionary society that supports the Price's pulls their stipend and suggests
that they leave, though Nathan
Price refuses.
Ruth May and Orleanna both take to bed, sick and depressed, and it is up to the
three older daughters to provide for the family. The situation reaches a climax
as a horde of ants invades the village, leaving a wake of destruction.
"The Bel
and the Serpent" is the climax of the book. The family discovers that Ruth
May has stopped taking her quinine pills to fight off malaria, and she just
barely escapes a fatal illness. The political situation in the village,
moreover, deteriorates when Reverend Price is voted out of the church.
Complicating matters, Leah falls in love with Anatole, the local village school
teacher, and takes a more authoritative role in the family. Yet, the village
witch doctor curses the family when Leah attempts to hunt with the other
village men and places a green mamba snake in the Price's chicken house. As the
girls attempt to drive the snake out, it bites Ruth May, killing her.
With the death
of her youngest daughter, Orleanna flees with her living children, leaving her
husband in the village. In this chapter, named "Exodus," they travel
on foot through mud and rain, contracting dangerous cases of malaria, until
they finally make it to a neighboring village. Rachel makes a deal with a local
pilot/mercenary to take her away and they are informally married in South Africa.
Leah decides to stay in Africa with Anatole who she soon marries as well. Only
Adah and Orleanna make it out of Africa and back to Georgia where they are
forced to deal with the memories of Africa on their own terms.
"Song of
the Three Children" details the lives of the living daughters as they grow
older through the years. Rachel marries and divorces two husbands and is
finally widowed after her third husband dies and leaves her a resort hotel to
care for in the neighboring French Congo. Though it is not the American life
she dreams of, she finds her calling and happiness in the relative wealth of
Africa. Leah, on the other hand, decides to live in the abject poverty of
Africa. She and Anatole have four children and, after Anatole is imprisoned
multiple times, they end up on a communal farm in Angola where they fight for
African freedom. Adah dedicates her life to science and becomes a doctor in
Atlanta. Eventually she ends up studying viruses in Africa. Orleanna moves to
Sanderling Island, Georgia, where she lives in retirement, thinking often of
Africa and hoping for forgiveness for the child she lost.
The final
section, "The Eyes in the Trees," is told through the omniscient
voice of Ruth May as she watches her living sisters and old mother return for
one final trip to Africa. They want to put a tombstone on her grave, but soon
learn that the village of Kilanga no longer exists. Ruth May offers final
forgiveness to her mother and a posthumous reflection on the nature of life and
death.
Characters
Nathan Price- A Southern
Baptist preacher who takes his family into the Belgian Congo in 1959 to do
missionary work. He is led by the overwhelming guilt he feels of being the only
person of his army regimen to escape the Battaan Death March during World War II and determined to be
God’s messenger to save many souls as possible.
Orleanna Price- The wife of Nathan Price whose will has been
broken after being married and who was once spirited
and beautiful as a young woman. She is desperate to protect her children from
the dangers of the Congo. However, she is kept passive by a combination of
fear, loyalty, and the belief that God really is on her husband's side.
Rachel Price- The oldest of the Price daughters who at first was a
greedy, egotistical, bratty, yet beautiful and
shallow fifteen years old girl who is a
product of Western civilization and cares mostly for appearances and fun. She
does not hesitate to use her beauty to manipulate others.
Leah Price- One
of the Price twin daughters who is intelligent, idealistic and she initially
worships her father, but later learns to think for herself. Her strong sense of
justice makes her sensitive to the political, economic, and racial injustices
occurring in the Congo.
Adah Price- The other Price twin daughters who is born with a
condition called "hemiplegia," which prevents her from using the left
side of her body. Rather than view herself with pity, Adah places herself in
voluntary exile from the world, looking on as a wry and brilliant observer,
rather than an active participant. She is also changed by the life in Congo and
is pulled and forced to admit that she cares enough to participate. She devotes
her life to science and becomes a celebrated epidemiologist.
Ruth May Price- the youngest of the Price daughters
who is innocent and strong-willed. She dislikes being the baby of the family
and does everything she can not to be left behind. Her pure heart inspires the
love of both her family and the villagers
Eeben Axelroot- the
mercenary airplane pilot who lives in Kilanga and who is involved in a variety
of shady activities. He takes Rachel with him to Johannesburg after she leaves
Kilanga.
Anatole Ngemba- Kilanga's
schoolteacher, who is a translator during Nathan's sermons. He is also a supporter
of the independence movement. He later marries Leah and is imprisoned multiple
times for his political views.
Brother Fowles- the previous missionary in Kilanga, but was
removed due to the relationship with one of the natives. Brother Fowles has a
deep understanding of and sympathy for the Congolese people and their religion,
and found in favor of Preacher Nathan Price.
Nelson- an orphan and Anatole's best student who is employed by the Prices to do miscellaneous
chores for them. He is protective of Ruth May
Tata Ndu- the village chief who is wary of Preacher Price and his
proselytizing, afraid that a move toward Christianity will effect a moral
decline in his village.
The Underdowns - Belgian nationals who run the finances for
several missionary organizations. They are emblematic of the whites in the
Belgian Congo, living in splendor just a few miles from the squalid homes of
the natives, and showing only suspicion and contempt for their unfortunate and
much-abused African neighbors. The Underdowns evacuate the Congo as soon as
independence is granted, and are horrified when the Prices do not do the same.
Mama Tataba- An opinionated woman who helps the Price family with
cooking and cleaning during their first six months in Kilanga.
Pascal- A nine-year old Congolese boy who befriends Leah.
Later in life, Leah hears that he was killed by Mobutu's soldiers while walking
on the road. Leah names her first-born son after him.
Elisabet Ngembe- Anatole's
aunt who moves in with Leah and Anatole. She becomes Leah's only female
companion.
Patrice Lumumba - The
charismatic first elected president of the Republic of Congo, who preached a
gospel of peace and prosperity. He was beaten to death during a military coup
orchestrated by the United States government.
Theme
Colonialism- the
novel involves the issue of western control over different countries and
cultures of the world. In the eyes of the natives of Kilanga, they view only
the matter in the presence of them. As Nathan Price tries to preach
Christianity to them, he finds difficulty in their acceptance in their
cultures. However, the people of Kilanga makes decisions on which god to
believe depending on the good that is done to them, such protecting them from
diseases, droughts, and floods. Injustice-
Religion- Nathan
Price finds trouble of the people of Kilanga adapting Christianity because
Christianity is practiced by white people in the eyes of people of Kilanga. He
also makes a mistake in baptizing children in a river that is known for crocodiles
that eat people. It was not a suitable religion for the people of Kilanga.
Mortality-
because of the large population of malaria, death rate was extremely high. Living
in Kilanga, the natives had to learn to accept death on a regular basis, but
that doesn't make it less meaningful.
Women- women’s
rights in Congo was similar to women’s rights in the 1800s. Their duty as women
were to marry, serve their husbands, do housework, cook, care their children,
and education was not available to them.
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