Ruth
In Cynthia Ozick's Essay "Ruth", Ozick takes a feminist approach to the Biblical narrative, The Book of Ruth. She begins her essay with two very prominent images from her past. In her childhood, her parents had two paintings upon the walls of the house where she grew up. One was of her grandfather who was a Torah scholar and the other was of a woman collecting grain in a field. She then continues to describe the reasons why so many Jewish scholars have had problems with this book in the Bible, many of which stem from Ruth's heritage. Ozick offers her own interpretation of the text which is largely based in monotheistic and feminist ideals. Ozick's interpretations of The Book of Ruth are insightful because they convey her religious beliefs and heritage which give her a perspective that is otherwise not so easily attained; though they may slightly differ from my own interpretations, Ozick makes the story easy to understand because she has the advantaged view of a Jew as well as a normal human being living in our advanced world. Ozick makes The Book of Ruth easily understood from the vantage point of the layman by using contemporary language to explain Ruth's situation. Ozick first mentions the reason why this story would make any
The first time, both of them say that they will stay with their mother-in-law, but the second time Orpah leaves Naomi and Ruth. look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature. It seems that "God's chosen people" would have no other alternative than to throw them out and they had every right to. The New Testament outlines the life, times and teachings of Jesus, who is a direct descendant of King David according to the Bible. Naomi and Ruth cling together because they find themselves in the same situation. This entire story is an illustration of God's mercy. However, since Ruth did proclaim that she wanted Naomi's God to be her God, she shows her complete and utter devotion to everything that Naomi believes in, even though Naomi herself believes that God has cursed her by killing her husband and sons. The Hebrews have mercy on Naomi and Ruth when they move back. It is a luxury that some choose to ignore, while others embrace whole-heartedly. The only fundamental difference between the way that Ozick would view this story and my view is that I am viewing it from an aspect that names Jesus as the Christ and not as a great teacher. Ozick spends a great deal of time at the end of her essay talking about the conversation that Naomi has with Orpah and Ruth when she asks them to turn back twice. This is probably the most significant lesson anyone can learn from any story in the Bible; a message of love, hope and mercy for all who accept it as freely as it is given. This idea of mercy is quite prominent throughout the entire story. Ozick comes from the background of Judaism, while I am firmly Christian; therefore, both of our very different beliefs influence everything that we encounter in life and shape our opinions about things such as holy texts.
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Acceptance Essays
