The Things We Carried.

"He took big goose steps—giant step, we'd have called them, if he had first asked, 'Mother May I?' But my father needs permission only from the Saviour, who obviously is all in favor subduing the untamed wilderness for a garden."
(Kingsolver 36.)

In the section, The Things We Carried, found in book one of The Poisonwood Bible by  Barbara Kingsolver, Leah Price is the new narrator telling what she experienced from a daughter's first person point of view. She is a twin to Adah and seems to have the closest relationship toward her imperative father, Nathan. Since she likes to be outdoor, while her sister are helping Orleanna with the dishes, she spends quality time trying to help his dad with the cultivation of a garden in their new home, Congo, Africa, with the purpose of being able to feed the family and civilize the natives. The quote was stated in the middle of book one after Leah sees the big steps her father is taking while trying to garden. I chose this quote because it is symbolic of the Nathan's intention, opinion, and relationship concerning the natives. The quote adds a dramatic irony since the reader can make this connection while Leah has no idea what she just said.

Analysis: Leah clearly reveals the arrogance and stubbornness of her father by stating he needs no one's permission but God's. This Garden is symbolic of Nathan's intention to subdue the local natives referred to by the keening used of "untamed wilderness for a garden" in which garden refers to the followers of God. This responsability felt by Nathan to civilize natives without taking into account social and cultural factors is known as "White Man's Burden."