"Still, she wanted to make the river flow in a direction of her choosing" (30).
             Zilpah's thoughts embodied a major theme of Anita Diamant's novel, The Red Tent. Enmity and jealousy tainted several important relationships throughout the story. Zilpah's need to manipulate and control another person's life for her own satisfaction was shared by many other characters in the story. In one example, Zilpah wished to make her sister Rachel "suffer just a little" because she was jealous of her beauty and the fact that a man had come to marry her. Before the marriage between Jacob and Rachel, she urged Rachel to have Leah take her place under the wedding veil. After all, Leah was Zilpah's favorite sister. She preyed upon Rachel's fear of sex and tricked her into forfeiting her rights as first-wife. Jacob eventually married all four sisters. He became a dividing rod between them as they had to share his love. Pregnancy further complicated matters between Rachel and Leah. After Leah conceived her first child, Rachel cursed and spit at her. The youngest sister, Bilhah, commented, "It was so unfair" (38). It would be years before the women made peace.
             Anguish was felt by Jacob's daughter, Dinah. "I would be a woman soon and I would have to learn how to live with a divided heart" (86). She was upset to see that her tender love for her mother was also shared by her father, who always remained a distant parent. When she was younger, one of Dinah's great secrets was knowing she had the power to make her mom smile (83). As Dinah grew, she realized that her mother also loved her father, who was beautiful and worthy of her affection. "My eyes opened for the first time upon the fact that my father was a man. Yet, I found no consolation in this discovery" (85). This was in sharp contrast to Rebecca's feelings towards the couple. Jacob's mother strongly disapproved of their relationship. "But even Leah was not good enough for
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