I’m writing an English paper on the Book of Exodus as an allegory and was wondering if you had any thoughts that could aid in my thesis development. Additionally, if you have any book titles that could be helpful in my research I would truly appreciate it.
The Book of Exodus can be looked upon as the birth of a nation. Using the idea of birth and raising a child will lead you on an interesting path through Exodus.
The years in Egypt as slaves was the gestational period in the mother’s womb. We were confined, without the freedom to exercise free will, and our independence. Slaves can be considered a nonentity – their title is they are the slave of their master; similarly a fetus is a nameless entity that is the mother’s baby.
The Jewish people were born upon the actual Exodus from Egypt. They left the womb, became individuals and had free will to choose to follow G-d’s ways or not. We were after all just born and immature. For 40 yrs. G-d sustained us, fed us, protected us from harm, nurtured our growth – the same way parents do for their children. Only after this did the Jewish People mature to the point they could enter the Land of Israel. We grew up and were able to fend for ourselves (we still needed G-d’s help) but we needed to put effort into our physical needs. Farming for our own food, etc. and still be able to worship G-d.
Sounds like a fun assignment, I hope this helps you on your way.