Esther: Passive Coward or Wise Leader?

The Persian name Esther means “star”. Throughout the book of Esther, we see several “star” qualities that reflect the strength and courage of the main character. At the beginning of the book, Esther seems to be a passive, compliant girl, however, as we see throughout the text, she moves from being an object, to a leader, and ultimately, savior of the Jewish people. The name and story of Esther evoke countless thoughts of beauty, strength, character, and courage, which bring her to a leadership role. Although the word “God” is not used a single time throughout this story, God’s hand is clearly over Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews. The story of Esther is set in the Persian Empire, and primarily occurs in Susa, the winter capital of the Persian Court. Esther’s story takes place between 486 and 465 BCE, during the reign of king Ahasuerus, or Xerxes. Prior to the entrance of Esther, King Xerxes had been planning to invade Greece and was having a six month long banquet with his princes and nobles to strategize. Not only was he working on a plan for invasion, he was also demonstrating the fact that he possessed the resources and wealth to wage war (George 13). At the end of this six month period, Xerxes held a seven day long feast. On the seventh and final day, King Xerxes summoned Queen Vashti to appear in her crown, and only her crown, for the people and nobles to witness her beauty. Queen Vashti refused. Xerxes viewed Queen Vashti’s disobedience as a threat to the role of the man in the household; therefore she was banished and never again allowed in his presence. By Vashti’s banishment, King Xerxes believed he had restored order and made a proclamation that every man would be the ruler of his house (NIV Est. 1:22). However, Xerxes now needed a new Queen. During this time, Persia was a dark, dark place, however, there would turn out to be a light, and that light became Mordecai and Esther, two of God’s chosen people. A Jewish man named Mordecai had taken in, and was raising his cousin, Esther, as she had lost both her mother and father. They were living in Persia because they had been exiled from Jerusalem, and had not returned. Along with many other young, beautiful girls, Esther was taken into Xerxes’ court and groomed for one year. After that year, the text suggests there may have been something very similar to a beauty contest, with the winner being crowned queen (McConville 161).
As the text states, Esther was “taken” during the roundup of girls, and also “taken” to the king’s palace, with what seems to be no fight or opposition, which could point toward the passive and compliant nature of Esther (Berman 649). After her one year of beautification, although she was said to already be beautiful, have a symmetrical figure, and fair skin (Walker 88), she again shows her passivity by being seemingly indifferent and unaffected by her circumstances. Although we do not know what the other potential queens requested, we do know that Esther requested nothing of and only takes what Hegai advises her to take to King Xerxes.
Many feminists believe that rather than being passive, although beautiful, Esther is “brainless”, a pawn in the man’s world, and a disgrace to women (Song 56). According to Song, some feminists feel Queen Vashti, not Esther, is who this book should be about. In contrast to Queen Vashti, who had dignity, an understanding of what true womanhood was, and valued herself highly, Esther catered to the male ego and reinforced the belief in the subservience of the woman whose identity depended on a man (Song 57). Queen Vashti made a statement when she refused to comply with King Xerxes’ commands, but when Esther entered the picture; she completely undermined what Vashti had attempted to do by willingly falling into the role Vashti would not take.
Further, many critical females view Esther as an “unthinking”, and cowardly person, as she was acted completely unaware of the edict put in place by the king to have all Jews killed. Until Mordecai brings it to her attention, she pays no mind and is solely concerned about protecting herself. When Mordecai brings the problem to Esther and pleads for her help, then and only then does she approach the king and begin the process of ultimately saving her people (Song 57). The feminist view sees this as Esther only looking out for herself, without any care or concern for her own people, and namely, Mordecai.
Not only do many feminists look down upon Esther, but they also feel women in general are perceived as only being able to get their way when they are sly and deceptive (Fishman 3). Upon learning of the plot put in place by Haman to destroy all Jews, rather than going to King Xerxes to defend her people, she instead devised a plan, and waited patiently until she was able to carry it out. This again displays how the role of women during this era was not one of freedom and openness. Women during this time were unable to speak freely, and not treated as anything more than servants.
Although I agree with the statements regarding oppression and the need for women to be deceptive because of their status, I strongly disagree with the feminist view that Esther was cowardly and disgrace to all women. However, I can see, from their perspective, why they may see it this way. When feminists condemn what they see as Esther’s passiveness, and later, deceptiveness, they are evaluating and judging her based on modern day assumptions that are not applicable during the time Esther’s story took place. Although there are still societies where women are held at a much lower regard than men, in many modern societies, women can hold the same authority as men, have the freedom to speak their minds, and do not have to hide their ethnic or religious backgrounds for fear of death. It is from this culture that I feel the feminist perceptions of Esther evolved. From modern day western cultural views of women, I can see where these can seemingly be valid. There are many strong, independent women today, so from the feminist standpoint, there is a disappointment and let down when a woman is not carrying herself in the manner in which agrees with and upholds the standards they seem to carry for all women.
The problem with this is that Esther cannot be portrayed and judged based on today’s perceptions and roles of women. It is important to understand the role of women during the time of Esther, in order to accurately paint a picture of why Esther conducted herself in the manner she did. It is extremely unfair to analyze the character of Esther based on today’s society. As previously mentioned, rather than the equality of today, generally, women during the time of Esther were restricted to roles of little or no authority, confined to the homes of their fathers or husbands, were to be inferior to men, and under their direct authority. The punishment for disobeying or standing against men was banishment, as Queen Vashti experienced, or possibly even death. Based on the knowledge about the role of women, I think it is very difficult and unfair to say Esther should be considered a disgrace to women simply because she did not carry herself in the same manner as Queen Vashti.
Another aspect missing from this feminist view is any mention of God, or the role He plays in Esther’s story. It is widely known that the word “God” does not appear anywhere in the book of Esther, however, that does not mean he is not there. Although the name of God is never mentioned, the book of Esther clearly shows God’s providential care and unfailing love for His people. I carry a belief that God knows what will happen before it actually occurs, and there are no circumstances. People are placed in situations because that is what is intended by God. Everyone and everything has a purpose, and the purpose of Esther was to follow God’s prompts and deliver the Jews from the hands of evil. Rather than seeing Esther as passive, cowardly, and an overall disgrace to females, perhaps Esther was simply doing what was necessary to survive and was waiting to hear from God. In a culture that was strongly patriarchal, the key to survival was to submit and comply with the male. King Xerxes was looking for a queen who was not only beautiful, but would also be the woman Queen Vashti was not, a wife ready to completely surrender to the will of a man. Angelina Song’s article regarding the feminist view of Esther sees her as the stereotypical woman in a man’s world. She received favor by her beauty and sexuality, not by her strength, courage, and intelligence (Song 57). Although that may be one perception, I believe Esther was doing what was necessary to survive, and actually used wisdom in her choices to obey. Esther did not enter the Harem by choice, but once she was there, she could have either been disobedient like her predecessor and risk the same consequences or she could be flexible, make the best of the situation, and survive another day (Song 60). In chapter 2, verse 10, Esther did not divulge her nationality because Mordecai forebode her to do so. Although some see this as yet another display of passive obedience, a more accurate perception is that Esther was simply following an Old Testament tradition that a wise person is someone who obeys his or her family elders (Song 59). Esther also recognizes Hegai’s position over the harem, and listens when he advises her about what exactly to take to the king, as he would be the expert on King Xerxes (Song 59). Because of her obedience, she is shown favor in the eyes of Xerxes and made Queen. Being elevated to the position of Queen allows her to have an impact on Jews, and ultimately is able to convince the king to spare the lives of her people. This is what God had intended all along, and although He is not in direct sight, he is still in the shadows, keeping watch over His own. This shows God’s ability to use someone else to do His work, but is still there watching it all unfold and knows how the story will end.
Esther evolves from a seemingly passive, compliant, submissive girl, to a much more powerful woman. It is when Esther becomes aware of the edict put in place by King Xerxes to kill all Jews that she begins to take a leadership role. When informed by Mordecai of the danger to the Jewish people and his request that she intervene, she noted to him the danger to herself, that anyone coming into the Court not called for by the King is subject to death. Although Mordecai is the one who essentially created the problem for the Jewish people by refusing to bow to Haman, Esther accepts the responsibility for the Jewish people by saying “…I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Est. 4:16). This is a very clear indication that Esther has completely taken on her role as a true queen, as those who hold leadership roles assume responsibility for others even when they have not created the problem.
Once Esther has taken it upon herself to “fix” the problem, she does not run immediately to the king, begging for help, but instead devises a plan on how to deal with her husband and Haman without risking herself or her fellow people. She executes her plan with perfection. Haman had plotted against the Jews; Esther far more clever and cunning plots against him. Upon entering into the King’s presence despite the danger to her, he responds by saying ‘tell me what you want, even if it half of my kingdom, I will grant it to you” (5:3). Instead of immediately raising the issue of the dangers of her people, she invites the King and Haman to a feast. At the feast the King reiterates his response and she responds ‘If I have found favor in the King’s eyes …..come to tomorrow’s feast” (5:8).
Sylvia Fishman interprets Esther as the epitome of the clever courtier who understands how a “subject” should approach a ruler in order to accomplish a specific goal. She approaches King Xerxes and uses phrases like, “If it pleases the king”, and “If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my requests…” (NIV Est 5:4-7). Esther is very smart, and manipulates the king’s feelings towards her to carry out her plan to save the Jews. At this point, there is a second feast. Between the first and second feast, King Xerxes was made aware that Mordecai, the Jewish man who foiled an assassination plot against him, was never honored for his heroism. Haman, who facilitated the genocide of all Jews, was forced to honor Mordecai publicly. At the second banquet given by Esther to Xerxes and Haman, she reveals her ethnicity, and who was behind the plan to kill the Jewish people. King Xerxes was so enraged, he left the room. Esther’s words terrorized Haman to the point that he fell on her couch as he was pleading for his life. Xerxes re-entered the room and interpreted what he saw as an attempt by Haman to rape Queen Esther, so he was executed on the gallows that had been constructed for Mordecai. Esther is immediately given Haman’s wealth.
Esther develops further becoming authoritative, when she introduces Mordecai to the King and he is appointed Viceroy, replacing Haman. Esther then turns over Haman’s wealth to Mordecai. The once compliant Queen bestows wealth and power on her Jewish cousin, Mordecai, seemingly putting an end to the evil plot to wipe out the entire group.
Esther is a complex character who started out being passive, but who develops into a true role model as the narrative progresses. There is a turning point in the middle of the story when she makes a tough decision in the face of crisis. From that point on, she was transformed into a wise and astute queen who risked her life to save her people. Willa Johnson’s interpretation in People’s Companion to the Bible views Esther as an inspiration (Johnson 137). When the Jewish people and Esther as well, are faced with real threats of genocide because of their ethnicity, Esther’s strength and courage to face and conquer it should drive us all to take the same steps when faced with adversity.