Rachel and Leah (Women of Genesis) (44 page)

It’s probably absurd to thank Mel Gibson, who has no idea this book even exists, but if these books are ever adapted for film or television productions, it will be because he opened the door to serious, faithful film adaptations of scripture with his brilliant and courageous production of
The Passion of the Christ
. Even though at this writing, Hollywood seems determined to treat
The Passion
as a fluke and continue to ignore the huge audience for well-written, well-performed, well-filmed scriptural movies, that might change, and if it does, it will be because he opened the door.

In the end, though, this novel is owed to the people who have taught me what marriage is. My parents, Willard and Peggy Card, created the first of many marriages I’ve had a chance to observe and learn from, but observation is never enough. It wasn’t until Kristine Allen agreed to form a new family with me that I began to really understand how this sort of thing is supposed to be done. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a prophet as a husband—they’re rather thin on the ground, I’m afraid—and nothing about our lives together has been anything like what she might have expected when we made that bargain twenty-seven years ago, but together we’ve faced enough challenges that I might actually know what I’m talking about when I try to write about what marriage means in the lives of women and men.

When it comes to the next book, though, our kids—Geoffrey, Emily, and Zina—won’t have been any help at all. Where are the terrible sibling rivalries that might have
prepared me to write about parents trying to raise Joseph and his brothers? Nor has any of them wiped out an entire middle-eastern village in order to avenge the rape of their sister. And as for Judah and his daughter-in-law … let’s just leave that one alone. Mind you, I’m not complaining. The last thing a parent wants is to raise children with lives as interesting as Jacob’s had.

T
he stories of the women who went before us teach us something of our own lives, and never more so than in Orson Scott Card’s novel
Rachel and Leah
. In this fascinating work of historical fiction, Card paints a vivid picture of the intertwined lives of four complicated women. Here we meet Leah, the oldest daughter of Laban, whose “tender eyes” prevent her from participating fully in the work and social structure of her father’s camp; Rachel, the spoiled younger daughter, who is from Leah’s perspective the petted and privileged beauty of the family; Bilhah, an orphan who is not quite a slave but not really a family member and searching to fit in; and Zilpah, who knows only how to use her beauty to manipulate men and who longs for something better than the life of drudgery and servitude into which she was born.

Into their lives comes Jacob, a handsome and charismatic kinsman who is clearly fated to be Rachel’s husband. But that
doesn’t prevent the other three women from seeking for a way to be a part of his life.

Card captures vividly the anguish, the fear, and the techniques women probably had to employ to succeed in the Old Testament world. Beyond that, his portrayal of the power of religion—especially of the word of God—infuses the book with an epic feeling that transcends most fiction.

* * *

The questions that follow were created to stimulate thought and discussion about
Rachel and Leah.
We hope this guide will enrich your experience and be a helpful starting point for meaningful discussion
.

1. It’s interesting that the first chapter of a book titled
Rachel and Leah
would feature as its focus a different woman entirely. Why do you think Card began this story with Bilhah? What does this show us about how our lives in mortality are intertwined with the stories of others?

2. In
chapter 3
, Rachel describes to her father a vision she has had, and he dismisses it as too vague and unclear to be real. Later events prove the truth of the vision. Have you ever had spiritual experiences with meanings that were not fully clear until later on? Why does God teach us in this way at times?

3. What is your first impression of Jacob? Is he someone you would be interested in knowing better, after seeing his encounter with Rachel at the well?

4. With the introduction of Zilpah in
chapter 5
, we have now met all four of Jacob’s future wives. Was it a surprise to you to see how young they all were when Jacob first joined Laban’s household? What feelings from your own adolescent
years are you reminded of by their squabblings? What changes in their attitudes and behavior took place in each over the seven years leading to the first marriage? Which of the four women would you be likeliest to identify with?

5. In
chapter 8
, Leah summons the courage to ask Jacob to help her find in the holy books answers to her deepest questions. He tells her he knows “what it means to be alive when God seems to have no purpose for you.” What experiences might he have had to make him feel this way? Have you ever experienced such feelings yourself? Have the scriptures had answers for you?

6. Leah’s questions in
chapter 11
about her handicap raise the issue of God’s love for us and his willingness to intervene in our lives. What purpose might Leah’s suffering serve for her? How does God’s scriptural invitation to “walk with me” affect Leah? What difference would it make in our own questioning if we would accept that invitation?

7. Zilpah tells Leah, “I’m always happy,” to which Leah retorts, “You can’t just decide to be happy.” Whom do you believe? Is happiness a choice? Is anger? What can we learn from Leah and Zilpah about how much control we have over our feelings and emotions? Jacob makes a statement that holds one key: “Everyone wants to be happy, even if everything they choose to do keeps them from happiness. The trick is to get them to understand what will
make
them happy.” What is it in your experience that contributes to happiness?

8. In
chapter 22
we meet Choraz, the third brother of Rachel and Leah, and his wife, Hasseweh. What do you make of Hasseweh? Have you ever met someone who resembles her? What might her motives be in trying to frighten Rachel
out of marrying Jacob? What does this show about how the adversary exploits our weaknesses?

9. What do you think of Laban’s plan, in
chapters 27
and
28
, for sparing Rachel from the marriage that is frightening her so?

10. The book ends on a somewhat somber note. Card plans to write a sequel to be titled
The Wives of Israel
. If you were creating the sequel, what would you have happen with each of these characters and their relationships with each other?

11. What aspects of Card’s writing do you most admire? Is there anything in his style or his portrayal of these people and the era in which they lived that makes you uneasy?