In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, blood is symbolic of the guilt faced by Macbeth and his wife. In Harry Potter, the dementors are symbolic of depression and loneliness. Throughout history, symbolism has been a vital tool in literature, allowing authors to give depth to their writing and portray important themes. This is especially true in Barbara Kingsolver’s historical fiction, The Poisonwood Bible. Although on the surface, it is a coming-of-age novel about four daughters growing up in the Congo and how they are shaped by their experiences, through the recurrent use of symbolism, the novel becomes a political allegory, highlighting the arrogance and greed of western imperialism in the Congo and the Congo’s struggle to freedom. This symbolism is prevalent throughout the novel, with Nathan Price symbolic of western imperialism, and Methuselah symbolic of the Congo.
Throughout the novel, Nathan Price, a baptist preacher, is a clear symbol of the selfishness and arrogance of imperialism in the Congo. When Nathan arrives in the Congo with his family, he makes no effort to adapt to his new climate or relate to the native congolese people he is supposed to “save”. When he first arrives in the Congo, Nathan decided to grow a garden of vegetables he brought from Georgia. When Mama Tataba tells Nathan that he has to “make hills” to grow anything, Nathan responds with, “‘I’ve been tending the soil ever since I could walk behind my father.’” (p.40). When he finds that Mama Tataba has fixed his garden, he undoes her work and ignores he advice. Despite having no knowledge of how to grow things in the Congo, Nathan insists he knows better than someone who has lived there since they were born. Like Nathan, western imperialists came to the Congo insisting they could help the native people without knowing anything about their culture or way of life.
Additionally, when Nathan arrives in the Congo, he immediately expects the native people to abandon their own gods and worship his. He insists people get baptized and even when they refuse, he is adamant that they must. After six months of being in the Congo, Mama Tataba informs Nathan that people in Kilanga do not want to get baptized because a child got eaten by a crocodile a year prior. Instead of being sympathetic and understanding, Nathan becomes angry that no one told him about this, instead of realizing that he did not even ask. This illustrates how narcissistic Nathan truly is. Western imperialists came to the Congo claiming they wanted to help the African people; instead, imperialists exploited the congo for their natural resources and used it for their own selfish gain. Nathan’s actions mirror the actions of these imperialists when he goes to the Congo claiming he wants to help the native people, when in reality he wants to relieve his own guilt. This symbolism is significant to the novel as it emphasises the true extent of imperialist greed.
In The Poisonwood Bible, Methuselah is symbolic of the Congo and its struggle for freedom. When the Price family comes to Kilanga, Methuselah is caged and completely dependent on the Price family. When Methuselah is freed, Leah describes him as, “still hanging around and begging”. (p.106). Even after achieving “freedom”, Methuselah is not really free as he is still dependent on the Price’s for food. Methuselah is symbolic of the Congo because when the Price family first moves to the Congo, it is under colonial rule and has no control over its fate. When it is finally free from colonial rule, it is still dependent on the west; the Congo must trade with and get help from the United States and Europe to survive. Additionally, when Methuselah dies, Adah observes that, “After a lifetime caged away from flight and truth….Methuselah is free of his captivity at last.” (p.186). Methuselah gets killed by a predator on the same day the Congo gains Independence, emphasizing that Methuselah continues to be symbolic of the Congo. This illustrates that although the Congolese got their independence, their future is still uncertain, and foreshadows the Congo’s future rule under Mobutu. It also suggests that the Congo will never be free from imperialist influence unless it gains total independence, not only politically, but also economically and socially.
In Kingsolver’s novel, The Poisonwood Bible, Nathan is symbolic of imperialism and Methuselah is symbolic of the Congo. Through the use of symbolism, Kingsolver emphasizes the self-serving nature of colonialism and the Congo’s struggle for independence. This is significant as it makes the actions of imperialism and the trials of the Congo more personal and allows the author to develop complex themes and messages about the Congo and imperialism, adding depth and meaning to the novel.