The Revelation The Things We Learned

1. The RevelationThe Things We Learned And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up…. If any man have an ear, let him hear. -Revelation 13:1,9 AP Lit. period 3 Jesse, Caitlyn M., Kaitlyn Q., Kate

2. Nathan As The Beast “Tata Ndu did not bow his head but raised it, not happily but proudly. Then I understood that he had won, and my father had lost. Tata Ndu came here personally to tell us that the gods of his village did not take kindly to the minister of corruption.” (Tata Ndu’s reaction to Adah’s disappearance) • Nathan’s increasing temper and violence • Goes against Nathan’s twisted reality of him actually saving the natives • Puts Christian God up against village gods • War between good and evil evident throughout the novel

3. Premonitions • “I couldn’t stop imagining the deaths of my children.” (Orleanna’s opening reflection in The Revelation) • “Father would sooner watch us all perish one by one than listen to anybody but himself.” (Rachel’s assertion about Nathan in The Revelation) • “But the rusted embroidery hoops left an unsightly orange ring on the linen that may have damaged my prospects for good” (Leah’s comment on her hope-chest project, damaged by Congo) • “I held him in my arms at night and saw parts of his soul turn to ash. Then I saw him reborn, with a stone in place of his heart. Nathan would accept no more compromises…he would not fail again.” (Orleanna’s observation of Nathan’s transformation in The Revelation)

4. The Seven Bowls • The Seven Bowls are poured onto Earth by God • Bowl 1: “foul and loathsome sore”  Ruth May's broken arm • Bowl 2: Sea turns to blood, everything dies  Nathan planting wrongly, causing all his plants to die • Bowl 3: Freshwater turns to blood  Malaria • Bowl 4: Sun scorching earth  Nathan's religious fervor • Bowl 5: Total darkness & great pain  Congo • Bowl 6: Preparations for battle between good and evil  Anatole saying introduction of Christianity leads to moral decline • Bowl 7: A great earthquake  The election

5. “Mother May I?” “…the game always went to those who knew the rules without understanding the lesson.” (Leah’s conclusion on the success of Mother May I? with the children in The Revelation) • “The game” in the bible is getting into heaven • According to Revelations, abiding by a set of rules will get you into Heaven • Nathan follows these rules to the tee while Brother Fowles understands the greater image and lesson, but lives by his own rules (the rules of the Congo) Therefore, Nathan would win the game and end up in Heaven

6. Smiley’s Purpose: The Grey Area • Even though there are many parallels between the book and bible, some major contradictions bring about another theme • Smiley is highlighting the fact that reality is largely made up of grey area • Related to her evidence that real morality is dependent upon perspective and is ever-changing • Shows that in a battle between good and bad (light and dark), neither can ever be clearly defined “…admission to heaven is gained by luck of the draw.” (Adah’s opinion on heaven in The Revelation) • An example of the contradiction, Revelations implies admission into heaven is based on faith and rules, Adah tells the reader it based on something else entirely