In an effort to allow people more time to cogitate and ruminate on our Book Club selection, it was suggested that we post some topics for discussion prior to the actual discussion which is scheduled for this Sunday.
Our book, in case you’ve been in a coma for the last 3 weeks, is The Preservationist by David Maine, a reinterpretation of the Noe’s* Ark story. One obvious topic for discussion is how this account varied in both obvious and subtle ways from the story you were taught. (*For continuity purposes, I will use the spellings in the book, from the Douay-Rheims Bible)
Having been raised a Unitarian Universalist, the myth was a bit whitewashed. Far from being angry at his creation and sending a deadly plague to destroy them, God was merely telling people the flood was coming and Noe was the only one who believed. The screeching masses begging for Noe to take them aboard and their ultimate demise was glossed over with Crayons and construction paper as we drew pictures of happy animals living contently on the high seas.
Mirn notes this phenomenon as well at the end of the book when she reflects on how she has already forgotten Bera and Ilya’s stories of collecting the animals and how crucial information is lost over generations and retellings. How do you think her comment about wondering where the ducks came from illustrates this?
Speaking of Mirn, how does Japheth’s denigration and dismissal of her insights and contributions foreshadow how this story will be told generations later?
The women in the story are integral to the survival of the family and the animals. What do you think of the depiction women as life givers and protectors? And what did you make of the women being barren until after the flood? Why would God make them barren, presuming it was his plan, only to give Bera two infants that she is miraculously able to breast feed?
There is quite a bit of divine intervention in play. Ilya and Bera’s quests to procure the animals go surprisingly well, with even an entire menagerie of African animals caged up and ready to go for Bera. But there are some scientific tidbits along the way. Ilya is saved by the Phoenician captains astronomical calculations and later finds evidence of shells and fossils in the mountains that are far older than they should be if they were tossed there in the flood. Why do you think these bits were included? Also, where did the extra animals come from on the ark? Did animals evolve or were new species made through mating or did God fill in the blanks?
Many people believe that Noe’s ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in Armenia modern day Turkey. It is also believed by some that the area around Mount Ararat was the site of the Garden of Eden. What is the significance of coming full circle to the site of humanity’s original sin and of the sons of Noe being sent out from there? And of Noe being left in Eden alone at the end? Was that punishment from God leaving him alone in the Garden of Eden or was it his reward?
Why did God not speak to Noe again after their last conversation where God promises to not judge humans this way again? Do you think Noe was suffering a crisis of faith after the ark landed? Basically God tells him that humans are evil and will continue to do evil things, which is a little awkward given that presumably the only humans left are Noe and his descendants. Noe would be forgiven if that rocked his world.
How did the characters change, if at all, from their experiences? Arguably, Noe’s wife and Mirn are the least changed; Noe’s wife is as sturdy and practical as ever and Mirn as fanciful and optimistic. What common denominator do you see in each of these different women’s personalities?
Is there a significance to the humans becoming more animal like while on the boat? It seems that the characters regressed and then evolved back. Is that another hint at science? A metaphor for evolution?
What other issues or questions were raised for you in reading this book and how does it compare to the Bible story and/or the story you may have heard growing up?
