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COLEGIO DE DAGUPAN

RUTH 1:8-22

“DEALING WITH ADVERSITY. GRIEF, AND LOSS IN THE FEMINIST APPROACH”

AN EXEGESIS

SUBMITTED TO: SIR JHESON O. DACANAY

SUBMITTED BY: HANNAH ANGELI FERNANDEZ MENDOZA

IN PARTIAL COMPLETION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR

HUMSS05 - INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

DEALING WITH ADVERSITY. GRIEF, AND LOSS IN THE FEMINIST APPROACH 2

Introduction

This analysis was conducted in order to draw comparisons to feminist approaches that are

being depicted in ancient scripture, and the Book of Ruth has been a wide common example of

such elements being perfectly executed, most notably in 1:8-22, and how it is relevant and

relatable in line with the contemporary issues being favorably tackled by those under the

Millennial and “Gen-Z” generations.

With the constant struggle to promote movements for women empowerment, and with

the unexpected spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now find it even more difficult to bring

more and more people together to voice out their concerns and insights towards the recurring

violence and mistreatment against women (that does not seem to cease even with the absence of

public rallying platforms), and victims to such abuse suffer the consequences of the inadequacy

of ways to let their stories of injustice be heard.

The treatment on women and the presence of feminine figures in the Bible was very

much less dominant, but whenever I come across stories from the Bible that have female

characters as the primary focus, it entices me to read through until the end of the story, because it

is rare to be able to see women being portrayed as nobody else other than mother figures and

mere housewives that are inferior to their husbands, or meek servants to their masters. Women

have also been mostly mistaken to be figures of gullibility and low wit (as portrayed by Eve in

the first few chapters of the Genesis, and has given some readers a bad impression of what

women were always like), and since feminism is also a topic of interest for most readers in this

day and age, it is only appropriate to be able to tackle such issues and be able to inculcate
DEALING WITH ADVERSITY. GRIEF, AND LOSS IN THE FEMINIST APPROACH 3

awareness to other readers who find themselves to not yet be fully aware of such a contemporary

topic, and Ruth 1:8-22 will serve as a basis in relation to the said issue.

Context

In the first chapter of the Book of Ruth, we are introduced to the notable figures in the

family line of Elimelech, where he and his wife Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion,

had set off to travel from their native land of Bethlehem to the much more abundant land of

Moab to settle there and survive the ongoing famine in their land.

Scarcity of food and other resources, as depicted in the passage, can be related to a

recurring issue here in the Philippines, which involves the situation of Overseas Filipino Workers

(OFWs). The feminization of Philippine overseas labor migration, which had been male-

dominated until the 1980s, belies the failure of women’s empowerment in society. The

increasing out-migration of women indicates a decline, or continuing limitation, in the share of

work available to women in the production process; employment opportunities remain restricted

and income insufficient. The majority of female OFWs are still in “traditional” reproductive

work such as domestic work and cultural entertainment, health care and nursing, where the pay is

low and the nature of the work involves a higher exposure to physical, sexual and other abuse.

This in turn underscores the international division of labor, in which the Third World, or the

South, does the labor-intensive and lower-paid work. It also demonstrates a persistent gendered

division of labor at the global level, with the South taking on the menial aspects of reproductive

work, which are thereby “feminized,” secondary, subservient, and inferior to the “masculine,”

dominant North. 1
DEALING WITH ADVERSITY. GRIEF, AND LOSS IN THE FEMINIST APPROACH 4

But when married women become widows and end up with whatever few that is left from

the family loss, many are forced to return to their homes and fill whatever gap that was

created from the adverse effects of such a tragedy. Independence is practiced as much as

possible, especially in the absence of other family members that remain willing to help.

Such was the case of the three remaining members of the aforementioned family of

Elimelech: Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth, who had all lost their husbands at such trying

circumstances. With the loss of her husband and two sons, Naomi subsequently arrived at a point

of depression, where nothing but bitterness had crept to her heart. The death of a spouse is a

stressful life event that marks a turning point in the life course, often involving transitions and

adaptations in social roles for the surviving partner. Widowhood is associated with increased

financial strain, the assumption of new tasks in household management, and changes in social

relationships, all of which may exacerbate or mitigate psychological distress.2 Naomi blesses her

daughters-in-law by asking that the Lord deal kindly with them and grant them security and new

husbands (Ruth 1:8-9). The word security brings to mind how much insecurity Naomi, Ruth, and

Orpah must feel. Their insecurity may be because of food scarcity, their coming migration, the

lack of men in the family, or all of these.3

As Naomi recounts her feelings of sorrow towards her great loss to her daughters-in-law,

Orpah decides to return to Moab to live her life as it was before. But Ruth ultimately makes it a

point to stay with her mother-in-law, as she says, “Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back

from following after you. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your

people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there

I will be buried. May the Lord do this to me and more so if even death separates me from you.”
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(Ruth 1:16-17). This particular decision of Ruth exemplifies a woman’s innate compassion and

devotion to the people and things that they set their hearts into.

As the two women go on their way back to Bethlehem, Ruth soon lets the fact that she is

now a foreign woman in her mother-in-law’s homeland sink in as they are enthusiastically

welcomed back to their community.

After which, Naomi continues to show a display of depressive bouts by asking the people

she knew in their community to call her Mara instead, as she explains how her recent

bereavement had greatly affected her mental health. “Don’t call me Naomi, but call me Mara, for

the Almighty has made me very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has returned me empty.

Why would you call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has

deemed me guilty?” (Ruth 1:20-21). Many longitudinal follow-up studies of the recently

bereaved have focused on the widowed. Many persons reported crying, low mood, sleep

problems, loss of appetite, restlessness, fatigue, poor memory, and loss of interest at 1 month.

Psychomotor retardation is rare in bereaved persons, but restlessness and anxiety are common.6

By the end of a year, many vegetative symptoms had improved, but insomnia, restlessness, and

periodic low mood tended to persist. Overall, somatic symptoms (such as weight loss and

fatigue) tended to improve gradually while the psychological symptoms (such as feelings of

hopelessness and worthlessness) tended to persist.4 As soon as all neighbors had been addressed,

Naomi and Ruth go on their way to start their new life in Bethlehem.

Conclusion:

The concept of loss is inevitable in a person’s life, but no one can really be prepared for it

when it really happens, and this difficulty is much more seen among widows and women
DEALING WITH ADVERSITY. GRIEF, AND LOSS IN THE FEMINIST APPROACH 6

suffering the loss of a family member. But no two coping mechanisms for loss are the same.

They may be able to sit and be stuck in the stage of grief for most of their lives, or they may cope

with it by consulting with members of their family or other people who are close to their hearts.

Women may be able to confide with those who trust in them the most in order to achieve

recovery from such adversities. As it is important to cheer on all women, even in times of grief,

they can be able to stand back up again despite the losses that they have faced in their lives, and

find comfort in what else life presents to them as they move on. With the story of Ruth, we see

how devoted she was in finding solitude in comforting her mother-in-law, Naomi, more than

dealing with the loss of her own husband in the famine; how she was able to still be willing to

give up more from her life to start a new and more simpler life in a foreign land with the woman

she calls as her own family.

As depicted by Naomi’s actions in the selection, there can also be times where women

have to implement independence when it comes to handling certain life problems. With the loss

of her husband, she is seen to still take matters into her own hands so that she and Ruth may be

able to formally start their new life back in Bethlehem. This shows that grief from bereavement

may not always show total dysfunctionality in women. They are still capable of helping

themselves back up on the road to emotional recovery, even when they make the littlest of

progress at first.

The story of Ruth shows how women can be able to prosper together, to start life anew

along with their strong faith in God. And the relevance of this to me as a Humanities and Social

Sciences (HUMSS) student studying religion is that as I interconnect the concepts of feminism,

faith, and religion together, I may be able to let others be aware, especially those facing the same

trying situations as Ruth and Naomi, of the fact that the world will not stop even with the loss of
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one person, but instead, the world will let them realize that it will not stop you from pursuing a

fresher perspective and let you grow into a stronger person in the long run. No matter how slow

the process, you can be able to find that peace of mind that you wish to return to you, and that it

takes just merely one person alone for you to be able to reflect, keep going, and find yourself

once more.
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Bibliography

1
De Guzman, Odine (2003). Overseas Filipino Workers, Labor Circulation in Southeast Asia,

and the (Mis)management of Overseas Migration Programs, from

https://kyotoreview.org/issue-4/overseas-filipino-workers-labor-circulation-in-southeast-

asia-and-the-mismanagement-of-overseas-migration-programs/.

2
Sasson, Isaac, & Umberson, Debra J. (2013). Widowhood and Depression: New Light on

Gender Differences, Selection, and Psychological Adjustment.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894126/.

3
Dickinson, Katy (2019). Rhetorical Use of Texts, Final Paper – Ruth.

https://katysblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/exegesis-of-ruth/.

4
Hensley & Clayton, MD (2008). Bereavement-Related Depression.

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/bereavement-related-depression.