Essay on The Book of Esther: Providence of Connection

Running a successful empire is not easy thing to do; Persian kings faced many problems such as advisors abusing their power and social issues. Advisors of Persian kings had a great deal of influence on the kings and were trusted with power over the empire. These attributes that came with the job of being an advisor to a Persian king created an opportunity for corrupt advisors to do as they saw fit; right or wrong. In the Book of Esther one of king Achashvairosh’s advisors Haman took advantage of his power and influence over the king to authorize the eradication of all the Jews in the empire and pillage of their property. The reason that this came about is that “All of the king’s servants in the king’s court would kneel and bow in religious worship to Haman, because the king had commanded it, but Mordechai would neither bow nor kneel.” (Five Years Later, 2)

Also seen in the Old Testament, Esther parallels Joseph by assimilating from being a passive commoner to a queen, the highest royal position for a woman. Her life entirely changes when she marries King Ahasuerus

The purpose of the book of Esther defined is thus, it is to provide a historical motive for the commencement and perpetual celebration or observation of the Feast of Purim. It was also used to exhort the Jewish populace to put their trust on providence or God for their welfare. According to Lasor, Hubbard and Bush; “Purim is a boisterous celebration full of merriment and high spirits, in which the ordinary conventions of decorum and deportment are suspended and a spirit of satire and fun is given full sway.” The major theme of Esther is of the traps laid returning to the one who plotted and started it. This the author does by constantly reminding the audiences of the ongoing conflict between Israel and their enemies [Haman an Amalekite? an old enemy of the Jews from the time of Exodus] (Esther 2:5, 3:1-6, 9:5-10). The unknown author juxtaposes Haman with Mordecai. The whole of Esther is narrated or portrayed through these two characters with their own struggles. Haman the antagonist of the text sought to exterminate the Jews in the Persian Empire. Mordecai and Esther sought to preserve their people from their impending doom. When Esther presents herself unrequested into the presence of the King risking her life in the process, she is portrayed as trusting in something greater to preserve her. The celebratory theme that underlines

Slowly declining from the mental strain of school and work and relationships, Esther begins to question her reason for being here, introducing a more obvious form of her mental state, “How could I write about life when I’d never had a love affair or a baby or even seen anybody die?” (Plath 121). Esther realizes that she hasn’t really lived life. During her downfall into depression, she begins to realize that she doesn’t have control over herself and that the future that she envisioned for herself isn’t the future she will in fact

The book of Esther tells the faithfulness of one woman and her uncle. It is only one of two books that contain the heroism and bravery of a woman heroine. The story of Esther accomplishes two profound things, the first: “To demonstrate God’s providential care of his people, even those outside the land of Israel, and 2) to commend the observance of the feast of Purim by relating how it originated” (Breneman 289).Unlike the rest of the Bible the story of Esther does not directly state or talk about God, but instead shows God’s plans for all of our lives and how in all frightening moments of life, He remains faithful to those who trust and have faith in Him. “In spite of the omission of any name for deity, there is no other book in all the

Jewish history and its overall themes are expressed through The Book of Esther, which is in The Holy Bible. This sacred text takes place in 486 BC, when King Xerxes I ruled Persia. This story is an historical interpretation of the life of Queen Esther along with the lives of the Jewish people. Even though The Book of Esther is only ten chapters, it contains many rich themes. Also, the characters exercise many different traits such as: fortitude, empathy, and divine providence. The Book of Esther explores many themes, such as faith, manipulation, and courage in order to show the Jews, who are living in exile, that it is possible to gain success in the country of one’s exile without showing one’s true identity.

Esther was an orphan who was raised by her cousin Mordecai (Leath, 2010). There came a time that she would go from orphan to queen. Esther lived in Persia, where King Ahasuerus ruled. A day arrived that Queen Vashti refused to obey King Ahasuerus and was soon replaced by Esther (Leath, 2010). During this time, the King held ultimate power and everyone was subject to the king’s authority. Consequently, Queen Vashti displayed disobedience by not obeying the King and was punished by being removed as queen (Leath, 2010). However, the removal of Queen Vashti paved the way for Esther and she was purposefully placed in position as queen. This seized

Esther knows that she should feel grateful for what has been given to her, but she can’t bring herself to fell anything. These thoughts cause her great internal conflict. This demonstrates how much the disease has taken control of her to leaving her helpless. She knows what she wants to fell, but her mind is not responding and is keeping her from these

It was like the moment; everything seemed to be clear, just instantly became clouded yet again. Just as Esther thought, her first taste of freedom wasn 't far out of reach, a gate of confinement came crashing down at her. Esther was both frozen physically, and emotionally with the fear of getting extreme punishment, and possibly death. Inside she knew that she had been captured, all she could think about now was, what will come on her, and her daughter? With a pistol pointed at the back of her head, the mysterious southerner begins to walk closer, and as he did Esther 's chances of seeing victory on the other side were becoming even slimmer. slim. Turn around, you do as I say now, both, you and your child will not be harmed. As Esther

The motivation of the Book of Esther is to prove to Jews living in prison that it is possible to gain success in the country of one’s imprisonment without giving up one’s character as a Jew. In this, the Book of Esther is very similar to books in the bible such as Daniel or actually to the historical character Nehemiah. The Book of Esther is unique in two important higher opinions. First, “the protagonist of the book, and the one with who the viewers should identify, is the woman.”(jwa.org). this selection of a women hero serves an important attribute in the story. Women were, in the world of the Persian culture, essentially defenseless members of society. Even if they resided to the governing culture. They could not simply reach out and gain power, as a man could. Whatever power they could get was gained through the manipulation of the community holders of power. In this perception the imprisoned Jew could identify with the woman. He or she was pretty much powerless, and power could be gained only through one’s wits and talents. As the undertaking of Esther demonstrates, this can definitely be done. By using her beauty, charm, and intelligence, and by taking one risk, Esther saves the Jewish people, brings downfall on her enemy, and raises Mordecai to the highest position in the palace. Esther becomes the mold for the Jewish women living in exile.

Esther refuses to allow society to control her life. Esther has a completely different approach to life than the rest of her peers do. The average woman during this time is supposed to be happy and full of joy. Esther, on the other hand, attempts to repress her natural gloom, cynicism, and dark humor. This eventually becomes too hard for her and causes her emotions to go crazy. She begins to have ideas

The events in New York introduce us to the beginning of Esther’s psychological transformation. The story first inaugurates with the

The first act of Esther opens with King Xerxes throwing a banquet. While this scene says nothing of Esther or the Jewish people, it creates the setting that these Jews are living in. The Jews, who are not meant to be materialistic, not meant to cling to the things of this world or to live in sin, are living among people who prize and cherish these things. The author describes the rich abundance and luxury of Persian culture in great detail, even depicting the curtains and the royal colors splashed across the household items. Xerxes comes across as being arrogant, priding himself on parading his authority, and also as not being safe to cross; he calls upon Queen Vashti to flaunt her and then deposes her when she refuses.

At first read the book of Esther is a story of a Queen who was able to achieve a heroic act that saved her people from being destroyed. However as you examine the story it’s more than a historic story of triumph, but through the actions of the characters in the story it becomes a blueprint for many aspects of leadership. By examining the different dimensions of the leadership traits of King Ahasuerus, Haman, Mordecai and Esther will represent the different facet of developing into a leader.

A woman’s virginity was considered to be precious as pureness was really important for a girl. Women were only allowed to have sex after marriage; whereas men could have sex before marriage. According to Esther, her virginity is a big factor that is weighing her down. The conflict between losing her virginity before marriage or after marriage causes her to become confused about what would