Language as an Instrument of Power: Orleanna Prices Language as

a Familial Leader Through Competing Discourses

Lyndsey Maloney
The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes. Adah Price
Abstract
Through the lens of Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA), I examine the
conflicting discourses of spousal roles, religion and parental roles in context of Orleanna Prices language
in The Poisonwood Bible. I argue that through language choice and nonverbal cues Orleanna creates a
power shift away from stereotypical female roles, blurring the lines between what is considered
stereotypical female and male language to become head of her family. I, however, use a third wave
feminist view to argue that Orleanna strategically moves through complex gender discourses to assume
this role. Gendered roles exist on a spectrum between what is considered stereotypically male and
stereotypically female with language choices falling somewhere along that spectrum. This observation of
Orleannas language choices create a dynamic view of female leadership language that is unmatched in
other studies of her character.
Key Words
Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA), Familial Leader, Heteroglossia, Intertextualities,
Nondualism, Third Wave Feminism, Religion, Spousal Roles
Introduction
Barbara Kingsolvers The Poisonwood Bible is a vital piece of fiction that serves as a response to
Joseph Conrads A Heart of Darkness, giving females a voice on the African experience. The novel won
The New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year award in 1998, Book Senses Book of the Year
award in 2000 and was a member of Oprahs Book Club in 2000. The Poisonwood Bible follows the Price
family as they move to the Congo for a year of mission work. Partially narrated by Orleanna Price and
each of her four daughters, an interesting view of leadership is created by the lack of narration by Nathan
Price, Oreleannas husband. Orleanna Price must adapt in her role as a mother and wife as she adapts to
the challenges the Congo presents. In the beginning of her stint in the Congo, Orleanna is a stereotypical
housewife and mother but, by time she leaves Africa, she assumed responsibility for herself and her
family. She leaves her spouse, Nathan, behind. I argue that through language choice and nonverbal cues
Orleanna creates a power shift away from stereotypical female roles, blurring the lines between what is
considered stereotypical female and male language to become head of her family. My study of language
and leadership in the context of familial roles is significant because Orleanna represents an example of
how female leaders can use succinct language choices to become a dominant voice in leadership
conversations. Power shifts have been studied among men and women, but few researchers have
accounted for the view that gender is an act that we perform. My analysis is the first study that shows that
Orleanna Price is a strong female leader because she chooses to exhibit both stereotypical male and
female language, thus tearing down the gender barriers that often suggest women are powerless.
Review of Literature
Several researchers have explored The Poisonwood Bible from a feminist perspective; however,
there is little research on language from a feminist linguistic perspective. Women, A Dark Continent?

The Poisonwood Bible as feminist Response to Conrads Heart of Darkness (2010) positions itself as a
feminist response to Conrads Heart of Darkness. The author, Heloise Meire, insists that men and women
in The Poisonwood Bible exist in two separate spheres. According to Meire men are writing history
while women remain hidden in the domestic sphere (Meire 74). This traditional second wave
interpretation of the novel does not account for Orleannas evolution from the beginning of the novel to
the end. I propose instead that a third wave feminist approach in which men and women are not
conceived as inhibiting separate spheres is more accurate. The division between masculinity and
femininity is blurred, where gender is crucially affected by their roles and goals that they strive to
accomplish.
In her article, Othering through Gendering Discourses and Patriarchal Hegemonies in Joseph
Conrads Heart of Darkness and Barbara Kingsolvers The Poisonwood Bible (2010), Victoria Moffatt
argues that men and women in The Poisonwood Bible operate within a set binary of male and femaleness.
She argues that only when the females make an effort to reconstruct their selves away from gender
stereotypes do the Price women begin to form their own opinion on what it means to be a woman
(Moffatt 171-172). Moffatt uses second wave feminism to identify strict gendered roles in The
Poisonwood Bible and to show how, only by rejecting their female role, they begin to move past their
desires for attachment, connection, belonging, community, and commitment (Moffatt 171). While
Moffatts analysis is largely limited to gender binaries, this second wave feminist approach is useful. It,
however, is not enough to examine the multiple discourses intersecting in the text that confound gender
binaries. In my research, I show through Orleannas language that gender is fluid and characters move
along a spectrum towards or further away from their stereotypical gender roles.
Paying the Toll: A Feminist Post-structural Critique of the Discourse Bridging Work and
Family (2004) shows female priorities as an opposition, work versus home. Mary Runte and Albert
Mills claim that the language used in the work place creates a culture in which it seems that home life and
stereotypical female values are respected, but placed behind productivity and work. My research will use
Runtes examination of contradicting female values, work and home, to show Orleannas language shift
from stay at home mother in the United States to the sole provider for her children in the Congo.
For my analysis, I use third wave feminist theory to most fully reveal that Orleannas character in
The Poisonwood Bible is more than a stereotypical housewife. Orleannas language evolves from the
beginning of the novel to the end due to her change in role from a stay at home wife and mother to the
sole provider and parent in the family. She must make a conceptual shift about what it means to be male
and female in order to take on the role of being both mother and father to her three remaining daughters
after Nathan loses his mind in the Congo. Orleanna does not have to reject her feminine values in order to
be a strong familial leader: She only must realign her view of herself and what constitutes effective
language to account for the non-traditional roles she is challenged to play.
Theoretical Standpoint
While in the past second wave linguistics held some clout in the conversation about feminist
discourse, it is no longer sufficient to assess the fluidity of gender. According to Judith Baxter, feminism
is the 21st century political movement challenging male patriarchy through three waves (Baxter 2009:
91). Second wave linguistics assumes that there is an essential difference between men and women. It
creates a binary of male versus female where language patterns are viewed as strictly masculine or
feminine. Baxter asserts that third wave theorists replace this idea by emphasizing diversity: a range of
pluralized identities are analyzed. Similarities between women and men and differences among groups of
women and among groups of men are seen as equally important (Baxter 2010: 41). The notion of plural

identities allows individuals to identify themselves as more than one identity at a time. Peoples
identities are viewed as a fluid mix of gender, age, education, professional status, ethnicity, language,
class, personality and so on, writes Baxter (41). This enables a polyphonic, multiple discourse, and
heteroglossic, non-dominant discourse, analysis of Orleannas language choices. Feminist PostStructuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA) is the most appropriate lens to analyze text from a third wave
perspective because it reveals the complexity of a persons gender identity. FPDA allows for a more
realistic assessment of identity, allowing for analysis to break through male/female stereotypes. This
theoretical approach, with its post-structuralist tools, allows me to discern discourses, power shifts, and
gender relations occurring throughout the text.
Methodology
Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA) is the dissection of gender relations from
a third wave feminist view. Language is observed on a binary opposition of male versus female in order
to then take the stance that gender is not an essential quality that is possessed but something that we
perform daily. FPDA is the most appropriate analysis approach because second wave feminism and
structuralist analysis do not fully encompass the tools to make a valid statement on gender linguistics.
Second wave feminism asserts that there is a distinct difference between being male or female and that a
persons language is either one or the other. Gender is much more complicated than the assumption of
stereotypical gendered norms. Gender is something that is preformed based on wants and desires. Gender
is not based on our physiological designation. The usage of structuralism to dissect the language patterns
in The Poisonwood Bible is necessary to create an argument using post-structuralist tools. In order to
make a comment on the meaning and intersection of the discourses, structuralism must be used to
determine what is said and how it is said. Post-structuralism is dependent on the concrete facts of
structuralism, but structuralism is not enough in itself to analyze the text. The utilization of FPDA
identified three discourses in the text: familial roles, religious discourse and power shifts. The intersection
of discourses in the text will be analyzed in terms of heteroglossia, nondualism, unresolved tensions and
shifting subject positions.
Situation of Context
I will be utilizing two passages from The Poisonwood Bible in my analysis of the text. In the first
passage, Ruth May Price, the daughter of Orleanna and Nathan Price, is narrating the events taking place.
The Price family has just moved to Kilanga in 1959 to do a years worth of mission work for their church.
Ruth May is the youngest of the four price daughters who each take turns narrating the novel. Ruth May
watches an argument between her parents about how the African people view their bodies. Ruth May as a
narrator enables an interesting perspective on the argument because she is only five years old. I chose this
passage because it shows Orleannas language with her husband shortly after the novel begins and the
family is getting settled in Kilanga. There have been no major crises yet, but the tension between
Orleanna and Nathan is already prevalent.
The second passage I analyze is narrated by Adah Price. Adah is a middle child with her twin
sister Leah. The conversation between Adah and her mother Orleanna takes place in January of 1985 in
Atlanta, GA. Over 25 years have passed since the Price family first arrived in Kilanga. Orleanna is
learning of her husbands death in Africa from Adah during the excerpt. Adah is watching Orleanna
garden outside of her home while they discuss Nathans death and the impact that his decisions have had
on their family. I chose this passage because it shows Orleannas attitude about her husband after years of
reflection and creates a parallel to her language choices that were observed in the first passage. In the

analysis section of the essay, please refer to Appendix C and Appendix D for the full text excerpts that
were used.
Language Analysis
Denotative Interpretation
In line seven of the first text excerpt, Orleannas use of the signifier Well is a common
stereotype of language choice among females when they are rationalizing their thoughts to men. Well is
used initially as a hesitation pattern throughout the excerpt to soften the argumentative language that
follows it. In the thirty lines of text, the signifier Well is used by Orleanna three times to explain her
views on how the African people view their own bodies.
There are several nonverbal cues in the first excerpt of text. In lines 21 and 22 Nathan is
described as being big and taking up the space in the entire doorway whereas in lines 22 and 23
Orleanna is described as sitting down short. From these non-linguistic and proxemics features, we
assume Nathan is in control of the conversation. Looking at this in the scope of traditional male and
female roles, this dynamic falls directly into line with expectations. However, in line 11 we are told
Orleanna takes the sewing pins out of her mouth to have the conversation with Nathan and in line 30 she
places the sewing pins back in her mouth. Even though Nathan is seen as the dominant force in this
conversation because he is the one standing and taking up so much space, Orleanna takes control of the
conversation because she is signifying when the conversation is beginning and when it has ended. Her use
of nonverbal language changes the dynamics of the conversation.
Orleanna uses the word sir to refer to Nathan twice in the excerpt while she only uses his name
once. Ruth May who is narrating this section of the novel says in lines 18 and 19 that Orleanna is calling
Nathan sir because she is trying to be nice. I agree with Ruth May that Orleanna is using sir as a sign of
respect even though she is disagreeing with her husband on his views of the African people and their
bodies.
In lines 24 through 26 Nathan uses language to scold Orleanna much like he would one of his
daughters. He starts the passage with Orleanna so that way she knows that the conversation is directed
towards her and her alone. He then follows his statement up with the statement that he expects her to
know the difference. Nathans scolding of Orleanna is brought to a climax when he says you of all
people. In keeping with the traditional power roles Orleanna takes a deep breath in line 27 before making
her final statement of the argument and placing her sewing pins back in her mouth. Nathan creates a
dominant discourse trying to take the power away from Orleanna by scolding her for disagreeing with
him. Orleanna, however, takes some of the power back by getting the last word in of the conversation
before ending it by putting her pins back in her mouth.
In the second excerpt, Orleanna takes on the stereotypical male role in her conversation with her
daughter Adah. She follows the same language pattern that Nathan used in the first excerpt, calling Adah
by her name followed by a statement in line 6. Since there are only two females participating in the
conversation, Orleanna assumes the dominant role.
Even though Orleanna is taking on the stereotypical male role in her language, she is still using
traditionally female nonverbal cues. In lines 3 and 4 we learn that Orleanna is once again in the lower
position of the two people talking. She is down on her knees while Adah is standing above her watching
her work. Orleanna also follows the same pattern of beginning and ending the conversation with how she
handles her work. Instead of removing and placing her sewing pins in her mouth as she did in the first

excerpt, in the second excerpt Orleanna uses her trowel as a signifier. In line 14 Orleanna rests her trowel
on her knee signifying to Adah that she is beginning a serious conversation and she is open to her
opinions and in lines 23 and 24 Orleanna returns to her work stabbing the earth with her trowel. This is
Orleannas nonverbal way of communicating to Adah that the conversation is over.
Connotative Interpretation
The dialogue can be looked at as polyphonic or heteroglossic, that is, composed of differing or
contrasting discourses. Multiple or supplementary meanings are created from these discourses. The text is
composed of competing discourses. There are also several intertextualities that occur between the first
excerpt and the second. I will use these occurrences to make some observations about the discourses as a
whole. The discourses that are articulated are the discourses of spousal roles, religion and parental roles.
The stereotypical spousal roles that take place in the first excerpt carry over into the second
excerpt despite the lack of a physical presence by Nathan. In the first excerpt Orleanna uses her language
to show Nathan signs of respect even though she is disagreeing with his sentiments on how the African
people treat their bodies. Orleannas use of the word well in lines 7, 11 and 16 and the word sir in
lines 14 and 16 are stereotypical uses of language by the submissive wife. Nathan enforces these
stereotypical roles with his outlining of expectations for his wife in lines 25 and 26. Nathans nonverbal
language with his stares and stern looks in lines 15 and 26 portray him as the stereotypical dominant
husband. Even though Orleanna and Nathan are arguing, Orleanna still follows the rules of language for
stereotypical females. In lines 16 and 17 Orleanna downplays her argumentative nature by saying That is
just my observation. Even though she is being combative towards her husband, she turns around and
gives him back some of the power. This is completely negated in the second passage however. Line 2 of
the second passage gives Orleanna all of the power in the context of spousal roles. Orleanna uses forceful
language to display that what Nathan wants is no longer a concern for her. It would be too simple to look
at the text only through second wave feminisms definitions of stereotypical gendered roles. Orleanna
rejects these roles by her use of nonverbal cues. She signifies the beginning of the argument by removing
the sewing pins from her mouth in line 11 and closes the argument when she places the pins back in her
mouth in line 30. Even though Orleannas language suggests submissiveness throughout the text, her
nonverbal gestures signify an element of control that she is taking in their spousal roles. In the second
excerpt Orleanna uses competing language to both follow the stereotypical role of wife as well as reject
them. Her use of language in line 6 displays her new role as the familial leader since Nathans death but
she very quickly reverts some of the power back to her dead husband. Orleanna asks in lines 14 and 15 if
she has permission to remember the things that happened in the Congo but in line 23 Orleanna states that
The sins of the father are not discussed. This assertion by Orleanna reverts her back to the submissive
wife that she was in the first excerpt. Even though Nathan is now dead, he still holds some power over her
as a spouse because she is not supposed to talk about the things that he did wrong. In broad leadership
terms, this is an important concept. Nonverbal language can change the meaning and context of what is
being said verbally. Nonverbal language is a way for women to move along the spectrum of what is
considered stereotypical male and female roles towards a more powerful role. This analysis allows
Orleanna to take back control that has been taken from her in the way Nathan speaks to her without
having to verbally reject his authoritarian voice. Intersecting with the discourse of spousal roles is the
religious discourse prevalent in the text.
The discourse of religion also asserts itself in shifting or competing ways. The Price children refer
to Nathan as Father throughout the text while they refer to Orleanna as Mama. The formal use of the
word Father compared to the use of the informal word Mama creates a power shift towards Nathan
while also creating a religious dialogue. Nathan is symbolically a Christ figure throughout the novel and

this is reinforced through the childrens and Orleannas use of Father. Only after Nathan has died in the
Congo do they begin to refer to him as father. This religious discourse occurs for several reasons. First,
the book is set up in chronological order of the Bible, creating a direct comparison between the two. Since
the book is in comparison to the Bible, it needed a Christ figure which was Nathan. Secondly, Nathan was
sent into the Congo to convert the African people to Christianity and save their soles. This makes Nathan
an obvious Christ figure. In this case, however, it is seen that just like Christ, Nathan must die in order for
the Price women to regain their control and power in their lives. In the Bible when Christ died for the sins
of humanity, he was met with admiration and sorrow whereas Nathans death was a source of reminiscing
onto a dark past. After Nathan has died, he has been removed from his glory and is referred to in the
second passage as only father in lines 22 and 23. This switch from the Christ figure of Father to the
dethroned father creates a power shift from Nathan being in the position of power to Orleanna wielding
the control. She uses her choice in words to demonstrate that Nathan is no longer needed and she is taking
control of the family. In broader leadership terms, the succinct choice of language can change the power
dynamic. It is important for female leaders to choose their language carefully in order to preserve the
power they have and fight to obtain an equitable share in the conversation. In the same way that the
religious discourse intersects with the spousal roles, the discourse of parental roles intersects with both
discourses simultaneously.
Parental roles create a conflicting dynamic between Nathan and Orleanna. In the first excerpt the
narrator, Ruth May, states in lines 19 and 20 how Nathan would have reacted if she had talked to her
father the way that Orleanna was talking to him. This comment by Ruth May is an important
juxtaposition to how Nathan talks to Orleanna in lines 24, 25 and 26. Nathan scolds Orleanna just as he
would one of his daughters, lessoning Orleannas power as a parent. The way Nathan talks to Orleanna
indicates to the Price daughters that Nathan is the one in charge of the family, including being at the helm
of his relationship with Orleanna. In line 27 it can be assumed that Orleanna finds the way Nathan talks to
her as unacceptable because she turned red and breathed out indicating that she is frustrated with the
way the conversation is going. Orleannas feelings on her own sacrificial nature as a mother are expressed
in the second excerpt in line 12. I am a mother. You arent, he wasnt denotes that the role of a mother
within a family can only be understood if you are a mother yourself. Even after Nathan has passed away,
Orleanna is still sacrificing herself to Nathan for the sake of her daughters. In line 23 Orleanna says The
sins of the father are not discussed. Thats how it is signifies that despite Nathan being deceased, his
postmortem role in the family is still more important than her desire to talk about what happened to her in
their marriage.
The intersection of the spousal, religious and parental discourses creates a power shift from
Nathan to Orleanna. After Nathan abandoned his family in the Congo, Orleanna was forced to step into
the role as the dominate parental figure in the Price family. Her actions and language had to shift from
what is considered stereotypically female language and leadership skills towards a more complex,
inclusive set of skills. The complication of gender roles is important in considering what it means to be a
female familial leader. If Orleanna had completely abandoned her female role and solely took on
stereotypical male characteristics, a vital element would have been missing from the Price familys
dynamics. As suggested previously, gender is more complicated than strictly male or female. Orleanna
had to blend her identity as a female with what is considered stereotypical male characteristics in order to
fulfill her roles as both mother and father to her children after Nathan left. I conclude through my analysis
of Orleannas language while she parented with Nathan and when she parented alone, that in order for a
single parent household to thrive, this blending of stereotypical male and female characteristics must be
sustained.

Conclusion
In my Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis of Orleanna Prices language in The
Poisonwood Bible I aimed to breakdown the assumption that gender determines language use. By
showing that language can be either stereotypically male or female in my dennotative analysis of the text,
I was then able to use connotative deductions to reveal a discourse in which gender is more complex than
simply male or female. Through analysis of the polyphonic text, I argued that through language
choice and nonverbal cues Orleanna creates a power shift away from stereotypical female roles, blurring
the lines between what is considered stereotypical female and male language to become head of her
family. In doing this I hope to broaden peoples viewpoints that gender is based more so on the choices
that an individual chooses to perform than on the label that society has placed on them because of their
biology. By bringing out the complexities of gender I was able to distinguish power shifts that were
occurring between Orleanna and Nathan through the discourses of spousal roles, religion and parental
roles throughout the text. My study of language and leadership in the context of familial roles is
significant because Orleanna represents an example of how female leaders can use succinct language
choices to become a dominant voice in leadership conversations. While I feel that Feminist PostStructuralist Discourse Analysis is the best lens to analyze gender and discourse, I stand on the shoulders
of the second wave feminist theorists and their structuralist instruments in order to build my argument
that being a female leader is a complicated issue that we must continually strive to break down into a
broader discussion.

Works Cited
Baxter, Judith. "Constructions Of Active Womanhood And New Femininities: From A Feminist
Linguistic Perspective, Is Sex And The City A Modernist Or A Post-Modernist TV Text?."
Women & Language 32.1 (2009): 91-98. Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 26 Oct.
2015.
Baxter, Judith. Positioning Gender in Discourse: A Feminist Methodology. Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print
Baxter, Judith. The Language of Female Leadership. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Print.
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel. New York: HarperFlamingo, 1998. Print.
Meire, Heloise. "Women, A Dark Continent? The Poisonwood Bible As A Feminist Response To
Conrads Heart Of Darkness." Seeds of Change : Critical Essays on Barbara Kingsolver. 71.
Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 2010. Project MUSE. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.
Moffatt, Victoria Amma Agyeiwaah. "Othering Through Gendering Discourses And Patriarchal
Hegemonies In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness And Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood
Bible." Legon Journal Of The Humanities 21.(2010): 163-179. Humanities International
Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
Runt, Mary, and Albert J. Mills. "Paying The Toll: A Feminist Post-Structural Critique Of The
Discourse Bridging Work And Family." Culture & Organization 10.3 (2004): 237-249. Business
Source Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

APPENDICES

Appendices Table of Contents

1.
2.
3.
4.

Appendix A: Research Proposal

Appendix B: Annotated Bibliography
Appendix C: Excerpt One
Appendix D: Excerpt Two

Appendix A

Research Proposal
My research will show the language change in Orleanna Price, the mother of the family on a
mission trip in the Congo, in The Poisonwood Bible. The language she uses at the beginning of the novel
as a submissive wife and mother drastically changes by the end of the novel when she is the sole leader
and parental figure in her family. I want to discover why there is a language difference in Orleannas
character from the beginning to the end of the novel. I would like to explore whether women have to talk
like men when they are the sole parent in a family. This research interests me because The Poisonwood
Bible is one of my favorite novels. Orleanna has proven to be a strong role model of endurance and
perseverance for me. I would like to understand how she uses her language to create a positive change for
those around her. This study is significant because it will show the types of language used at a familial
level and how it must change based on your role. It is important to know how roles affect language
because if the same language cannot be used as a leader in the family as when you are a follower,
knowing the language to use once you are a leader determines the success of your family. This research
will also analyze Oreleannas leadership practices in order to shed light on womens leadership practices
as a whole.
In order to research my text, I will consult feminist linguists on stereotypes of gendered language
and compare their findings to Orleannas language choices. I will analyze and interpret power shifts
among family members. This analysis of power shifts is characteristic of post-structuralist discourse
analysis; at the same time, I will be using structuralist methodology to describe the ways in which
structure is the scaffolding of discourse around which shifts of gender and power must flow. One problem
I anticipate having is not being able to find any other analysis of the text. It is also difficult to explain the
relationship between 2nd and 3rd wave feminism, as well as theory and methodology when they are so
integrated.

Appendix B

Annotated Bibliography
Runt, Mary, and Albert J. Mills. "Paying The Toll: A Feminist Post-Structural Critique Of The
Discourse Bridging Work And Family." Culture & Organization 10.3 (2004): 237-249. Business
Source Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

The authors argue that the assumption of conflict between work and family creates a strong discourse
where work is privileged over home-life. The article serves to prove that the discourse over work-family
conflict is inherently favorable to work, though it is presented as a 50/50 share of importance. The authors
use Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA) to display a binary opposition that work and
home-work are not created equal, and in fact, employers have created a culture that devalues the homework.
The basis of emphasis for women is always on work outside of the home, not creating an equal balance.
Initiatives to create a balance for women at work are not intended to create a balance at all, instead they
aim to keep home-work from interfering with paid work. The authors conclude that in order to break the
conflict between work-family commitments, we must reexamine our values and the types of work we
choose to participate in.
This article will be useful in my research because I am particularly interested in the role of mothers as
family leaders. I believe Orleannas shift in language could be due to the fact that she has to become a
monetary provider for the family instead of just a home-worker.
The dominant discourse defining the scope of work is still rooted in the notion that only financially
remunerated activities constitute work. Parent-work is not embraced by this discourse (241).
Regardless of whether or not maternal employment is deleterious for children, the discourse of family is
predicated on the belief that child behavior must be linked to the mothers behavior (243).
This devaluation of womans work is, then, a direct consequence of the corporate intrusion in the
domestic sphere, the substitution of womens labor by corporate products. The family system has
metamorphosed from being a unit of production to be a unit of consumption (245).
Keywords: Work-family conflict, work-life balance, work-life, Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse

Appendix C

Excerpt One
1
2
3
4

At first Mama got after us for staring and pointing at people. She was all the time whispering,
Do I have o tell you girls ever single minute dont stare? But now Mama looks too. Sometimes she says
to us or just herself, Now Tata Zinsana is the one missing all the fingers, isnt he? Or shell say, That big
gouter like a goose egg under her chin, thats how I remember Mama Nguza.

5
6

Father said, They are living in darkness. Broken in body and soul, and dont even see how they
could be healed.

Mama said, Well, maybe they take a different view of their bodies.

8
9
10

Father says the body is the temple. But Mama has this certain voice sometimes. Not exactly
sassing back, but just about nearly. She was sewing us some window curtains out of dress material so
they wouldnt be looking in at us all the time, and had pins in her mouth.

11
12
13
14

She took the pins out and said to him, Well, here in Africa that temple has to do a hateful lot of
work in a day. She said, Why, Nathan, here they have to use their bodies like we use things at homelike your clothes or your garden tools or something. Where youd be wearing out the knees of your
trousers, sir, they just have to go ahead and wear out their knees!

15

Father looked at Mama hard for talking back to him.

16
17

Well, sir, she said, that is just what it looks like to me. That is just my observation. It appears
to me their bodies just get worn out, about the same way as our worldly goods do.

18
19
20
21
22
23

Mama wasnt really sassing back. She calls him sir the way she calls us Sugar and Hon, trying to
be nice. But still. If it was me talking back that way, hed say, That is a fine line you are walking there,
young lady. And he appeared to be fixing to say just such a thing to Mama. He was debating about it.
He stood there in the front doorway with the sun just squeaking by him on all sides. He is so big he near
about filled up the whole doorway. His head almost touched. And Mama was just sitting down short at
the table, so she went back to sewing.

24
25

He said, Orleanna, the human body is a sight more precious than a pair of khaki trousers from
Sears and Roebuck. Id expect you to comprehend the difference.

26
27
28
29
30

Then he looked at her with his one eye turned mean and said, You of all people.
She turned red and breathed out like she does. She said, Even something precious can get
shabby in the course of things. Considering what theyre up against here, that might not be such a bad
attitude for them to take.
After that Mama put pins back in her mouth, so no more talking

Appendix D

Excerpt Two
1

Leah says he would have wanted to go that way, I said. A blaze of glory.

I dont give a damn what he would have wanted.

3
4

Oh, I said. The damp ground soaked the knees of her jeans in large dark patches that spread
like bloodstains as she worked.

Are you sorry hes dead?

Adah, what can it possibly mean to me now?

Then what are you sorry about?

8
9
10
11
12
13
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15

She lifted seedlings out of the flat, untangling their nets of tender roots. Her bare hands worked
them into the ground, prodding and gentling, as if putting to bed an endless supply of small children.
She wiped the tears off both sides of her face with the back of her left hand, leaving dark lines of soil
along her cheekbones. To live is to be marked, she said without speaking. To live is to change, to die one
hundred deaths. I am a mother. You arent, he wasnt.
Do you want to forget?
She paused her work, resting her trowel on her knee, and looked at me. Are we allowed to
remember?

16

Whos to say we cant?

17

Not one woman in Bethlehem ever asked me how Ruth May died. Did you know that?

18

I guess.

19
20
21
22
23
24

And all those people I worked with in Atlanta, on civil rights and African relief. We never once
spoke of my having a crazy evangelist husband still in the Congo somewhere. People knew. But it was
embarrassing to them. I guess they thought it was some awful reflection on me.
The sins of the father, I said.
The sins of the father are not discussed. Thats how it is. She returned to her business of
stabbing the earth.

Professional Biography
Lyndsey Maloney is a first year graduate student at Xavier University, where she is currently pursuing her
master's degree in education. She intends to obtain a teaching license in secondary English education and
teach at Lebanon High School following graduation. An avid reader, she enjoys analyzing the relationship
between literature and culture, with a particular interest in the use of language in gender roles. She
currently serves as a substitute teacher for Lebanon City Schools while also serving as an assistant coach
for the Warriors' girls volleyball team and head coach of the freshman squad. Maloney was a standout
volleyball player at LHS, earning honorable mention all-state honors as a senior. She also serves as a
coach at Borderline Volleyball Club, and would like to continue coaching in addition to becoming a
teacher. Lyndsey would like to thank Dr. Carol Winkelmann for her guidance, support and supreme
editing skills throughout this process, without you, none of this would have been possible.