Many people believe that the Bible is just a book of stories and tales that are no longer relevant to today's world. While it is true that many scriptures are out of touch with our culture, it's also true that the Bible is one of the most alluded to works in literature. In the book of Ruth, a small book in the Old Testament, the story is told of Ruth, a Moabite who leaves her people to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, an Israelite. The Moabites descended from Lot, and the country was often at war with Israel.
Ruth married one of Naomi's sons. When he died, Ruth was free to return to her own family, but she chose to stay with Naomi, who was also a widow. Widows did not own property or have any voice in the community. Living with Israelites, Ruth would have very few chances for marriage, because she was an outsider. Ruth would glean wheat to have food on their table. The man who owned the field saw Ruth's character and married her. Ruth was part of Jesus's lineage, because of her faithfulness to Naomi.
Ruth's love for her mother-in-law is often referred to in wedding ceremonies. Ruth 1:16 17, "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."
The story of Ruth and Naomi is often alluded to in pop culture. John Updike, in "Rabbit, Run" named Rabbit's mistress Ruth in a bit of irony. His Ruth is an atheist who demands that Rabbit divorces his wife to marry her. Understanding the biblical story helps a reader understand Updike's writing a little more.
Jane Hamilton won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for her novel "The Book of Ruth" in 1988. In this book, Ruth has many difficulties with her mother and husband, in direct contrast to the biblical version.
One of the most beautiful allusions to Ruth is from "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats:
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! No hungry generations tread thee down; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In ancient days by emperor and clown: Perhaps the self-same song that found a path Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn; The same that oft-times hath Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
Imagine reading that passage and not understanding who Ruth was and why she stood in tears among the aliens. Although she loved Naomi, it's almost sure she missed her own family and possibly wondered if she would ever find happiness.
Contemporary Issues and Ruth
Many feminists use the story of Ruth to show the dignity of labor. It is also seen as a celebration of relationships between strong women. Ruth is an example of how foreigners can integrate into a community. Some scholars see the story of Ruth as one that gives oppressed or outcast people a voice. Ruth and Naomi were victims of a patriarchal society in which women had to be married with children to have any worth. When that was taken from them, they still found a way. Her story may seem far away from today's world, but there are many lessons that can be learned from Ruth and Naomi.
