Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Poisonwood Bible, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom, Growth, and Coming-of-age
Religion and Faith
Women and Sexism
Race, Racism, and Culture
Imperialism
Summary
Analysis
Rachel wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of frenzy. She rushes out of her room, but not before grabbing her mirror, the one thing in the house she wants to save. In the streets, she runs as fast as she can, toward the river. As she runs, she sees ants swarming everywhere. Once she’s at the river, she wades out into the water, while other villagers climb into boats. Rachel realizes that she’s dropped her mirror along the way to the river. Thinking back on the night, Rachel reports that her family “left me, just flat left me.”
Leah feels as if she has abandoned Adah, and Rachel feels abandoned by the whole family. It’s also telling that Rachel loses her mirror—a symbol of vanity, and something she can’t afford to cling to if she wants to survive in Kilanga.
Themes
