The Post-Colonial theory focuses on societies that either are/become colonized, and the downfall that comes from being colonized. The other focus is just solely the downfall of the colony. The main elements that effect a colony are religion, politics, and culture. These elements will usually help create the colony, but will also be one of the main reasons it falls apart. A "Post-Colonialist" writer will usually choose to write from the victim's point of view, because it is the best way to show the true heartache that colonizing can impact on a group of people.
This theory was created after the decolonization that marked the second half of the 20th century. It was created because after that event, people realized that you can't force people together, and expect everything to work. Forcing people to believe in one certain thing, whether it's religion, culture or politics, will eventually end in the failure of set society.
Colony is described as "a community of people who form a national, racial, or cultural minority". In the Poisonwood Bible, the Price family attempts to colonize a small community called Kilanga which is in the heart of the Congo. They do this by attempting to bring the people together with religion as a common ground. Nathan Price is the "ring leader" of the attempt of colonization. When the Price family first arrives in the Congo, the Congolese have a celebration dinner for them, which is when Nathan takes his first step in his attempt of colonizing: “‘and every corner of the earth where His light,’ Father paused, glaring all about him, ‘where His light has yet to fall!’ … ‘The lord rideth in the person of His angels of mercy, His emissaries of holiness into the cities on the plain, where Lot dwelled amongst the sinners’” (Pg.26/27). Nathan's first failure at colonizing comes when he suggests a community baptism in the Kilanga river. When he first suggests it, the entire community acts disgusted that he even brought up the river. At first this puzzles the Price family, but we soon discover that a child was killed in the river and therefore symbolizes death and darkness; which is ironic because a baptism symbolizes light and well-being.
