The Daughter of Space: A Reading of Genesis 34
Author: NANGONH Meifang, Lecturer, School of Foreign Languages, Beijing Forestry University
Abstract:
Where is a woman’s space? Genesis 34 provides a vivid answer to the question. As a daughter, Dinah went out to meet a local woman, but ended up being raped, an act which escalated into a conflict between two tribes, and to the slaughter of a whole town. Who is to blame? Who are the aggressors? And who is the victim? Could the rapist Shechem’s feelings to Dinah be called love? Were Dinah’s brothers the murderers or the real tragic heroes? Was Dinah a victim who deserved sympathy or a bad girl who deserved punishment? A detailed analysis and interpretation of the story reveals an entrenched patriarchy, and a patriarchal regulation of women’s space in both the biblical story and biblical interpretations.
Keywords:
Genesis; women; going out; space
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