More Harm Than Good

In Kingsolver's Animal Dreams, the U.S. government's bad policies and employees are unable to help Codi, the main character, and her hometown's polluted river, and instead their environmental policies lead them to make things in the river worse. The Federal government is again portrayed negatively when Codi's sister Hallie is kidnapped, showing the destruction of the Contras, which the U.S. government supported. Although Hallie's kidnapping is ignored, thanks to a government policy the people of their hometown Grace are able to save their river and farms.
In the late 1980s, a communist government was elected in Nicaragua. …