LITERARY ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF RUTH: PART 5 At the Gate: Mr. Deeds Goes to Court

 

LITERARY ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF RUTH: PART 5

At the Gate: Mr. Deeds Goes to Court

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1Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 2And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 3And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: 4And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it   beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.5Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 6And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right tothyself; for I cannot redeem it.

7Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. 8Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 9And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. 10Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the   wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 11 And all the people that were in   the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: 12And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.

13So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

16And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,19And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,22And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. 

Chagall must not have been much interested in this closing scene of the Ruth story for he did not paint it.  It does, however, tie up all loose ends very neatly with climactic acts of hesed:  1. Boaz redeems the land of that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlons; 2. Boaz has purchased to be his wife Ruth the Moabitess to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance; 3. Ruth bears a son that Naomi takes to nurse; 4. Naomi raises him up to be the grandfather of King David.  Blessings ensue from the Israeli women's chorus to each of these acts and they also attest to these acts of hesed and marriage being witnesses thereto.

Thematically, the scene revolves around the legal concept of milah manchah geulah -- that is redemption of the land and maybe something else -- which appears a record breaking 14 times within 8 verses.  The objects of redeeming land, and in addition the redemption of family and its name, are achieved through some shrewd courtroom maneuvers by Boaz, the city gates being the courtroom equivalent.  For this purpose, Boaz convenes a minyan of city elders and discussions proceed in the presence of the Israeli women's chorus of spectators.  The action verbs shift from lying down on the threshing floor to sitting down at the gates.  

The redemption key word appears in a chiastic distribution in two groups of seven. The first set appears in verses 1, 3 and 4, with 1 occurrence each in verses 1 and 3 and an astounding 5 occurrences in verse 4.  This first set focuses on redemption of land.  The second set consists of an equally astounding 5 appearances in verse 6, and 1 occurrence each in verses 7 and 8.  The second set moves on to the redemption of Ruth the Moabitess for the purpose of producing an heir and restoring the family name to the land.  Etshalom characterizes these two acts of hesed as first and second degree geulah, the second being the greater and more difficult act.  The goel balks and folds when the price of poker goes up.  The minyan joins with the people of the city and the Israeli women's chorus to witness and bless the deal, Boaz, Naomi and Ruth.

Ironically and fittingly, the goel remains nameless, and it is only in this segment that we learn that Ruth's husband was Malhon.  He suffers the fate of the ploni almoni (such a one) reference in his chance passing by when Boaz hails him to sit down, the expression probably meaning something along the lines of a wondrous mute. 

So why did the goel back down?  Within the literary structure of the story, there can be no explanation other than that Ruth is a Moabitess.  This wondrously mute would be goel could not get past her ethnic identity to perceive that Ruth was a woman of valor.  Ruth Rabbah 7:10 sees it somewhat differently: "The first ones [husbands of Ruth and Orpah] died because they married her, shall I take her as a wife?"  Perhaps implied is a sentence of "death by Moabite.”

We now need to take a close at the closing blessings, and count them.  First, the blessing of Naomi as translated in the JPS Tanakh: "May [YHWH] make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the House of Israel!  Prosper in Ephrathah and perpetuate your name in Bethlehem! And may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah -- through offspring which the [YHWH] will give you by this young woman."  The storyteller leaves no doubt as to the patriarchal aspects of the Ruth story with the Rachel and Leah references, but also drives home (again) that the story is upsetting the received norm excluding Moabites and bringing (redeeming) those back into the fold that desire to come back into the fold.  Eskenazi and Frymer-Kensy see this historical revisionism as a trickster tale, in the same genre as the Tamar and Judah story that it explicitly references.  "As Ruth's acts of generosity [hesed] toward Naomi reverse the inhospitable behavior that first led to the exclusion of Moabites ... so too the actions of Boaz 'reverse' the story of Judah, who acted so precipitously and dishonorably when he unexpectedly encountered a woman."  JPS Biblical Commentary: Ruth at 85, fn 12. 

If this is a trickster tale, who is the trickster?  Naomi? Ruth? Boaz?  All three of them?  Who has been tricked?  And what has been the consequence of the trickery?  Is it a Shakespearean comedy in which all is well that ends well, no matter what fools these mortals be when under the spell of fairy queens and kings?  Let's turn now to a more nearly contemporary trickster tale, also a comedy about re-marriage and redemption, that plays with many of the same themes prominent in the story of Ruth.

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, written and directed by Frank Capra, stars Gary Cooper as Longfellow Deeds and Jean Arthur as Babe Bennett.  As in Ruth, the names mean something.  The film opens with an abrupt prologue, a car plunging off a road over a cliff, killing the driver and its sole occupant.  Cut to a newsroom (the chorus in this genre), and reporters seek to learn who will be the heir to the deceased driver's fortune, a matter of some interest in the Great Depression backdrop.

A law firm locates the heir, Longfellow Deeds, in a country village.  Much confusion ensues as town and country do not seem to communicate well with one another.  Deeds drowns out the words of the lawyers by inserting a new mouthpiece in his tuba, and plays.  He pauses long enough to ask the mouthpiece lawyers why his uncle left him all his money since Deeds doesn't need it.

Back in New York, other relatives of the deceased are upset that they have been cut out of the will.  In another newspaper office, the editor offers reporter Babe Bennett a month's paid vacation if she can get the scoop on the heir.  She practices a one-handed rope-knotting trick while the negotiations are taking place.  No doubt in my mind that Capra is setting up Gary Cooper, the Montana cowboy turned actor, to be roped, thrown and branded.  Rawhide!

We next find Deeds in his new mansion being fitted for a suit.  Will the suit suit him?  The senior Cedar of Cedar, Cedar and Cedar offers to represent him for no fee if Deeds gives him a power of attorney.  Deeds says that is not natural and wants to examine their books.  In the next scene, Deeds is elected to head the board of the opera company, a position previously held by his uncle.  The board expects him to make up the year's deficit because the ticket sales do not pay for the production.  Deeds does not think this is natural either, and suggests that they are putting on the wrong kind of show. 

At Deeds' second fitting, a press agent hired by Cedar to keep tabs on Deeds offers to get women for him.  Deeds declines, remarking that Cobb speaks of women as though they were cattle.  The Coen brothers might have floated the image of a red heifer at this point.

Later that night, Babe lies in wait for Deeds outside his mansion along with two photographers.  She crosses the street ahead of Deeds' path slowly and unsteadily.  He follows; she faints; he lifts her up; he revives her; she says she had just walked too far looking for a job.

Deeds insists on taking her someplace to eat, which turns out to be Tullio's where you "Eat with the Literati."  Deeds watches intently and happily as Babe eats.  He says, "You were a woman in distress, weren't you?"  After a brush up with writers eating at a near by round table (the Algonquin club), one of them takes Deeds and Babe (under the alias Mary) out for a night of revelry. 

Next morning the papers have Babe's story about "Cinderella Man" and making much of his feeding donuts to a horse.  We next learn that Deeds and his fellow raconteur were returned to the mansion after two policemen had discovered them in their shorts yelling "Back to Nature."

Deeds goes out again with Babe (Mary) the next night for an open upper deck bus tour.  Of all places, they stop in front of Grant's Tomb where Deeds rhapsodizes about Grant's dreams, Lee's heartbreak and Lincoln's vision of a great new and reconciled nation.  We next find them sitting on a park bench where Deeds inexactly quotes Thoreau: "They built grand palaces but they forgot to build the noble men to live in them."  [We interrupt the story at this point to note that the Art Scroll Chumash also references Thoreau, without attribution, in its commentary on Ruth, specifically that "all men lead quiet lives of desperation."]  They do a duet with Deeds imitating a tuba and Babe improvising drumsticks.

Back in her apartment with her room-mate and confidant Mable, Babe is filled with remorse over her subterfuge.  [Note: Was the role of heroine-confidant in Shakespearean plays inspired by the Book of Ruth?]  Deeds calls.  He is working on a poem.  He writes greeting card sentiments, which he sells; hence, in part, the Longfellow in him.  He confides that he writes because he finds words hard to say.  Mable says Babe is crucifying him.  Babe says its been done before.  "He's got goodness in him Mabel."

The newspaper chorus comes on screen with a flurry of front page items on the escapades of Cinderella man, culminating in the announcement of a grand soiree for the benefit of the opera company at the Deeds mansion.  After throwing out the opera people, Deeds arrives unannounced at the girls' apartment.  Deeds and Mary go for a walk.  He tells her about his imaginary girlfriend from his childhood.  "I hoped she would turn out to be real."  He gives his poem, a proposal, to Babe to read when they get back to the apartment.  She comes to the words "I'm speechless in your presence," and is moved to tears.  He says she doesn't need to say anything now.  Then he exits onto the street, stumbles over a pile of trash cans and flees the scene.  Is this a Boaz style physical comedy, a startled or unsettled act?

Babe sees her editor, she quits and tells him Deeds has proposed and that she will see him that evening and tell the truth.  Before she can do that, Cobb confronts Deeds with Babe's true identity.  Deeds is stunned, Cobb calls the paper and puts Babe on the phone.  Deeds, brokenhearted, wants to return home and give up the estate.  There is a commotion downstairs with a crazed man, out of work and starving.  He pulls out a pistol, but collapses in grief.  Deeds has an epiphany.  A long silent scene follows with the man eating the lunch prepared for Mary, with Deeds watching intently.

The newspaper chorus chimes in with another flurry of headlines "Deeds to Give Fortune Away."   We then see Deeds at a desk with a long line of farmer applicants responding to Deeds free offer of 10 acres, a cow and seed, an oblique reference to the civil war reconstruction plan of 10 acres and a mule for freed slaves.  Deeds is getting weary and hungry as the processing goes on.  One of the farmers offers him half of his sandwich.  A light goes on and Deeds orders lunch for everyone.  The police come in with a warrant for Deeds' arrest on the grounds of insanity.  Cobbs calls Cedar and discovers that Cedar arranged for the warrant on behalf of the other relatives. 

Deeds is confined at the county hospital.  Cobbs won't let Babe see him.  Deeds refuses to talk to anyone, including the audience for about twenty five minutes of footage in the courtroom during which Deeds refuses to defend himself.  All of his foibles are recounted and held out as incontrovertible evidence of his insanity.  He finally finds his voice when Babe admits on the stand that she loves him, begs him to speak in his own defense and is joined by the raucous demands of the farmers in the courtroom not to abandon them.  

So what light does this Hollywood comedy shine on the story of Ruth?  The low hanging fruit are the obvious themes of hesed, and acts of hesed begetting further acts of hesed.  More complex is the interaction of words, silences and deeds.  Most interesting of all are those acts of generosity that require the extra effort of going against accepted norms to accomplish a worthy goal and the intellectual dexterity needed to do so in a way that changes the norm so that the society itself accepts and bears witness to the new norm.  Deeds and Boaz accomplish and have ratified their objectives in the courtroom, with equally deft quasi-legal maneuvering.  The rhetorical flourishes are entertaining, but the real interest and substance goes to the structure of the process rather than the Boaz's tricks over the technicalities of levirate marriage, or the cleverness of exposing idiosyncratic behaviors in one's accusers.

Both stories raise the fundamental and important question of whether it takes a person or persons of valor and their super-rogatory acts to move a society of exclusion to one of inclusion, whether it be foreigners, immigrants, ethnic groups or strangers among us.  Stanley Cavell, in Cities of Words: Pedagogical Letters on a Register of the Moral Life, describes an Emersonian concept of moral perfectionism that might equally well be applied to the underlying principles of the holiness code embedded in Leviticus 19.