orichalcum | Thoughts on Purim

stone_and_star mentioned once, years ago, having sympathy for Vashti, the original Persian Queen whose dismissal and/or possible execution made room for Esther in the Persian court. This led to me musing tonight on the problems of the Book of Esther as a feminist text.

Vashti refused to display her beauty before the assembled court of Xerxes (Ahauserus), an act which violated Persian tradition and which would have publicly humiliated and dishonored her. His advisors warned that she must be punished, lest she set an example and cause other women not to respect their husbands' orders. In order to ensure women's obedience and respect, Xerxes exiles Vashti and sends messages to every part of his empire proclaiming "that a man should be ruler over his own household."

The new potential wives and concubines for Xerxes are picked on the basis of beauty alone, and Esther has 12 months of "beauty treatments" before the king falls for her and makes her queen. The first thing mentioned about her is her obedience to Mordecai's instructions to keep her nationality and religion secret. Her dominant characteristics are thus beauty and obedience. Later, Mordechai tells Esther to go plead the Jews' case before Xerxes; she does not come up with this plan on her own. She only consents when religiously and emotionally blackmailed by her father-figure. When Haman begs her for mercy, she allows Xerxes to think that Haman was sexually harassing her rather than pleading with her, and has him hanged. Then she takes his property, and then asks Xerxes to also hang Haman's ten sons.

I'm not sure how to deal with how this message of female submission and the importance of looking pretty in order to get favors from your husband, and whether it fundamentally undermines the tale of salvation and freedom from persecution that forms the reason for the celebration of Purim. Is it possible to praise Esther and Mordechai while pitying Haman's sons and being squeamish about their means of influence? How do I get beyond the image of Esther as the anti-Vashti, the vengeful pawn rather than the Queen?

As Velveteen Rabbi points out, this is also a story about a cycle of revenge and reversals, rather than forgiveness or compassion. It reminds me, somehow, of the old feminist fantasy trope of the rape-and-revenge stories - that the only way to create a female warrior figure was to have her be a rape victim who was hunting down her attackers. Can Esther only be powerful and virtuous when reacting to the threat of persecution and death? Other Biblical heroines - Deborah, Miriam, Hannah, Ruth - are noted and praised for their proactive stances and affirmative pursuit of justice and happiness. In the end, I'm not sure I'd want a daughter dressing up as Esther - any more than I'd want her dressing up as Ariel or Sleeping Beauty. Give me a role model who isn't defined by her relationship with a guy and her pretty face. (Which raises the question - do any Biblical women pass the Bechdel test???)

Thoughts on Purim

no subject