Essay #1

Though Tragic, There Lays a Purpose

 

 

Theorist Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience.  It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home; its essential sadness can never be surmounted." and goes on to stating that exile can become a ‘potent and enriching’ experience. Said’s statement is true, from the pain of exile grows enriching life lessons and experience to make one stronger in the so-called, infamous, ‘real’ world. Orleanna Price from Barbara Kingsolver’s, The Poisonwood Bible, experiences a rift in the novel from her home and from her own personal character. Orleanna proves that exile both alienates and enriches one’s life through the plethora of hardships she (and her family) faced through exile.

 

            When Orleanna Prices first gets exiled from her home in Georgia to the Congolese village of Kilanga, the ‘alienation’ portion of exile definitely thrived and reigned. However, before her exile she already was alienated from her own self, her own character, she lost who she was. After marrying her husband, Nathan, Orleanna’s nature-loving spirit died. Her personality deteriorated as time went by in her marriage with Nathan and she lost the wild independence that had once controlled her. This more than anything was her personal exile, the only exile in the story that she solely lived through. However, once she moves out to Africa her exile only grew worse with an enormous culture shock in Kilanga. Orleanna felt herself arguing and being infuriated by Nathan day-by-day, more and more. This exile is thus ruining her (not-so-great) marriage with Nathan. On subject, Orleanna also felt tremendous worry and guilt every day, fearing that her daughters will die at any given moment. The move to Africa has absolutely alienated herself from her life more than ever causing her at one point of the story not even getting up, falling in a deep depression. What point was there to get up if she didn’t know what to do with herself? She completely lost who she is in values, personality, and character. Feeling as far from herself as ever, Orleanna’s life is drastically ruined by her African exile which causes ruptures in every relationship she ahs with family, and most of all, herself.

 

            With the alienation and negative portion of exile however, comes the enrichment and strength that adds on to oneself through and after the hardships faced. As Orleanna’s marriage with Nathan is deteriorating, she is gaining back her independence and confidence, one of her strongest personality traits that has been lost in herself. Orleanna begins feeling like herself again, like the true Orleanna thanks to exile. Also, with Ruth May’s death, although being incredibly tragic, Orleanna woke up from her slumber of self-pity and realized she had to stand up to Nathan and gain control of her own life again, begin believing in what she believes and not just what her spouse tells her to believe in. Orleanna also learns to forgive herself from tremendous guilt she has put on herself since Ruth May’s death, making the exile teach her that although tragedies strike at life one must move on from it and learn from that horrific experience. Live while you’re alive; own the world, however, begin by owning who you are. This ties in with the book’s theme and message of reliving one’s guilt by acting out and doing good in the world as did the Price daughters and Orleanna did, i.e., reverse your guilt- attempt to fix or aid in a situation similar to the situation(s) from where your guilt arose. In this case, it is the exile to Africa. Although, tragedy and horror struck, Orleanna Price gained more then she lost in her exile in Africa with re-gaining who she truly was, bettering her life incredibly.

 

            Exile does cause immense sadness that seems permanent to those suffering through it, however as Said stated, it could very possible be a ‘potent and enriching’ experience. Orleanna Price hit a ‘doubly-whammy’, if you will, with exile affecting her in areas of her character and personality to her home and accustomed culture. Though suffering of guilt, Orleanna proved exile is enriching by re-gaining independence of her life and turning her world around by making her hardships work for her and her daughters instead of hardships working against them. Lost and troubled to stable and found, Orleanna Price proves the message of The Poisonwood Bible through her exile that guilt and pain can be dealt with and one should always want to better their life and lives around them rather then destroy lives with moral, political, and ethical corruptness.