Pride in 'Megillat Esther'

One distinct theme of Megillat Esther is pride in one’s heritage. The setting of the story is in Persia where the Judeans are under the rule of King Xerxes. Naturally, the Judeans suppress their heritage in order to avoid conflict with the Persians. The only exception to this is Mordechai who displays pride in his heritage by refusing to bow down to and in a sense worship Haman.

Contrary to this, Esther, as queen, is in a position of power. Although she has power, Mordechai commands Esther to not speak of her lineage on page 45. He is afraid that if the king finds out, Esther will be replaced by another woman. Esther takes a chance by revealing her identity in order to save her people from Haman’s attacks. Fortunately, her request is honored by the King, who reverses the command, bringing power to the Judeans.

The Judeans at the beginning of the story somewhat resemble the Jewish immigrants of the early 20^th century who suppressed their heritage by assimilating in the new culture. At the end of the story, the Judeans somewhat resemble the Israelis who gained their own country in the 1940s and fight to protect it to this day. The amount of power that is given to the Judeans at the end of Megillat Esther seems to be a bit exaggerated, and Waldman suggests this also with the students who are hearing the story on pages 142 and 143. It would appear that the book of Esther was to some point edited to boost Jewish pride and nationalism.