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Leah Price
The youngest of the Price children, Ruth May is a plucky, adventurous five-year-old when the novel begins. The chapters narrated from her point of view tend to be short and to-the-point, as there are many times when Ruth May can see, very clearly, what the older and more experienced characters in the book struggle to understand. For much of the novel, Ruth May is dangerously ill, since she refuses to take her malaria pills. Just when she seems to be regaining her health, she’s bitten by a snake, and dies suddenly. Ruth May’s untimely death sets in motion the events of the second half of the novel: Orleanna’s flight from the Congo, Leah’s powerful sense of guilt, etc. In the novel’s Epilogue, she’s presented as a spirit, looking back at her family with love, wisdom, and affection.
Ruth May Price Quotes in The Poisonwood Bible
The The Poisonwood Bible quotes below are all either spoken by Ruth May Price or refer to Ruth May Price. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1, Chapter 3
Quotes
God says the Africans are the Tribes of Ham. Ham was the worst one of Noah’s three boys: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Everybody comes down on their family tree from just those three, because God made a big flood and drowneded out the sinners. But Shem, Ham, and Japheth got on the boat so they were A-okay. Ham was the youngest one, like me, and he was bad. Sometimes I am bad, too.
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Book 2, Chapter 15
Quotes
The boys said, “Patrice Lumumba!” I told Leah that means the new soul of Africa, and he’s gone to jail and Jesus is real mad about it. I told her all that! I was the youngest one but I knew it. I lay so still against the tree branch I was just the same everything as the tree. I was like a green mamba snake. Poison. I could be right next to you and you wouldn’t ever know it.
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Get the entire The Poisonwood Bible LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ruth May Price Quotes in The Poisonwood Bible
The The Poisonwood Bible quotes below are all either spoken by Ruth May Price or refer to Ruth May Price. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1, Chapter 3
Quotes
God says the Africans are the Tribes of Ham. Ham was the worst one of Noah’s three boys: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Everybody comes down on their family tree from just those three, because God made a big flood and drowneded out the sinners. But Shem, Ham, and Japheth got on the boat so they were A-okay. Ham was the youngest one, like me, and he was bad. Sometimes I am bad, too.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Chapter 15
Quotes
The boys said, “Patrice Lumumba!” I told Leah that means the new soul of Africa, and he’s gone to jail and Jesus is real mad about it. I told her all that! I was the youngest one but I knew it. I lay so still against the tree branch I was just the same everything as the tree. I was like a green mamba snake. Poison. I could be right next to you and you wouldn’t ever know it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
