The Poison Wood Bible #2

This novel has a clear villain in Reverend Price. Throughout the novel, he is seen as the enemy by not only his family but the village people as well. The tension he causes in the Price household is what allows the story to progress because without him the family would not be in the Congo or having to face such hardship because of his lack of father duty. In a way, his character is ironic because he constantly preaches of salvation, yet can never provide that for his own family. His aggressive demeanor also shapes the characters around him. He breaks the girls down to their bare thoughts and forces them to create new stronger beings especially Mother. Mrs. Price turns into a whole new character from the beginning of the book to the middle. She finally takes charge and realizes who she actually wants to be as she struggles to keep her family together in the middle of the Congo.
An extremely pivotal moment in the development of the evil character Nathan Price becomes is when he elects to disrespect the Congolese people by picking a fight with their Cheif. Rather than accepting the fact that maybe Jesus is not for everyone he chooses to pursue his mission with more fever causing the village to see him as an enemy and no longer feel sorry for him rather feel sorry for his family. Come the revolution when it is clearly not a safe environment anymore for his own family he chooses his own self-pity and elects to remain in the Congo. This move truly makes him out to be the enemy there is no going back from here he makes it clear he values his pride over his family. This proves to the girls that they can no longer trust their father and even Leah who was most devoted to him turns to her mother for safety. As the novel continues Nathan steps closer and closer towards the man he is trying so desperately to forget. No matter how many prayers he says he is too blind to see he is tearing his own family apart and even if he could see it I do not believe he would care. When everyone leaves him following the death of Ruth May it becomes evident that he is insane and that the Congo has beaten him.
Without this villain the book there is no story for he is the only thing that allows the novel to progress in a direction worth reading.

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