ESSAY #1

    Although the concept of losing an intrinsic element of one's life may be devastating news in the moment, change can also be an enlightenment to a new world of perspectives or possibly even a new way of life. In The Poisonwood Bible, Leah Price embodies the Christian way of life due to her dad's devotion as a missionary. After experiencing life in the Congo, she develops into an individual who forms her own opinions and philosophies on life even rebelling against her father's. This new environment serves as a double-edged sword for Leah. She has no choice but to break away from her accommodating homeland and to adjust to new grounds that actually structures her life.
    Leah had wholeheartedly followed her dad's religious beliefs; she was blinded by the innate nature of religion in the Price household. At the age of fifteen, Leah had to move from America to the small village of Kilanga in the Congo. There, she continued to follow her father's footsteps and revolved around the Americanized mind set. To prove his usefulness, Reverend Nathan, with Leah, planted a demonstrative garden. Mama Tataba, a Kilanga denizen, suggested that they build little hills for the seeds, but Mr. Price and Leah were adamant about sticking to their procedures. This situation represents the tension between two different cultures coming to a middle ground. Leah plays the role of standing by her traditional values, not letting go of her old ways, while Mama Tataba serves as the bulldozer trying to break that barrier. Leah expresses multiple times the oddness of this new culture. She finds it surprising to see girls her age already married and with kids. 
    Gradually, her outlook begins to change. Leah's first sign of rebellion begins with her adventures with Pascal. She explores the Congolese culture chewing sugarcane and secretly invites him to the kitchen without her parent's approval. Decades pass, and her admiration towards the African culture grows. Her relationship with Anatole, a schoolteacher and translator, establishes her desire to continue her adventure in the Congo. Her sudden adaptation even causes a division between her and her father, but at heart she knows she is where she wants to be. As the story progresses, Leah develops into a mature character who is able to learn on her own by being thrown into a new world of ideas. 
    Leah knew of no other form of moral standards but surrounding herself in a completely new culture opened her eyes to the rest of the world. She had no say in this life changing decision, but it ultimately brought her to the place she wanted to be, with her husband, Anatole, and four lively sons. Although Leah had to realize her father's zeal for religion ended up harming what was important, family, she was able to discover her true self as a human and a woman during this adaptation.