Poison Wood Bible vs. Mosquito Coast

The two stories of the Poisonwood Bible and The Mosquito Coast are very similar and yet I noticed many differences between the two stories. Both stories were centered around a controlling and over-bearing father who dragged there families to Africa for their own personal benefits and accomplishments that would be supposedly beneficial to their families and Africa and yet some how in both stories you come to the realization that the "benefits" is more of a cover than anything else. Both fathers come to Africa with high hopes soon to be crushed but they keep their heads up and never lose faith in belief of being better than the native people of the country. The father's strong opinions are originally backed by their children who begin to turn on the father's towards the end of the story. The change in heart of the children starts to break the families apart. The stories are both centered on a father's obsession with himself and his beliefs in things (bible and ice machine). The bible and the ice machine both start out innocent enough as a way to benefit the native African people but end up in self-destruction.
Though these stories have many parallels and similarities, they are full of differences as well. In The Mosquito Coast the father seems to have more confidence in and love for his family although this does begin to change along the way, however he never reaches the extent of coldness as Nathan carries throughout. Nathan from the beginning had the idea of ruling the natives where as Allie set out with the mind to work for the natives rather than having them work for him. The opposite happens in both cases. Nathan is all for religion and is a missionary while Allie hates the idea of religion being spread to Africans. The most significant difference to me is that if someone outside his family doesn't want to follow Allie he gives them that option where as Nathan simply won't stand for any one not following him exactly.