One of the major contrasts between the two stories is the overall setting; The Mosquito Coast takes place in a tropical forest in Central America, while in The Poisonwood Bible, the protagonists have to survive in Congo with extreme conditions. The most common theme that appeared in The Mosquito Coast and in The Poisonwood Bible is the demagogy of the father. Both fathers acted normally in the very beginning of the storyline, but, as the two stories progressed along, they begin to behave like dominant kings who decide what to do with their families, regardless of the dangers.
The main characters in the Mosquito Coast (Allie Fox, who is a rigid inventor and the father, mother, and their four children) move from the US to a very dense jungle in Central America where they buy a very little village, Jeronimo, with natives in it. At first everybody gets along really well. Allie manages to create a gigantic machine, which creates ice with fire, while the rest of the family helps the village to become more civilized and developed. Nevertheless, the apt happiness happens to be ephemeral; three armed guerillas inhibit the village without permission. In a plan to kill them, the father and his eldest son encage the soldiers in the ice machine and turn it on. However, the bullets shot by the guns destroy the device, which explodes and pollutes the environment, including the river, essential to the natives. With nothing else left in the jungle, the mother and the children believe that they will return to their home country. To their disbelief, Allie claims that they will settle on a beach close to the jungle. When a heavy storm occupied the beach, the family hardly survives it with its motor boat. As the boat approaches a Christian neighborhood one night, Allie burns the church, which angers Spellgood (a missionary, whose family has come with him) causes him to kill Allie. This concludes that despite all odds against them, the narrow-minded father does not give up to leave.
Closely related to The Mosquito Coast, The Poisonwood Bible tells the readers about the Price family that has a father, Nathan Price, fully determined to accomplish a goal. Yet this stringent perseverance has never meant to be any good for the family and for the native people in Congo. The story starts off with the family moving to Congo, an African nation, in order to heavily Christianize their neighborhood (maybe the entire nation if it was in Nathan’s perspective). Even though the conditions there do not fructify the vegetables and fruits from North America, the father does not get discouraged. In fact, he believes that he has to push himself above his limits, taking his entire family into an unnecessary, yet dangerous risk. As the date of Congo’s independence approaches, the tension in the Price family rises. Orleanna, the mother of the Price family, and her daughters think about leaving Nathan’s tyranny to save themselves. One day, Orleanna confronts Nathan herself and talks to him about what she thinks about him and what faults he has done. Nathan ignores her notwithstanding. In his eyes, the diffusion of Christianity in Congo is all what he sees. His real family has never been there.
In short, Nathan and Allie are demonstrating an example of a father who cannot keep his responsibility to take care of his family. Both chase their dreams, stepping into the mud of obstacles, while their families are helplessly pulled with them. In the end, however, both fathers end up in a big hole of failure. Not even did they fail to accomplish their goals, but they also lost their families. Another similarity between Nathan and Allie is that both men have missed several chances, which they could have used to give up on their ridiculous pursuit and go back to their homeland.
One big contrast is the religious perspective between both. Nathan is strongly influenced in Christianity, even willing to sacrifice his life to teach the Congolese Christianity. On the other hand, Allie detests the Christian perspective and impugns it with hatred.
The main characters in the Mosquito Coast (Allie Fox, who is a rigid inventor and the father, mother, and their four children) move from the US to a very dense jungle in Central America where they buy a very little village, Jeronimo, with natives in it. At first everybody gets along really well. Allie manages to create a gigantic machine, which creates ice with fire, while the rest of the family helps the village to become more civilized and developed. Nevertheless, the apt happiness happens to be ephemeral; three armed guerillas inhibit the village without permission. In a plan to kill them, the father and his eldest son encage the soldiers in the ice machine and turn it on. However, the bullets shot by the guns destroy the device, which explodes and pollutes the environment, including the river, essential to the natives. With nothing else left in the jungle, the mother and the children believe that they will return to their home country. To their disbelief, Allie claims that they will settle on a beach close to the jungle. When a heavy storm occupied the beach, the family hardly survives it with its motor boat. As the boat approaches a Christian neighborhood one night, Allie burns the church, which angers Spellgood (a missionary, whose family has come with him) causes him to kill Allie. This concludes that despite all odds against them, the narrow-minded father does not give up to leave.
Closely related to The Mosquito Coast, The Poisonwood Bible tells the readers about the Price family that has a father, Nathan Price, fully determined to accomplish a goal. Yet this stringent perseverance has never meant to be any good for the family and for the native people in Congo. The story starts off with the family moving to Congo, an African nation, in order to heavily Christianize their neighborhood (maybe the entire nation if it was in Nathan’s perspective). Even though the conditions there do not fructify the vegetables and fruits from North America, the father does not get discouraged. In fact, he believes that he has to push himself above his limits, taking his entire family into an unnecessary, yet dangerous risk. As the date of Congo’s independence approaches, the tension in the Price family rises. Orleanna, the mother of the Price family, and her daughters think about leaving Nathan’s tyranny to save themselves. One day, Orleanna confronts Nathan herself and talks to him about what she thinks about him and what faults he has done. Nathan ignores her notwithstanding. In his eyes, the diffusion of Christianity in Congo is all what he sees. His real family has never been there.
In short, Nathan and Allie are demonstrating an example of a father who cannot keep his responsibility to take care of his family. Both chase their dreams, stepping into the mud of obstacles, while their families are helplessly pulled with them. In the end, however, both fathers end up in a big hole of failure. Not even did they fail to accomplish their goals, but they also lost their families. Another similarity between Nathan and Allie is that both men have missed several chances, which they could have used to give up on their ridiculous pursuit and go back to their homeland.
One big contrast is the religious perspective between both. Nathan is strongly influenced in Christianity, even willing to sacrifice his life to teach the Congolese Christianity. On the other hand, Allie detests the Christian perspective and impugns it with hatred.