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Mara, Daughter of the Nile lit. analysis question


Julie in MO
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Hi everyone,

Can I ask for some help from someone who has read the book recently and is good at literary analysis? I am rather new at literary analysis (science is my bag), so I could use some help determining who is the protagonist/antagonist in this book. Here's my line of thinking....feel free to correct!

Possibility 1: protagonist - Sheftu, antagonist - Hatshepsut

Possibility 2: protagonist - Mara, antagonist - the "system" of ancient

Egypt

Possibility 3: protagonist - Thutmose, antagonist - Hatshepsut

 

Now...please set me straight. I'm having a book discussion group over on Tuesday with lots of little 5-7th graders who all loved the book. We're eating a decadent chocolate cake, so now they'll like me whether I know who is protagonist/antagonist or not!

THanks,

Julie in MO

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I vote #2. From what I remember, she really was working more to overcome the limits and harshness of Egyptian society than anyone person. She really only worked against Hatshepsut because of circumstances - inmo. Sheftu couldn't be the protagonist, neither could Thutmose.

 

Just be open to ideas the kids have. It is hard when the antagonist isn't wearing a great big "I'm the bad guy" hat. I think defending why Mara is the protagonist, eventually revels why they system of ancient Egypt is the antagonist.

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She is the main character, after all, and clearly no anti-hero.

 

The antagonist is variable.

 

I would call it her circumstances--being a slave, unrequited love, etc.

 

I wouldn't call it ancient Egypt because she really doesn't overcome that system or even fight it. Instead, she is enlisted by her love interest in fighting for a ruler who she comes to believe is the rightful ruler of Egypt. In the book, this is couched in very idealistic terms, but not in practical ones.

 

However, the view of Hatshepsut in the book is not consistent with current views of history--that book is OLD. The view is that she had no right to be Pharoah because she was female, and so that makes her a bad, power-hungry usurper. Mindful that history is written by the victors, and that her name was chiselled off of her stele and her statues smashed in quarries once she died, I think that the view of the book was 'off'.

 

It was not clear anywhere in the book why her rival would have been a better ruler for Egypt as a whole, IIRC. The argument basically comes down to the divine right of kings, ancient Egypt-style.

 

So either you could say that Mara's antagonist was Hatshepsut and her rule, and that Mara is heroic in fighting for what she comes to believe (which is the view of the book, and very well presented) or you could say that her antagonist is Shefu, who she loves and wants to win (which is A view in the book), making this a pretty traditionally plotted female POV love story. Or you could say that you have 2 main story lines.

 

If I were leading this group, I would sidestep the whole issue of what the antagonist was, and focus on the plotline. The rising action, climax, and resolution are rarely as clear as they are in this book. I would use the questions in TWTM--what did the main character want? What obstacles were in her way? Did she overcome them?

 

And I would also discuss character issues--who is 'good?' Who is 'bad'? Who is sometimes one, sometimes the other? When does the end justify the means? What does it do to someone's character to be a slave? What does it do to someone's character to be a slaveholder? Can we think of other examples from literature of those effects? What does the author think is 'good?' Do we agree with the author about this?

 

The reason I would tend to want to avoid the antagonist issue is that 5-7th grades is a tricky age in which to discuss love interest issues. Those kids are all over the map on this, and their parents may have some definate, and far ranging preferences as to what their kids are and are not taught about it.

 

Well, shoot. Now that I've planned this all out, I'm getting excited. I may need to add this to my 6-8th grade book group reading list for next semester.

 

Great book--I loved it as a kid, and DD loves it as a kid now.

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However, the view of Hatshepsut in the book is not consistent with current views of history--that book is OLD. The view is that she had no right to be Pharoah because she was female, and so that makes her a bad, power-hungry usurper. Mindful that history is written by the victors, and that her name was chiselled off of her stele and her statues smashed in quarries once she died, I think that the view of the book was 'off'.

 

I must say I disagree with that take on the book. Hatshepsut is shown as not being worthy of Pharaoh because she raises taxes and spends money on frivolous things, instead of making sure the kingdom of Egypt is strong. The guards are not well trained, and not well equipped. She sends sailors far away to get nice wood and stones, - risking their lives for luxury items - but will not have military campaigns. I never got the impression it was because she was female.

 

However, recent discoveries have proven she died of a tooth infection, and not of poison. But I can forgive that as literary license. :)

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I must say I disagree with that take on the book. Hatshepsut is shown as not being worthy of Pharaoh because she raises taxes and spends money on frivolous things, instead of making sure the kingdom of Egypt is strong. The guards are not well trained, and not well equipped. She sends sailors far away to get nice wood and stones, - risking their lives for luxury items - but will not have military campaigns. I never got the impression it was because she was female.

 

However, recent discoveries have proven she died of a tooth infection, and not of poison. But I can forgive that as literary license. :)

 

I think it's the time that the book was written vs. now.

 

This book is OLD. When it was written, historians viewed Hatshepsut much more negatively than they do now, and it's hard to look at the evidence and not feel that there is some 'divine right of kings' involved in their views. Current scholarly thought is that she had a very long and successful reign. She created positive international relations partly through international trade. Yes, there were luxury items transported back and forth, but at least according to the Hatshepsut exhibit and related scholarly materials at the De Young Museum a couple of years ago, this was reflective of general peace and prosperity rather than lax military efforts. That view was unheard of when Mara was written.

 

Anyway, nice talking to you, and maybe you're right about the book's arguments but I see them even as you wrote them as somewhat sexist and reflective of a 'history is written by the victors' POV that was current in the 70's rather than being accurate.

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