Forgive and Forget in The Poisonwood Bible by Nathan...

People are taught to â€Å"forgive and forget† in order to be happy, afterall living with a grudge can being a serious damper in ones life. It may be easy to forgive a friend, or even a stranger depending on the situation, but what if the person that had to be forgiven was themselves? In the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the story is told through multiple points of view. Each member of the Price family is noticeably different, and each have their own inner demons. As each character is unlike, the way they handle their guilt, and search for forgiveness are also different. Some characters like Orleanna Price are forgiven by the end of the novel, and others, such as Nathan Price are not as fortunate. In this story the biggest†¦show more content†¦As a soldier stationed in the Philippines, Nathan ran away from the fray when he was wounded by piece of shrapnel. While in hiding, his unit would meet their death in the infamous Bataan Death March. Nathan is the only one to in his unit to survive. This is root of his guilt and the influence of his actions, for the rest of the story. Nathan, forever guilty of his cowardice, is permanently scarred. â€Å"Hounded by what happened in a Philippine Jungle and the ghosts of a thousand men who didn’t es cape it, his steadfast disdain for cowardice turned to obsession† (Kingsolver,96) Nathan even receives the Purple Heart for â€Å"surviving† the war, the medal isnt for heroism or bravery, its for being wounded. It’s a medal of failure, that further provokes Nathan’s shame. After the war is when Nathan began his strict devotion Christianity, what the reader witnesses throughout the story. This is what leads him to Kilanga, willingly putting his family in danger to spread the name of the lord, in hope of redemption. Nathan’s guilt at having escaped the Bataan death march has twisted his belief in God, he sees God as one who punishes and rewards strictly on the basis of merit. He lives trying to earn his, by pushing the teaching of Christianity to the Congolese. Nathan masks his cowardice using a sort of â€Å"divine right†. He uses god to justify every decision he makes, disregarding anyone elses opinion. â€Å"father needs permission only fr om the SaviourShow MoreRelatedSummary Of The Poisonwood Bible 2533 Words   |  11 PagesAnupa Joseph Period 07/24/15 Fernstrom The Poisonwood Bible Reader Response #1: Pages 1-186 Whose Revelation? What is the Revelation? What do the girls learn? Book two is entitled â€Å"The Revelation† and the girls’ sections is entitled â€Å"The Things We Learned.† The Revelation was intended to mainly the Price family, excluding the father. The theme revelation has another definition: apocalypse. In the bible, the apocalypse leads to destruction and demise right before when God makes it a better place