A NARRAIVE READING OF GENESIS 39

A NARRATIVE READING OF GENESIS 39

A narrative simply tells a story. Criticism on the other hand is the activity of making fair ,careful judgment about the good and bad qualities of something ,especially books. Therefore, narrative criticism is a method of interpretation which usually includes at least a setting, a plot, and characterization of actors,( Tucker, 1976). This method (narrative criticism) is mostly applicable to those stories that are written in story form. This essay therefore is aimed at giving critical analysis of the story of Joseph in Egypt in Pot’sphar’s house. Much attention shall be paid to the plot, characterization, point of view taken by the narrator, and other minor features including the climax and the theme.

To begin with, this text falls under the category of prose fiction. Prose fiction comprises novels, short stories, and novellas, with “fiction” implying an inverted story which ,however, though not true, reflects a reality of life, ( Dlamini, 2004). Dlamini (2004) also says that prose fiction includes orally transmitted stories, fables, myths, legends, anecdotes, etc. So , the story in Genesis chapter 39 is easy to interpret using the narrative form of interpretation because its is written in story form.

SETTING

Setting of the story can be defined as “the place where the action takes place and where the characters are, and the period when the events takes place, as well as the type of society they live in and their socio-economic circumstances”.( Dlamini, I bid : 34). The reader must understand most of the events and experiences portrayed in a story within their specific geographical and socio-cultural contexts. Precisely, this story of Joseph is set in Egypt, in the house of Potiphar. This was during a time when people, mostly the rich, used to buy themselves slaves to work in their houses, fields, etc. Joseph found himself being carted off to Egypt as a slave as a result of feuding and jealousy among his father Jacob’s family, ( Drane, 1992). It is also said in Genesis 39 that in Potiphar’s house Joseph was made overseer and was put in charge of all that his master had.

PLOT
Plot can be defined as the “the sum total of the incidents, events, and episodes which make up the narrative. It refers to the way incidents, events, and episodes are arranged, showing a causal relationship to one another ( Dlamini, I bid :22-23). The following elaborated points can be said to be the ones that make up the plot, or rather the story line of Genesis chapter 39, in terms of plot progression.

Joseph staying freely in Potiphar’s house
The first few verses of Genesis 39 give a highlight of the life of Joseph in Potiphar’s house. Joseph , when he arrived there, was welcomed warmly by the master of the house. He became a successful man. It is even said, in verse 5 of this chapter that “from the time that Joseph was made overseer in Potiphar’s house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake.”

Joseph refusing to lie with his master’s wife.
Because Joseph was handsome and good looking young man, after some time his master’s wife fell in live with him and could no longer control her feelings for him. However, Joseph refused to do what he saw to be wrong before the eyes of his creator, God. Drane (1992) says unlike those who had a more settled existence, these wondering tribes were never tempted to think of their faith in God as something that was to be locked up in a temple or some other sacred place. It was something that went with them and affected their everyday life wherever they happened to be.

Potiphar’s wife insisting on Joseph to lie with her. Despite the efforts put by Joseph in trying to refuse the woman’s idea, Portiphar’s wife proceeded to try force Joseph to lie with her. It is said in verse eleven that one day when none of the men of the house was there, she caught him by garment saying “lie with me”. Still , Joseph refused and this time around he even had to flee from the house, leaving garment behind, in the woman’s hands. More to that , it can be said this section of the story is the one that constitutes the climax of the story. Also the theme of the story , which is faithfulness to God in whatever situation is revealed in this part of the story.

Portiphar’s wife putting the blame on Joseph.
This is where the story starts to decline. After Joseph had left ,Potiphar’s wife is said to have quickly called the men of the household and told them a lie about Joseph. She twisted the things and said that Joseph was the one who wanted to lie with her. She even said that the reason why Joseph ran away was because she lifted up her voice and cried loudly. When her husband came back, she told him the same thing that she had told the other men. This was lie because Joseph never wanted to lie with her, but she herself wanted to.

Portiphar angry with Joseph and taking him to prison.
This story has a sad ending. Joseph who had been loved and trusted by Potiphar, is taken to prison by Potiphar himself. The very sad part of it is that he had committed no offence to anyone. his being shut in prison can however be seen as a blessing in disguise. While still in prison, God did not cease to meet his deepest personal and emotional needs. It is said in subsequent chapters that he became an interpreter of dreams, and that he even interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream while he was in prison. This shows that God was still with him even in prison because he ( Joseph ) remained faithful to God when he encountered trying situations.

CHARACTERIZATION

Trimmer (1998) defines characterization as the process, art, method or device writers use to create or invent, “reveal and develop” the people who inhabit the world of fiction and drama. There are minor characters and there are also major characters. The main character ,also called the protagonist in this story is Joseph. The whole story is centered around him. Joseph is fully developed in this story. The writer has revealed his physiological, psychological and sociological aspects. The main character is important in any piece of work because usually the views of the narrator are transmitted through him or her.

Through the narrator’s portrayal of his or her characters, the reader can learn a lot of things. Characterization makes a reader to be in a position to easily understand a story, for example ,the character Joseph portrayed in this story makes the reader to conclude that he was faithful and obedient man before his Lord. Even bitter circumstances did not tempt him to change from what really was. This is revealed through his actions in a story. The character given to each actor in a story helps the reader to understand certain aspects of life through that particular actor. It can also be said that Potiphar’s wife is the antagonist in the story as she is presented totally different from the protagonist , Joseph. She is the one who leads the downfall of Joseph. Her behavior in the story is presented in a way that does not please the reader. She is portrayed as a liar, lustful and unfaithful person. She is even ruled by jealousy as she is the one who made Joseph end up being imprisoned by his master who had loved and cherished him prior to this sad incident.

The other characters in the story are flat characters, meaning that they are not fully developed. These include Potiphar himself, the men of his household, the prisoners and the keepers of the prison. Where a main character features in the main action ( or plot ) of a literary work and thus plays a central role, minor characters feature in the supportive or minor or secondary roles or action of the work, (Dlamini, I bid : 29). Their role is to help the reader see and understand the main characters easily. Their role is also of some sort of importance, but much attention is paid into the main characters who feature in the main action of a literary work.

POINT OF VIEW
Dlamini ( 2004 ) has this to say about point of view; It refers to the position of the narrator in the literary work or the angle from which the events unfold. Point of view also refers to a character taken at a standpoint in relation to issues raised in the work. Lastly, point of view refers to the overall orientation of a literary work; it establishes a writer’s demonstrated social vision or perspective. To establish on position of the narrator, Dlamini ( 2004 ) says there are at least four basic positions to identify in this case, i.e.,
• Third person point of view
• First person point of view
• Dramatic point of view
• Third person limited omniscient point of view
Genesis 39 is told in the third person point of view. This is when the narrator who is not part of the story or event is narrating the story. The third person narrator is always assumed to be the writer of the work we are reading (Dlamini, I bid : 37). The narrator acts as an intermediary between the characters and the reader.

THEME
Theme refers to the central idea in a literary work. It is what the story is actually about, or what the story is trying to teach. The theme of the story of Joseph is faithfulness to God. It is also the disclosure of God’s activity in events, the working out of God’s purpose in the career of Israel (Anderson, 1988).

Finally, since narrative criticism deals with the literary appreciation of a text, the main issues raised in the text have to be dealt with. Usually narratives are simpler to interpret using narrative criticism. So ,Genesis 39 features the kind of story which is narrative in nature, thus making it simpler to interpret using the form called narrative criticism.


REFERNCES
Anderson,Bernhard W. 1998, The living world of the old Testament, Longman Singapore publishers (pty) Ltd

Drane, John. 1992, Introducing the old Testament, Oxford, England:Albatross ( Pty) Ltd.

Dlamini L.Z 2004, Introduction to the study of literature, Kwaluseni, Swaziland: The Institute of Distance Education, University of Swaziland.

The holy bible , U.S.A

Trimmery Joseph. 1998. Fictions, New York: Harcout Brace College publishers.

Tucker,Gene M. Form criticism of the old Testament, U.S.A :Fortress press.