Essay #1

Exile helps and hurts an individual.  Facing new obstacles can be overwhelming, however, they make you stronger once you over come them.  What seems like a daunting task, will eventually become a novice task.
Leah, from The Poisonwood Bible, overcame the Congo jungle and even became fond of it after some years.  She became "uncivilized" as she lived like the natives did, walking for her water, boiling all the microbes out of it, and even hunting with the tribe.  She grew stronger as she lived in the Congo.  Her mind became sharper and began to accept new ideas from the natives.  She went against the segregation she has known and practiced, to marry an African school teacher Anatole.  She went against her father's Christian guidance, even denouncing him as a father.
This theme of exile essentially creates the whole novels situation.  Without this scenario, Leah wouldn't have faced any of her character changes, nor would she have seen the poverty of the Congo if she stayed in the city with all of the upper class whites.  The essence of exile is truly present all throughout the novel as Leah struggles with the ways of her society or to adapt to the Congo's.
Exile helped Leah see that her society's ways might not be the greatest life for her out there yet, exile hurt Leah's relationship with her family.  Exile, although considered horrible, can produce some amazing moralistic changes.