Lit Circle #5 Reflection

We discussed the final two books in The Poisonwood Bible, which were Song of the Three Children and The Eyes in the Trees.

The first things we discussed were the metaphors brought up in the final book, “The Eyes in the Trees.” The first metaphor we discussed was the tree, which we thought could represent the Congolese people since there are so many trees but not enough resources to support them. Also, we thought the tree could represent independence, since it rises above everything else seeking the light of freedom, but has the vines of Mobutu strangling it and preventing it from growing. Also, the tree could be Orleanna, because it produced seedlings, which could represent the Prices sisters. Also, the vines wrapping around the tree could be Nathan’s grip on Orleanna. We also discussed how the spider that was killed when it was helpless on its back could be Lumumba, since he was killed having done nothing wrong. Also, it could represent Adah, who was helpless because of her handicap and was squished emotionally by the people that looked down on her. We also talked about the rotten stump that had seedlings growing from it. We believed that the rotten stump represented Nathan who used to be great, like a tree, but had lost his importance and rotted into a crazy outcast, and we thought the seedlings were the Price sisters since Nathan had shaped their adult lives. We also talked about the snake, which we assumed was Ruth May because the snake was a thread through the forest and Ruth May was a thread through the sisters.
We then talked about the okapi and spider, which was proof that you always change the things around you. For example, when the family went into the forest, they were destined to kill the spider, but would scare away the okapi, making it more cautious and stop it from getting shot by hunters. This shows balance, which is something that Adah believes in because of her newfound belief in science.
We then discussed the religions of the girls. Rachel never really accepted Christianity because of her dislike in her father, so instead she believes in money, since she is somewhat of a gold digger, and she also believes in herself because she is very self-centered. Adah now believes in science for her religion. It is interesting, however, that Adah, who was the most cynical towards religion, now is the most needy for it, which is probably because she was cured of her handicap. Leah replaced her belief in Christianity with a belief in the Congo. She probably did this because when she replaced Nathan with Anatole, she replaced everything Nathan believed in with everything Anatole believes in. Orleanna’s new religion is her garden. This also has extra significance because it shows that she is independent from Nathan because tending gardens was Nathan’s job, and this symbolizes her new beginnings from Nathan. Also, with Ruth May’s forgiveness she can now finally plant her new seeds of life, since she could only move on with her life with Ruth May’s forgiveness.
We then discussed the nickname for the Price sisters, which were Lock, Stock, and Barrel. Rachel is Lock because she locks up her emotions so that she isn’t affected by the Congo. Adah is Stock because she stays in the background and takes stock of what happens between the sisters. And Leah is Barrel because she barrels forward fixing problems, such as her goal of solving the Congo’s problems.
Finally, we discussed the final phrase in the book, which was “walk forward into the light.” This shows that Ruth May finally forgives Orleanna. This demonstrates Adah’s idea of balance because the book began with Orleanna’s guilt and ended with her being forgiven.

These last two books were a good way to end the book because it showed how everyone changed, especially their beliefs. Also, the book represented many of Adah’s beliefs. For instance, the book began with a family in the jungle, and it ended with the same family. Also, the book was in perfect balance, since the beginning had Orleanna feeling guilty and the end had her forgiven. Overall, this book was very interesting, since it was told through many points of view. I believe that this book had many important messages such as the message of the okapi, which basically said that everyone changes the world, in both good and bad ways and you shouldn’t worry about the bad things and accept everything as a part of life.