BOOK FOUR: BEL AND THE SERPENT

STUDY GUIDE

  1. What is the Apocrypha?
  2. Give a brief synopsis of the story of Bel and the Dragon.

CHAPTER 49- Orleanna

  1. Look at Question # 7.
  2. Who is placed in charge of the Congolese army? What is he commissioned to do for the United States?
  3. What running metaphor does Orleanna utilize in the opening of this section? What is the effect?
  4. Look back at the codes names Axleroot reveals to Rachel at the end of Chapter 42 (Page 294). Which names seem to match up? How does this affect your opinion of Axleroot?
  5. How is the thematic topic of the Power of Language highlighted in this section in a very universal way? Explain and give textual evidence to support your claim.
  6. Why does Orleanna find it so remarkable that the U.S. thinks of Patrice Lumumba as a threat?
  7. This chapter gives a historical account. Outline what Orleanna reveals to better understand the events, dates, people involved, and correlations with what was going on in the Price household.
  8. How does the focus of this section narrated by Orleanna differ from her earlier sections? How does it highlight the thematic topic of Cultural Guilt?

CHAPTER 50- Leah

  1. For what purpose does Tata Ndu hold an election in the church?
  2. Why is Ruth May the only Price to vote in the election?
  3. How is the thematic topic of Western Arrogance highlighted in this passage? In what ways is the vote ironic? Explain and give textual evidence to support your claim.
  4. How has Leah’s opinion of Tata Ndu changed over time?
  5. How do the events of this chapter represent a climax in the struggle between Nathan and Tata Ndu?
  6. What is the result of the election? Be specific on the count.

CHAPTER 51- Rachel

  1. Why does Tata Ndu schedule a big hunt?
  2. What are the arguments for and against Leah hunting with the men?
  3. Discuss Nathan’s response to Leah joining the hunt. What is revealed that further develops his character?
  4. Which 3 men lead the debate about Leah hunting? How does each influence the decision?
  5. What is Tata Kuvundundu’s curse?
  6. What recollections by Rachel highlight the thematic topic of Domestic Abuse in this chapter?
  7. In the previous chapter, Leah asserts “You can’t just point to the one most terrible thing and wonder why it happened”. Compare this with Rachel’s claim, “Leah is the cause of all our problems,” in this chapter. How does it reveal about their characters and views of the world and guilt?
  8. What does Anatole find near his bed, and what is significant about it?

CHAPTER 52- Adah

  1. Look at #5
  2. How is the hunt organized? Describe it.
  3. Describe the relationship between Orleanna and Adah at the time of the hunt.
  4. Adah says, “The death of something living is the price of our own survival, and we pay it again and again. We have no choice. It is the one solemn promise every life on earth is born and bound to keep.” What do you think of this quote? How might this belief in survival change Adah’s perception of herself?
  5. This chapter is chalked full of imagery. Copy your favorite example of imagery from this chapter and explain why you enjoy it so much.

CHAPTER 53- Leah

  1. What insult does Nelson hurl at Gbenye? What is ironic about the insult?
  2. What thematic topic does it highlight?

CHAPTER 54- Rachel

  1. Where does Rachel go during the hunt? Why?
  2. Rachel writes, “I sat there looking up at the President. His round white head was so friendly and kind, I cried like a baby because I wanted him for a father instead of my own parents. I wanted to live under the safe protection of somebody who wore decent clothes, bought meat from the grocery store like the Good Lord intended, and cared about others”. Given what Orleanna reveals in the opening of this book, what is ironic about Rachel’s view in this excerpt?
  3. How do Rachel, Leah, and Adah’s attitude towards the hunt differ? Be specific.

CHAPTER 55- Leah

  1. During the dividing of the meat, Leah admits that she “played a part” in the arguments that erupted. Do you agree? Is the fighting partially her fault?
  2. How does the ruined feast symbolize the Congo as a whole?
  3. Why does everyone go home feeling hunted?

CHAPTER 56- Rachel

  1. What did Nelson see in the chicken house? Why is what he saw terrifying to him?
  2. Discuss Orleanna’s actions regarding Nelson. What does this reveal about her character?
  3. How do the Price girls and Nelson plan to catch any snake-bearing intruders?
  4. How does this relate to the title of this Book?

CHAPTER 57- Adah

  1. Whose footprints are in the ashes? How does the reader know that the footprints belong to this particular person?
  2. Since the end of the hunt, the chapters have been very short compared to the rest of the novel. What literary function does this change in structure serve?

CHAPTER 58- Leah

  1. What happens to Ruth May?
  2. Leah recalls everyone looking up into the trees, as if Ruth May’s voice came from above. How does this moment connect to foreshadowing earlier in the novel?
  3. What do you think of this turn in the story?

CHAPTER 59- Adah

  1. What overall image does Adah use to describe Ruth May’s death?
  2. How does this image affect the tone of the chapter?

CHAPTER 60- Rachel

  1. Give textual evidence to support the idea that, even in the midst of this crisis, Rachel is still focused on how it will affect HER.
  2. How does Ruth May’s death LINK the Congolese and Prices?
  3. The Price girls hesitate to wake their mother and tell her about Ruth May. How does this emphasize the thematic topic of the Power of Language?

CHAPTER 61- Leah

  1. Discuss Nathan’s response to the news of Ruth May and Leah’s reaction to his response.
  2. Why does Orleanna behave as if someone else had already told her the news of Ruth May’s death? What do you think of the way she handles her grief?
  3. How does Leah identify with the women of the Congo?
  4. How does prayer comfort Leah, even though she doesn’t believe in the words?
  5. Why does Leah feel an unspeakable despair as Nathan baptizes the village children?
  6. What do the Congolese children do to remember Ruth May?

BEL AND THE SERPENT- As a Whole

  1. If you didn’t already notice, Bel and the DRAGON is the book in the Apocrypha. It is composed of three brief narratives all involving Daniel (the same Daniel from the lion’s den and Book of Daniel in the Old Testament). While some translations of the Apocrypha translate “dragon” as “serpent”, “dragon” is by far the most common translation. Why do you think Kingsolver opted for the lesser-used translation? How does it connect to the book as a whole?
  2. What do you think will happen to the Prices now?

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