The Poisonwood Bible characters

Appears from the start

A rigid, zealous Baptist minister from Georgia who moves his wife and four daughters to a remote village in the Belgian Congo in 1959 to convert its people. Domineering and self-righteous, he refuses to bend his beliefs or methods to the world around him, ruling his family by fear and scripture.

Appears from the start

Nathan's wife and the mother of the four girls, worn down by years of submission to her husband. One of the story's narrators, she speaks from a later vantage, looking back with sorrow and guilt on what the family's mission cost them all.

Appears from the start

The eldest Price daughter, about fifteen, blond, vain, and desperately homesick for American comforts. Self-absorbed and often oblivious, she narrates in a stream of misused words and complaints about the hardships of Congo life.

Appears from the start

One of the younger twins, earnest, athletic, and intelligent. At the outset she idolizes her father and yearns for his approval, throwing herself into the mission and into learning about the country around her.

Appears from the start

Leah's twin, who has a one-sided physical impairment and chooses not to speak. Brilliant and sardonic, she observes everything with a cool, ironic eye and delights in wordplay, reading and thinking in palindromes, and narrates in her own distinctive voice.

Appears from the start

The youngest Price daughter, a bold, curious, and outspoken little girl who adapts to the village more readily than her older sisters and quickly makes friends among the local children.

Appears from the start

The young schoolteacher of the village, who speaks several languages and often serves as interpreter between Nathan and the villagers. Thoughtful and principled, he becomes an important link between the Price family and the community and the wider currents of Congolese politics.

Appears from the start

The chief of the village where the Prices settle. Shrewd and protective of his people's customs, he regards the foreign preacher's mission warily and defends the traditional order against Nathan's intrusions.

Appears from the start

A shifty mercenary bush pilot who delivers supplies and mail to the isolated mission. Greedy and untrustworthy, he trades in rumor and profit and hints at murky dealings beyond the family's knowledge.