The Red Tent
by: Anita Diamant
October 1997, St. Martin’s Press
336 pages
There is something unique about coming back to the Bible after some time away. Especially as an adult. Suddenly, all the things that seemed so matter-of-fact because I read them every week in school, are now bizarre in the extreme. The story of Dinah and the massacre that follows is one of the more disturbing episodes, but it is not alone in its ability to perplex and offend the modern reader. The story of her mothers, the trickery of both her father and her brothers, and the feuds between generations of siblings all come off as eccentric at best. In The Red Tent, Anita Diamant sorts through these well known stories through the lens of their least well known characters – the women who are so rarely heard from in the Bible.
Diamant goes out of her way to say that this is a work of historical fiction, and that while she did extensive research on what communities of that place and time may have looked like, there is no textual or archaeological evidence for many of the narrative choices she made – most notably the use of a menstrual tent by Jaacob’s wives and proposing that Dinah actually consented to the marriage with Shechem. Indeed, menstrual tents were common at the time, but so was rape, so you can really argue either side. Which is why it is best to put preconceived notions aside and enter the narrative as one would any other work of fiction. The Torah is often deliberately vague, allowing readers to find their own comfort in it. Perhaps we can extend that license to our fiction too.
The concept of women having a dedicated time to rest felt more honest to me than the “you’re a princess, royalty hides itself” speeches that some Modern Day religious communities use to enforce strictures of female modesty and propriety. It would have been forward thinking for the traditions of the time to honor the female cycle in this way, rather than shaming the women. Similarly, The Red Tent celebrates the role of women in both household industry and child birthing while not shying away from the horrors of both situations. The awkward jealousies and sibling dynamics at play in a heavily intertwined polygamous situation were extremely relatable. What I found less compelling/convincing were the scenes where the women were clearly still worshiping idols rather than the God of Abraham. That’s my personal religious bias, your results can and will vary.
The Red Tent truly shines in its descriptions of the customs and domestic lives of women, not just in nomadic shepherding tribes but also in the comparatively highly civilized Egypt. It gives flesh to women who are often overlooked by the historical record. This is nowhere more evident than in the many birthing rooms where Dinah attends to women and demonstrates skill as a midwife and healer. Twice the reader sees how all of a woman’s power can be taken away by a single man, even when he has little to no standing in the community, simply because he has decided to become a problem for her.
Bible retellings are a particular joy of mine, and this one is superb in the depth of research that went into it as well as the courage and imagination it takes to completely alter a story that is so familiar to so many. It takes the story for away from the page snd into the realm of the personal, individual, heartbreaking choices we all make in the wake of tragedy. It celebrates women even while acknowledging the limitations of the culture and society in which they lived, and remains full of hope.