The Red Tent (all You Need To
The initial incident occurs when Simon and Levi, two of Dinah’s oldest brothers, enter the city of Shechem and murder all of the resident men, including Dinah’s beloved husband, Shalem. Cursing her entire family, a pregnant Dinah is taken to Egypt by Shalem’s mother, Re-nefer.
In the rising action the child is born, a boy who Re-nefer names Re-mose and raises as her own. He becomes a superior Egyptian scribe, and is eventually assigned to the king’s right-hand-man.
In a climactic irony, Re-mose’s employer turns out to be Joseph, Dinah’s youngest brother. The truth about Shalem’s murder is revealed to Re-mose, who in turn vows to avenge his ...
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and personal tragedy: "It seemed that I was the last person alive in the world" (Diamant 203). Dinah tells the story that she says was mangled in the bible.
Understandably, Dinah’s relation of her mothers’ stories is done in third person narrative, since she herself was not yet born. Dinah exhibits a deep understanding of the feelings of her mother and aunts, giving her a definite omniscient quality and demonstrating the closeness the women shared: "She began to nurse dark fears about the future" (Diamant 24). The feelings of her mothers toward Jacob are described, as well as their thoughts on motherhood, faith and various other aspects of life.
Second person narrative is used in the prologue and at the conclusion of the novel, both parts being separate from the story itself. Dinah charms the reader with sweet-spoken phrases such as "You crave words to fill the great silence that swallowed me, and my mothers, and my grandmothers before them." (Diamant 3) and ...
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certain whether my earliest memories are truly mine, because when I bring them to mind, I feel my mothers’ breath on every word" (Diamant 75).This, however, by no means shadows her individuality. She shares her musings with the reader, expressing her beliefs and loyalties as well as disdain and even wrath.
Dinah’s story begins before she is even born; it begins with the story of her mothers. As she says in the prologue, "If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully" (Diamant 2). Her entire life, as well as how she came into being, is covered in the novel. She is born the only daughter in a family of eleven sons (the ...
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"The Red Tent (all You Need To." Essayworld.com. March 22, 2007. Accessed December 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Red-Tent-all-You-Need/62205.
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