A character not often discussed as important within the Biblical narrative is Noah's wife. A majority of the text of Genesis 6 through 9 is devoted to the actions of Noah and God. Very little is mentioned about Noah's wife, so little that she is not even named in the narrative. But, she is included in the command from God as to who should be on the ark. Carol Meyers suggests that Noah's wife was not included because of her ability to produce more children, as compared to Noah's sons' wives who were essential to repopulating the Earth. Instead, Noah's wife was included on the ark to provide companionship to Noah, which in Meyer's opinion suggests the narrative holds companionship in marriage in high regards.
Yes, the narrative is written by males, about males, and thus the focus would be on Noah and his actions. I get that. In fact, there are lessons I think anyone can learn from Noah regardless of Gender. However, as female reader who deals with gender stereotypes, limitations, and other difficulties associated with being a woman, it would have been nice to hear how Noah's wife dealt with a husband, who for all intents and purposes went off the deep end. Did she ever question him to his face, behind his back, or follow him blindly? Did she face criticism from the other wives around the city gathering places, the well, about her crazy husband? How instrumental was she in building or shaping the ark? Did Noah listen to her suggestions about how a kitchen should be set up on a boat, or did he build whatever he thought was fine without consulting what would serve her needs best? These are the questions to ask and the answers I want to know.
In the late 90s, a made for tv movie was released about Noah and building the ark. I don't remember much of the movie, but I do remember Noah's wife trying to throw all the spiders overboard. My mother, who hates all creatures that crawl or creep, was silently cheering her on, and was highly disappointed when Noah stopped his wife from ridding the world of spiders. Needless to say, my mother was on Noah's wife's side that evenings, not Noah's.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI believe I would have to side with Ms. Noah re the spiders and I would be mightily tempted to do something about ticks and mosquitoes, I'm afraid. I guess they all have their place, but I have failed in my attempt at appreciation of the latter two!
I was inspired several years ago to write a novel from the perspective of Noah's wife. As a seminary student, you might be interested. I set it in a historical culture and based it the flood that changed a fresh water lake into the Black sea in 5500 BCE and flooded the Mesopotamian area (where we get the original Noah tale in the oldest known written story, Gilgamesh.)
My best,
T.K. Thorne
www.noahswife.com