Moses, Man of the Mountain by Zora Neale Hurston

First published: 1939

Type of plot: Allegory

Time of work: Biblical times, during the Exodus

Locale: Egypt and the wilderness surrounding Mount Sinai

Principal Characters:

• Moses, an Egyptian who leads the enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt
• Pharaoh Ta-Phar, the leader of Egypt, oppressor of the Hebrews, and uncle of Moses
• Jethro, a prince of Midian and Moses’ mentor
• Zipporah, his daughter and Moses’ second wife
• Miriam, a Hebrew prophetess who claims to be Moses’ sister
• Aaron, her brother, a leader of the Hebrews
• Joshua, a military leader of the Hebrews and Moses’ confidant

The Novel

The novel’s central action is based on the Old Testament tale of Moses leading the enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. In order to trace Moses’ development as a leader, Hurston begins her version with his childhood. As a boy, Moses is first influenced by Mentu, the Pharaoh’s Hebrew stableman, who teaches him about nature and the languages of animals. Moses next turns to the Egyptian priests for instruction in the magic and voodoo used “to distract the minds of unthinking people from their real troubles.”

Although Moses is not interested in acquiring power and prestige, as the son of the Pharoah’s daughter he poses a threat to the position of Ta-Phar, the Pharoah’s son and heir. He defeats Ta-Phar in ceremonial war games and consequently becomes a favorite of the Pharaoh. He is called on to lead the army, and as a result of his skill, Egyptian rule extends over the Middle East. As a result, Egypt gains glory, and for political reasons Moses gains an Ethiopian princess for his wife.

Soon palace intrigue and the rumors spread by Ta-Phar threaten Moses. Ta-Phar capitalizes on Moses’ well-known sympathy for the oppressed Hebrews, claiming that Moses himself is a Hebrew. In addition, Ta-Phar encourages the acceptance of a Hebrew legend that Moses, as a baby, was discovered in the bullrushes by the Pharaoh’s daughter and adopted by her. The legend arose out of the Hebrews’ reaction to the Pharaoh’s policy of slaying all Hebrew male babies. In order to provide their son with a chance for a future, Amram and Jochebed placed their three-month-old boy in a basket on the Nile. Then they charged their daughter Miriam to watch and report what happened. Miriam fell asleep, however, and, afraid to tell her parents the truth, she claimed that the Pharaoh’s daughter found him. The tale quickly gained acceptance because the Hebrews were pleased with the irony that one of them was in the palace, accepted by the Pharaoh as a family member.

Though the legend is false, Moses chooses exile instead of confronting the rumors. Crossing the Red Sea, he leaves wealth and status behind him and begins anew at the age of twenty-five. Days of wandering bring him to the foot of Mount Sinai. After befriending Jethro, a local prince, Moses marries his voluptuous daughter Zipporah and intends to make his home at the foot of the majestic mountain, tending sheep. Jethro, however, obsessed by a dream, has other plans. He becomes Moses’ teacher, instructing him in his own monotheistic religion and preparing him for the task of leading the enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt.

After a twenty-year absence, Moses travels to Egypt in order to learn the secrets contained in the Book of Thoth. Following a battle with a deathless serpent, Moses studies the document, acquiring the ability “to command the heavens and the earth, the abyss and the mountain, and the sea.” When he returns to Midian, Jethro pronounces him ready for his task. Although Moses resists, a burning bush, a manifestation of God, convinces him that he has been chosen, and he acquiesces.

Leading the Hebrews out of Egypt is no easy task. Ta-Phar, who is now the Pharaoh, and the Egyptian nobles are reluctant to part with their slaves and the builders of their splendid cities. After Moses causes numerous plagues—frogs, lice, darkness, and the death of firstborn Egyptian children—the Pharaoh consents, but Moses also must motivate the Hebrews, one of whom argues, “I was figuring on going fishing tomorrow morning. I don’t want to be bothered with no packing up today.” When reports that the Hebrews have escaped reach the palace, the Pharaoh masses his army and pursues them, overtaking them at the Red Sea. Moses parts the sea, the Hebrews cross, and as the Egyptians follow, the sea crashes together, destroying the Egyptian army.

Although the Hebrews are safe, the journey is not over. At every inconvenience, the Hebrews complain, wishing to return to Egypt. The first time that Moses reaches the Promised Land, the Hebrews are not ready. Although no longer oppressed by the Egyptians, mentally they are still slaves. Moses, realizing that “no man may make another free. . . ,” leads the Hebrews away. Thus they are condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the old generation dies, and a new generation will be able to accept freedom.

The journey is a trying one for Moses. Miriam and Aaron, jealous of Moses’ position, undermine him. In addition, the Hebrews resist acknowledging Moses as their leader, resenting his interference in their lives. At one point the Hebrews abandon the new monotheistic God and return to worshiping and celebrating the Egyptian sun gods. Only after years of hardship are the people prepared for the Promised Land. Joshua, a young Hebrew trained by Moses, will lead them into Canaan. Moses, his tasks accomplished, ascends Mount Nebo, bids the Hebrews farewell, and “descends the other side of the mountain and heads back over the years.”

The Characters

The characters of Moses are generally flat and underdeveloped, in part because Hurston is adapting a biblical tale and is limited by her source, but also because she is writing an allegory of the American black slaves’ struggle for emancipation.

Hurston has combined the Moses of the Old Testament with the Moses depicted in African folklore. Thus, the Moses described in the novel is a wise prophet but also is a great voodoo chief. His power is derived not only from God but also from the Egyptian priests and the Book of Thoth. Both of these aspects—wisdom and magic—are necessary to lead and control the Hebrews, who, because of their enslavement, are not prepared for leadership roles. In order to emphasize the African heritage of Moses, Hurston departs from the biblical source and portrays Moses as Egyptian born. In this manner, she suggests that a forceful outside leader is necessary to free an oppressed people.

The novel chronicles Moses’ growth as he develops into the leader of the Hebrews. His early years are a preparation for the task that Jethro has set before him. From Mentu, the Egyptian priests, and the Book of Thoth, he acquires the magic later needed to control the Hebrews. From his years of military campaigns, he acquires the military expertise that he will later impart to Joshua. His sense of fairness results in his siding with the oppressed Hebrews, at one point killing an Egyptian overseer who brutally beats a Hebrew worker. Later, in exile, he dreams of a land where equality could exist, a land that will turn out to be the Promised Land of the Hebrews. Thus, although he is reluctant to lead the Hebrews, he has in a sense spent his life preparing for it. His later complete acceptance of the task is illustrated by the change of his speech from the standard English of the Egyptian nobles to the black dialect of the Hebrews.

Moses, the ideal leader, is opposed by Pharaoh Ta-Phar, a corrupt ruler who derives his power from the oppression of his people. Thus, when Moses requests that the Hebrews be allowed to leave, the Pharaoh must refuse, for the release of the enslaved Hebrews would cause his downfall. Ironically, his refusal helps Moses in unifying the Hebrews.

Miriam and Aaron are Moses’ link to the Hebrews but are also his adversaries. They oppose Moses, desiring his position of authority but lacking his capabilities. Miriam, bitter and jealous, tries to arouse the Hebrew women against Zipporah, the sensuous wife of Moses, while her brother, Aaron, demands the trappings of a high priest. Because of their flawed natures, neither will arrive at the Promised Land. Miriam is reduced to begging Moses to allow her to die, and later Aaron is stabbed by Moses so that Aaron’s esteemed reputation among the Hebrews can be preserved.

Joshua represents the new Hebrew, symbolizing the potential of the Hebrew people. He is obedient, loyal, and willing to serve and to sacrifice. He has been groomed by Moses to lead the Hebrews into the Promised Land.

Critical Context

The mixture of voodoo, folklore, and black dialect found in Moses: Man of the Mountain reflects Hurston’s cultural heritage and experiences. Born in the all-black town of Eatonville, Florida, she grew up surrounded by the poetic speech rhythms and dialect that she recorded in the novel. During her college years, she developed an interest in anthropology, studying under the renowned Franz Boas of Columbia University. Later, on a fellowship, she traveled to the Southern United States and to Haiti to collect folktales, which resulted in a well-regarded volume of folklore, Mules and Men (1935).

Moses: Man of the Mountain was an ambitious undertaking: Hurston attempted to make the tale of Moses and the Hebrews speak for enslaved people everywhere. To a certain extent she succeeded, but the novel’s allegorical intent resulted in generally weak, stereotyped characters and a certain ambivalence displayed toward them. As noted above, the first time that Moses parts the Red Sea, Hurston presents the event as a natural occurrence, but the second time, she treats it as a miracle. The text clearly shows that Moses is Egyptian-born, but later Moses himself has doubts. Because of the satire aimed at the enslaved race, Hurston has been criticized for writing about the black situation for a white audience. It was her intention, however, to go beyond racial issues and to treat universal themes such as the effect of enslavement, the use and misuse of power, and the necessary qualities of a leader. While Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) will remain the most successful of her novels, Moses: Man of the Mountain should not be discounted.

Bibliography

Awkward, Michael, ed. New Essays on “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Essays by Robert Hemenway and Nellie McKay on the biographical roots of the novel, and by Hazel Carey on Hurston’s use of anthropology. Rachel Blau DuPlessis provides a feminist perspective in “Power, Judgment, and Narrative in a Work of Zora Neale Hurston.” Includes an introduction and bibliography.

Baker, Houston A., Jr. Workings of the Spirit: The Poetics of Afro-American Women’s Writing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991. Baker situates Moses, Man of the Mountain as a conjure book, emphasizing Hurston’s familiarity with hoodoo through her work as an anthropologist. He characterizes Moses as a practitioner of hoodoo, that is, a conjurer, and he attributes most of Moses’ miracles to magic rather than Judaism.

Boyd, Valerie. Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Scribner, 2002.

Carby, Hazel V. Reconstructing Womanhood: The Emergence of the Afro-American Woman Novelist. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Carby discusses Hurston’s choice to write of African American rural folk rather than of urban city dwellers. She concludes that Hurston’s choice did not fit well into the mainstream of the Harlem Renaissance and that the choice probably damaged her career.

Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., ed. Reading Black, Reading Feminist. New York: Meridian, 1990. This collection includes critical essays on black feminist theory as well as literary criticism. Includes an essay by Hurston as well as several essays referring to her writings. Excellent introduction to black feminist theory, with a good index but no additional bibliography.

Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. The chapter on Hurston discusses her best-known novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, as a conscious attempt to rebut the naturalistic view of blacks as “animalistic” that Gates claims she saw in Richard Wright’s fiction.

Glassman, Steve, and Kathryn Lee Seidel, eds. Zora in Florida. Orlando: University of Central Florida Press, 1991. An interesting collection of fifteen essays by varied contributors dealing with Hurston’s politics, use of female “folk tellers,” Florida experiences, and with the African American cultural context of her work. Contains a good bibliography of some of Hurston’s less-well-known writing.

Hemenway, Robert E. Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1977. Known as the standard biography of Hurston, this book includes critical commentary on all of her writings. He makes the point that Hurston tried out the idea of Moses, Man of the Mountain in a short story called “The Cloud and the Fire,” published in Challenge in September, 1934. He draws parallels between African Americans during slave times and the Hebrews in captivity that demonstrate the book’s allegorical nature.

Hill, Lynda Marion. Social Rituals and the Verbal Art of Zora Neale Hurston. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1996. Chapters on Hurston’s treatment of everyday life, science and humanism, folklore, and color, race, and class. Hill also considers dramatic reenactments of Hurston’s writing. Includes notes, bibliography, and an appendix on “characteristics of Negro expression.”

Howard, Lillie P. Zora Neale Hurston. Boston: Twayne, 1980. Howard discusses the events of Hurston’s life, along with providing critical analysis of each of her works. Examines Hurston’s critical reception and her participation in the Harlem Renaissance. Identifies the changes Hurston makes in the biblical story of Moses, concentrating on Moses’ powers. Howard concludes that Hurston gives Moses supernatural skills learned from worldly sources rather than from God.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters. New York: Doubleday, 2002. A collection of more than 500 letters, annotated and arranged chronologically.

Jackson, Blyden. Introduction to Moses, Man of the Mountain, by Zora Neale Hurston. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1984. Jackson provides a brief biographical sketch and critical commentary. He asserts that the novel, although clearly allegorical, is also an investigation of power. On that basis, he compares it to Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince (1532).

Johnson, Barbara. A World of Difference. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987. The two essays on Hurston examine how her fiction addresses the problem of the social construction of self.