thoughts on exodus.

I think that Exodus was a book who's purpose was to show how living in Africa affected each of the Price's lives. It is also a way to connect to certain ideas mentioned previously in the book. For example, the night of the ant attack in "The Judges" sort of forshadowed the fate of the four girls. Rachel goes off on her own, Leah clings to Anatole, and Ruth May and Adah are deemed first and second pick, respectively, by Orleanna. Another recurring theme I noticed was the four children: Orleanna had four girls and Leah had four boys.

I also noticed that the way the four daughters turned out was not unpredictable. It seemed as if each girl got what they wanted. Ruth May always talked about how she wanted to be a green mamba snake, and her death was brought by one. Rachel always dreamed of living a luxurious life and of being a wife (hope chests), and in the end she got to be a wife to three men as well as live a life of luxury as a hotel owner. Adah was very intelligent, so it makes sense that she became something as great as a doctor. It also makes sense that she went into a unique field of medicine because she herself is a very unique person. I also think that finding herself in Africa gave her the courage to be able to pursue things she's capable of having. Leah showed to be like her father in more ways than one. Like her father, she loved nature, and she seemed to continue to express that by praying to the nature around her. Also, like Nathan, she invaded the African culture. Although Nathan's approach was more stubborn and forceful, Leah still did things that weren't accepted by the Africans, even if she did it because of her love for them. She indulged in the culture, but did not respect its rules. For instance, she hunted with the men and taught the boys, things that were not socially or culturally accepted by the Congolese. But it was predictable that she would marry an African man because she loved the culture so much, and it seemed that she and Anatole had a romantic connection.

I think overall that Exodus was an accessory chapter. Although it is very good and provides a lot of interesting information, it would have been fine if the book ended after Bel and the Serpent.