Final answer:
In The Poisonwood Bible, Orleanna Price gives up on life after the death of her daughter Ruth May, which deeply affects her and leads to a state of grief and despair.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Orleanna Price's spirit begins to wane significantly after the death of one of her children, Ruth May. This tragic event is pivotal as it represents the crushing of Orleanna's hopes and the point where she appears to give up on life. The overwhelming guilt and grief she experiences in the aftermath of this loss, in the backdrop of their challenging life in the Congo and her oppressive marriage, contribute to her loss of will to live.
The complexity of Orleanna's character is marked by her progression from being a dutiful wife to recognizing her own complicity in the damage her family faces. This introspective journey culminates in a sense of defeat and despair following Ruth May's untimely death, leaving Orleanna to navigate her remaining years in a haze of bereavement that underpins the rest of her narrative in the novel.