Discussion Reflection

Well, we had a discussion with Mr. Kandell, and I am going to try to post my thoughts. However, since the details are sort of foggy, I think that I will discuss my personal feelings about the novel itself.

The Poisonwood Bible is definitely a book that is worth reading. Even though I thought that the book was difficult at times, the end result was extremely rewarding. The book can seem intimidating because it is so fat, but it is worth reading.
The one aspect I enjoyed the most about the book was the different view points that were presented to us, the readers. Barbara Kingsolver used a special writing technique. She told the story from the viewpoints of all five Price women. By doing this, we were able to see each individual through their own eyes, and through the eyes of the other people. In other books, we usually can only see everything from one person's point of view. Being able to through the eyes of everyone allowed me to see how characters evolved throughout the book. I also enjoyed the span of the book. We were allowed to see what happened to the family outside of Kilanga. This helped me to understand how the people evolved even after the "main" chunk of the story.

I enjoyed reading the book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Poisonwood Post: Bel and the Serpent

For this book, I've decided to act as a moderator.

1. How does the different reactions of the family members to Ruth May's death show their true selves?

2. Does the death prompt any serious character changes in the novel?

3. Who plants the snake, and why does he do it?

4. How does the biblical story of Bel and the Serpent tie into the book Bel and the Serpent?

5. Does the death of Ruth May have a symbolic meaning to it?