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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Book 2, Chapter 16
Explanation and Analysis:
The Poisonwood Bible is mostly grim and serious, as the American protagonists often find themselves in strange and dangerous situations. Because four of the five narrators are children for most of the novel, and because all five are treated poorly by the patriarch of the family, Nathan, the reader pities and sympathizes with the narrators.
The Prices' life in the Congo seems, at times, unbearably hard and lonely. Moreover, the sexism and racism that many of the characters espouse may also produce frustration and anger in the reader. Nathan's seemingly endless putdowns of his wife and daughters are especially unfair and cruel. For instance, Leah describes Nathan's condescending attitude toward his family in Book 2:
Then Father’s whole face changed and I knew he was going to use the special way of talking he frequently perpeturates [sic] on his family members, dogs that have peed in the house, and morons, with his words saying one thing that’s fairly nice and his tone of voice saying another thing that is not.
He uses his "voice for bad dogs" many times throughout the book, especially when speaking to his wife, Orleanna. In the above scene, he uses it when speaking to Anatole, who has tried to explain why the villagers are resistant to Christianity. Anatole—like Orleanna, Leah, and many of the other characters Nathan condescends to—goes out of his way to help Nathan. Nathan is not only ungrateful for the sacrifices people around him make, but he also is disdainful of their efforts.
The injustices perpetrated throughout the book, whether large or small, intentional or not, sometimes provoke a hopeless mood. But there are also many admirable characters who try to improve the world around them: Adah, Leah, and Anatole all take active steps to solve the problems they witnessed in the rural Congo. On a larger scale, the book concludes at a moment of historical hopefulness, too: Mobutu has died, and it seems the Congo will achieve the self-determination and agency its people have wanted all along.
Related Themes:
