The Red Tent

Reading The Red Tent gave me a lot to think about and I am glad I had the opportunity. I gained a deeper understanding of the society of women during Old Testament times. I found the sisterhood powerful as Leah, Rachel, Zilpha and Bilhah and ultimately Dinah grew to appreciate each other and value their own uniqueness. I found the portrayal of the interaction of Jacob's wives interesting and plausible. I felt the universality of the issues women deal with: finding a sense of identity and value in the world, figuring out how to make meaningful contributions, the importance of relationships including the role of women in relationship to men, the role of "mothers" whether by birth or not, the process of birth, life and death all resonated with me. Once I started reading, I could hardly put it down. Anita Diamant has written a powerful novel that looks at significant issues.

I found myself re-reading the Bible account in Genesis 34. (Interesting timing since this was one of the recent Gospel Doctrine lessons.) I found it interesting that Dinah "went out to see the daughters of the land." In the Biblical sense, it sounds like she was associating with "worldly" people and the fact that this statement is included makes me think it was risky behavior, or at least, frowned upon. But it also says that Shechem's "soul clave unto Dinah," that he "spake kindly" to her, and that he "was more honourable than all the house of his father." In that sense, he appears to be a tragic figure rather than someone who raped Dinah. (The scripture says that he "took her, and lay with her, and defilied her.") It also appears from the footnotes regarding Simeon and Levi's actions that God was not pleased. (Genesis 49 has the blessings of Jacob to his sons and the footnotes on Simeon and Levi refer to Topical Guide on "cruelty, retribution, and anger." That doesn't seem to say that what they did was right in God's eyes.) But the limited information on the women in the Old Testament and the absence of any reaction of Dinah gave Diamant the license to "fill in the blanks."

However, I was frustrated that in her attempt to tell the story "from the women's point of view," she devalues all of the men involved, including the god, El. Instead of creating faithful women who sustained no-doubt-imperfect men in a patriarchal society, she creates idol-worshipping women and men/patriarchs who are "schmucks," with the exception of those out of the covenant: Dinah's husbands--Shechem and Benia. I found the portrayal of Joseph having sex with Potiphar as well as Potiphar's wife and then looking lustfully at his men servants a little hard to take. I also had a hard time with Isaac and Jacob being dottering fools. Laban's portrayal, while being more consistent with his character in the Old Testament was even a little extreme. I know Diamant is reacting to the tendency to make Biblical characters out to be "bigger than life" heroes, but I didn't think she needed to make them such a mess in order to make them "real."

As far as the idol worship that she attributes to Rachel and Leah and their handmaidens, I wondered. I know that throughout the Bible there is an ongoing effort to keep the covenant people away from idol worship. That means there was a lot of it around. It seems probable that the handmaidens had their own beliefs, but I thought that the reason that such great effort was made to choose wives for Isaac and Jacob was to make sure they were part of the covenant people. It's interesting that Diamant is Jewish because she certainly doesn't value their role as a people with a unique relationship to God.

One additional point, the ritual Dinah goes through as she becomes a woman sounds like female circumcision. While I haven't studied this thoroughly, what I have read is that it is very injurious to women and is still practiced today in some societies. I was surprised that Diamant made it look so wonderful and so much a part of becoming one with all womankind and with Mother Earth.

All in all, I thought The Red Tent was a thoughtful look at a story in the Old Testament that raises more questions than it answers. Thanks, Carolyn for choosing a book that gave us the opportunity to look at things from a different perspective!

--Karen

The Red Tent

I had mixed emotions going into the book, and felt the same way at the conclusion. I belonged to another book club while we lived in Texas, and this was the book that was chosen shortly after I moved. I heard from a friend about the reaction of some of the ladies in the club. Some had stronger opinions (pornorgraphic, blasphemous) than others. I tend to be more open minded than some, but still, I was a little aprehensive about reading the book. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but I too had to go through the Old Testament version to seperate fact from fiction (speculation) in my mind.
I loved the idea of having the story written from a woman's point of view. Women truly do have a spiritual connection that eludes men. The whole idea of living in tents, in the middle of nowhere and sharing a husband makes me shudder. The women probably had to have a strong bond between them or else they would have torn each other to shreds. They seemed to have their own little intimate world that the men only played a small part in. I've always thought that it would be nice to have several women around to help take care of the kids, meals, housekeeping, etc., but I'm not woman enough to share a husband in the sexual sense.

Diamante has a great talent for painting such a complete picture without adding so many details that one loses interest. It was easy to visualize Dinah's surroundings, or to imagine what the other characters looked like.

I was somewhat offended by her portrayal of the male characters. I felt that she was a little too pro feminine. Diamante seems to have some serious issues with men, or at least with the biblical men. I'm sure that Laban wasn't perfect, but the author gave him almost every vice possible. Jacob had his faults too, but I don't believe that he changed his name to Israel out of shame. Joseph wasn't Potifers boy toy, nor was he sleeping with his mistress. I'm not sure that he was universally loved by everyone in Egypt, but I don't believe that he was mean and arogant either.

I really did like the book! The great thing about belonging to a book club is the opportunity to leave one's own literary beaten path, and try something new. Thanks for the selection!

The Red Tent

Hello ladies!!

I know, you have never heard from me, but I thought it would be time chime in and post my review on this most interesting book.

I have to say that I really liked this book. It was fascinating to here another idea of how times were back in the time of Jacob. Although there are many things that were probably put in there for shock factor. (Perhaps from her research regarding that time she felt the need to include some ideas of how she thought the common man behaved.) Knowing that most of these men were not common; Jacob, Joseph and some of the other brothers, I was able to overlook much of the minutiae and stuff that was written about these men that is generally contradicted by modern revelation, etc.

What I found most interesting was the interaction between the woman...albeit fiction. As I was reading and putting myself into the characters positions, I was wondering how I would feel to watch my sister marry a man that I was in love with, and then find myself in that ceremony; how would I feel to be married the same man as my sisters; what it would feel like to be ignored by my brothers or how I would react to my husband being killed by my own family members. I found the interaction between the woman fascinating and intriguing. I loved the idea of collecting and hanging out with the woman and learning from each other. Coming from a family of women, it was an interesting lesson on emotional interations.

When Dinah was a young woman she was shy, unsure of herself and lonely. The only friends she had were her mothers and then Joseph. Her experiences were horrific and tragic...and some that I would never like to have in my life. But, it was those experiences that molded her into a strong self-assured woman that she became. Dinah emerged triumphant. What a heroine, what a woman. As sad as her treatment was, I wanted to stand and cheer for her.

I loved the midwife story line. Midwives are so important in their lives. It seems as though it was all about having children. The midwives were busy. They were so knowledgeable and even to this day are sought after. The birthing techniques may be different on different continents but babies will always be born. Dinah offered a service and helped so many with here talents. She was fortunate to learn this from her "mothers" and it kept her busy her life. There was a time when she was relying on others for her keeping. It allowed her a way to give back, and be a value to others around her.

I am glad that I read this book. It was thought provoking and interesting. Thanks for the choice.

Michelle

It's just fiction

I had to keep reminding myself throughout the book that it was just fiction. Although I appreciate the "fleshing out" of the characters, like Laurenda and Amanda, I'm sure that the real characters aren't how they were portrayed in the book. Rebecca was not so indifferent to her family or to Isaac. Joseph did not sleep with Potipher's wife. And so on. I, too, went and read the appropriate chapters in Genesis just in case I was missing something. The one characterization that I preferred in the book to the Bible version is the relationship between Jacob and Leah. I liked the idea that he loved her (even though she wasn't Rachel) rather than the "she was hated" stuff in the Old Testament. However, we still have the problem that the Bible is true as far as it is translated correctly (if I can interject a bit of LDS culture here).

I can't think of the word that best describes what I want to say, but I loved the visual images painted by the author's words; words not describing imagery, but people. Rachel smelled like water and was as strong as the moon. How beautiful and unique is that? Strong as the moon... why not strong as a horse, for example. Beautiful.

The story was supposed to be about the bonds of sisterhood, or so I thought. However, Dinah lost all those with whom she shared such a sisterhood - her mothers, her Egyptian friend, etc. I soon felt that the point of the book was that she was all alone and had to gain the strength to continue on no matter what life gave her. Although, as a midwife, she had opportunities to form relationships with other women, she always seemed alone.

The Red Tent... a place where womanhood is celebrated, shared, and cherished. However, all I could keep thinking was how thankful I am that I don't have to spend a few days a month sitting on hay. Did all women really go to the Red Tent at the same time each month? I know, I'm weird.

I really enjoyed the book. It's just fiction - not a biblical account. Thanks, Carolyn!!

The Red Tent

One of my favorite novels from my childhood is Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Patterson. Its the story about 2 sisters, both vastly different from the other, and told from the perspective of the least liked child (at least in her mind), the Esau if you will. One of the reasons why I adore this book is because of the redemptive power found at the end of the story, the sister realizes she too was loved just as much if not more than the Jacob in the story and she had to go away from her family to find herself. This is true about Dinah, she had to suffer at the hands of those who should love her the most, leave them and find herself along the way. However, in The Red Tent, I was left feeling that Dinah didn't really get her due, her justice. I was left feeling she was robbed of her mothers because of her stupid brothers who took their misguided anger out on their only sister, whom they never treated like a sister up to that point. I am happy Dinah found another love, an easy love. I am happy she got to see Joseph again and get a bit of closure with her favorite brother. I am even happy that she got to return to her clan and meet so many of her nieces and nephews. But I was displeased with the way things were left with her son. I thought he was a total snot to her, I know this was common of the time period (but was it really??). I was constantly asking myself, Is this true? A lot of it I have to believe was pure fiction on the part of Diamante, and I have to congratulate her on her incredible, imaginative story. But as is true about The Da Vinci Code, this kind of writing can be considered dangerous. It can very easily put untrue beliefs into unknowing minds.

After reading the first chapter I had to go back to the Old Testament and re-read Genesis. The author obviously takes a lot of liberties with Dinah and the entire cast of characters. I can't believe that Rebecca was that uncaring about her family or that she was so strange in her worship. I can't believe that Jacob would be so uncaring about his supposedly beloved wife Rachel by allowing her to give birth on the side of the road and then callously burying her in a shallow unmarked grave. And, I can't believe that the woman worshipped so many other gods/goddesses and performed bizarre rituals. I thought that surely such righteous woman (as they are portrayed in the Bible) would worship one god, the god of their husband.

Another thing I was struck by was the overt sexuality in the book. The men/boys and their sheep. The implied thought that Joseph kept virile young men around him for more than bodyguards. Ewwww. The easy way Dinah gave her body to a man she had hardly met (talk about love at first sight!). I thought that the women would teach their daughter about chastity. Or maybe they did but Dinah's love was so strong and because she acted on this love she was punished. And that's another thing I found odd, the way Rebecca and Leah scorned the "new" idea of showing off the virginal blood to prove a woman's chastity. I don't like that idea either but I thought this is certainly a new way of looking at an ideal/belief that went far into the 19th century and for some parts of the world this is still an indicator of a woman's worth.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I found it an accessible book (unlike The Historian, which I will probably never finish and will never recommend). And even though I question the honesty of the book, I like the idea that an author can take such small information and turn it into an incredible imaginative tale. I am glad I read this book, and I look forward to the next.