A Retelling Of Noah's Ark

11 Pages 2734 Words

A Retelling of Noah’s Ark
Timothy Findley’s Not Wanted on the Voyage is a creative retelling of the biblical story of Noah and his wife and their journey on the ark. He successfully creates a parody, a humorous form of social commentary and literary criticism in which one work imitates another, by taking the ancient tale of Noah’s ark and acquainting the reader with what happened in between the lines (www.dictionary.reference.com). He constructs a world that offers many intriguing possibilities to the accepted tale that in a sense create many thought provoking ideas and statements of how the world is and really was. The book is divided into four parts. Book One, the arrival and death of the novel’s God, Book Two details the building of the ark, Book Three the flood-associated trials, and Book Four the conclusion of the novel. Findley successfully develops his parody of Noah’s Ark through elements of exaggeration, shock, and ridicule.
In the novel, authority is highly exaggerated with Noah’s authoritarian, hierarchical view of the world (Bailey 145). Noah’s severe ways are exercised greatly with his treatment of women. According to Noah women exist to serve the needs of God as well as himself and his sons (Bailey 132). Mrs Noyes, Hannah and Mottyl may have opinions and desires of their own but they must be subordinated to the authority of their husbands, fathers and lovers. Noah demonstrates his ill treatment of women when he kills Japeth’s brother who is born an ape-child, despite Mrs. Noyes’ pleas to let the baby live. Noah treats his wife with even more disingenuousness when he decides that his wife will live below the ark and she has no choice but to go. Noah is very cold-hearted and will treat his own wife horribly as long as his civilized paternal hierarchy is in order. Clearly, Noah’s authoritative ways are demonstrated through his nasty treatment of his wife.
Noah’s passion for authority is als...