composed as a mock-serious fiction celebrating Jewish survival in spite of the vicissitudes of diaspora life . The high incidence of coincidence in the plot smacks of contrivance . For example , it is precisely at the moment that the generally oblivious king overcomes his insomnia by deciding to honor Mordechai that the nemesis Haman happens into the court seeking Mordechai ’ s execution .
The cardboard characters pop right out of the Arabian Nights genre : the buffoon king , the evil councilor , the noble ( Jewish ) courtier , the sweet orphan who Cinderella-like turns queen , the fawning eunuch . The Esther tale betrays its typological nature by pitting Mordechai against Haman . Mordechai is identified as a scion of Kish and a Benjaminite , evoking the first Israelite king , Saul , whose father was Kish of the Benjamin tribe . Haman is called an Agagite , recalling Agag , enemy of King Saul , who rules the abominated Amalekites . The impression that the characters perform two-dimensional functions is reinforced by the Bible ’ s uncharacteristic repetition of epithets , such as Mordechai “ the Jew ,” Haman “ tormentor of the Jews ,” Esther “ the king ’ s wife ,” and Hegai “ keeper of the women .”
Even if the narrative is fiction , it attests to reality : a historical Jewish need to imagine the world upside down — Jews empowered instead of victimized . Purim and its story allow an exiled people to release some of the tensions they develop living under suspicion at best . The fantastic reversal is reflected in the Hebrew style of the story , and nowhere more than in 9:2 :
On the day that they anticipated , the enemies of the Jews did , to overpower them , reversed it was , in that they overpowered , the Jews did , they over those hating them .
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