The Red Tent Themes

The Red Tent Themes

Jealousy

With all those babies being popped out left and right, there's bound to be some jealousy amongst the daughters of Laban in The Red Tent. Remember, giving birth is one of the most important things a...

Love

There's a whole lot of lovin' going around in The Red Tent—in both the book and in the actual red tent. Since the main focus for most of the book revolves around childbirth, we get to see the lov...

Women and Femininity

Okay, people, the book is called The Red Tent, and that refers to a place where women go to bleed together. If that doesn't shout out Women and Femininity to you, then we don't know what possibly c...

Spirituality

Zilpah isn't the only one who goes cuckoo for gods and goddesses in The Red Tent: everyone goes into it, as spirituality plays a huge role in everyday life in this world. Spirituality is a way that...

Youth

We all remember what it was like to be a child: everything was carefree, we'd play on the swings, and we'd say things without thinking. Well, the children in The Red Tent are pretty much the same....

Versions of Reality

All right—dreams and visions are super strange in The Red Tent. One night, Dinah's dreaming about great things, and she doesn't want to wake up. Next night, she's screaming in terror and waking u...

Fear

There's a lot to be afraid about as a woman growing up in Jacob's family in The Red Tent. First off, there's childbirth, which is not only painful but dangerous—for these gals, there's a real cha...

Gender

Back in the ol' Bronze Age of The Red Tent, the barrier between men and women was much more prominent, as men and women had their own unique functions in society, and people pretty much abided by t...