Poisonwood Bible: Lit. Discussions: Job=Engineer

Hello, we have been reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a very dense (information-wise) book, with plenty of descriptive passages and multitudes of metaphors. I think Kingsolver does an excellent job of providing the reader with the information needed to "paint a picture" of the happenings, while not "Ivanhoe'ing" (distorting plot details with too much fancy language). As the engineer of my Lit. eight group, my job is to recognise the physical and/or logical structures that help hold this book together.

But first some background information. The Poisonwood Bible takes place in the Belgian Congo in the year 1959. The main characters are the Price family, from America, who have traveled to the Congo on a Christian mission. The four daughters: Rachael, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May are the primary narrators in the book, each with their own personality and voice. The father is a strict Baptist minister who conforms with the contours of his religion with an (often unnecessary) iron grip, while the mother takes a more moderate view.

Now on to the physical stuff. While in the Congo, the Price family have to live in third world conditions. Therefore one of the main plot ideas for at least the book's first chapter is the change from American to Congolese life.

Malaria is a big cause of death in Africa, and the danger is understood by the villagers and the family. Mosquito nets are used and given to the family upon their arrival, and also the Price family takes pills to prevent the disease. For more information on nets, you can go to "nothingbutnets.net".

Transportation is done on foot, given no access to vehicles, and the paths are made of dirt. The houses in the village are small huts made of mud and thatch. They are only one room large, except the Price's which has more room, and their inhabitants often sleep outside.

Two of the most important physical aspects of the surroundings that affect the Price family are the lack of electricity and running water.
Electricity is very important in 1959 American life. Among the consequences of not having electricity is the inability to cook with an electric stove. While this is daily life for the Congolese, it serves as an inconvenience for the Price family. Instead of an electric stove they use a wood stove with a firebox; it is basically just a hole with a fireplace under it. It is an unfamiliar cooking style for the Price family: "Mother has figured out how to make bread "by hook or by crook," she likes to say, but the stove doesn't really have a proper oven. In fact, it looks less like a stove than a machine hammered together out of some other machine."(Kingsolver, 65).
There is no running water in the village so all water needs to be retrieved from the river, which fortunately runs along the village. For safety reasons, the water must be boiled before use. Water is needed not only for drinking, but also for cooking, farming, and bathing. So it is important that the villager's huts run along the riverside.