Moses, Man of the Mountain (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Zora Neale Hurston
- First Published: 1939
- Type of Plot: Allegory
- Time of Work: Biblical times, during the Exodus
- Setting: Egypt and the wilderness surrounding Mount Sinai
- Principal Characters: Moses, Pharaoh Ta-Phar, Jethro, Zipporah, Miriam, Aaron, Joshua
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: African Americans
- Locales: Egypt
The Novel
The novel’s central action is based on the Old Testament tale of Moses leading the enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. In order to trace Moses’ development as a leader, Hurston begins her version with his childhood. As a boy, Moses is first influenced by Mentu, the Pharaoh’s Hebrew stableman, who teaches him about nature and the languages of animals. Moses next turns to the Egyptian priests for instruction in the magic and voodoo used “to distract the minds of unthinking people from their real troubles.”
Although Moses is not...
[The entire page is 2885 words long]
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