Wednesday, April 23, 2014

What attitude toward women does the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife reveal?

Potiphar’s wife is portrayed to the reader as a wealthy, somewhat spoiled woman who is accustomed to getting her own way no matter what others may do or think. Her husband has put no restrictions on her that we are aware of and thus she rules supreme in her own little world. She is adept in using her sexual power, which she uses to try to seduce Joseph.
The attitude of the time that she showcases is the idea of the evil, willful, indulged woman who has not been ruled or managed well by her husband. She is positioned as a warning of the deceitfulness and trickery that wicked women wield. This fits very well in with the ideas at the time that such women were highly dangerous and unpredictable to men.


The woman in the Old Testament story of Joseph is Potiphar’s wife, who attempts to seduce Joseph but fails. Therefore, Potiphar’s wife, like women in many ancient texts, is portrayed as a seductress. She is aggressive, domineering, self-serving, and hard-headed—not only with Joseph, but with the other women, whom she considers her rivals and intends to shame. She is referred to not by name, but only as the African wife of Potiphar, and she is portrayed in the story as an evil woman who uses her sexuality as power. The harder she tries to seduce Joseph, however, the stronger he becomes in his resistance.
Though Potiphar’s wife appears to have power, Joseph has more power. Furthermore, the story conveys the idea that women only become powerful by using trickery and deceit. The story also conveys the idea that while women have power in the private sphere (i.e., their sexual power over men), they do not have power in the public sphere, nor can they stand up to men in terms of morality and honor. The story portrays woman as evil, underhanded, vengeful, and deceitful. Thus, according to the story, women cannot be trusted not to lead men into temptation, and they should be regarded with suspicion.

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