The Red Tent Final Project How the Setting Influences the Plot Bret Zimmerman
What the dog vommited on: It ruined two very detailed 3 x 2 inch teepees supported by little lego poles and and two desert tiled lego surfaces along with the "herd" that represented Laban's family, and some animals.
The Red Tent takes place in the area of land hugging the Mediterranean Sea, specifically in Egypt. The story is from Biblical times (B.C.) when humans had not completely dominated the Earth’s surface. This was a time when people had to live relatively close to a source of water creating many problems for the narrator to overcome. There were only a few, roads, made out hard dirt that forces the narrator (Dinah) down certain paths and are what throw her into dangerous places while at the same time keeping her distanced from actual harm. The Red Tent’s setting controls many important aspects of the plot and is responsible for the interactions that take place.
In the beginning of the book, Laban’s family lives out in a dry savanna with little grass and the only source of water was a well located about a mile outside of the camp. The open land allowed Jacob, his son-in-law, to herd sheep very effectively and after a few years, he turned Laban’s small herd into a modest fortune. However, Jacob knew that this land could only support so much, and decided to move his family to where he lived as a child. This cannot be seen below as it has been thrown out. I tried to depict a modest herd on a small patch of desert land to depict how the space available limited Jacob's expansion.
Along the way, they came across a massive river, which was capable of sweeping away the animals and small children if they were not careful. This is where the setting starts taking a dramatic toll on the plot. Jacob was forced to set up camp separated from his family one night because he got left on the other side of the river after dawn. In the morning, when he did not return to the camp, his family discovered his mangled body (which was still alive) in terrible pain. This injury forced them to stay alongside this river for several months so he could heal before the pack could move on. Although it was never stated directly in the book, the narrator discovers a wild boar within close proximity to Jacob making one infer that he was probably mauled by the boar whilst sleeping. Visible in slide 2 is the most accurate representation I could make (I had to substitute a bear for a boar because I lacked a lego boar) of the attack on Jacob. You can see how his family was not able to come to his aid easily as the river isolated him from his tribe.
Right as he was almost healed, Jacob was confronted by his brother’s clan. He had not left his home on a good note with his brother, who was immensely more powerful than him, so Jacob feared the worst. The river was blocking his escape route so he was backed into a corner. Fortunately, his brother wanted to get off on the right foot that time around so no physical confrontation occurred. On the left side of slide 2 you can see the encounter of Jacob's herd with a member of his brother tribe and I tried to show how it turned out to be a peaceful encounter because no one is armed (although some of the characters did go missing).
After they arrive in Jacob’s home town, his fortune labeled him as a threat to the city people also as power to be respected. This is why the “City People” sought Dinah, the main character, for marriage and drives much of the plot. Jacob's power went to his head as you can see in slides 3/4 because he ordered his sons to murder the noble family of the city (one of the murdered people turns out to be the narrator's (Dinah's) husband). After this serious plot twist, Dinah was kidnapped by her mother-in-law and traveled to Egypt. In slide 5, I built the scene where Dinah and her mother-in-law are crossing the ocean to Egypt. The ocean separated Dinah from the angry mob that would have surely hanged her had they gotten their hands on her.
Egyptian culture at the time was completely different from the rural life she had been accustomed to. Dinah became shy and secluded for many years, and the only reason anyone approached her at all was to ask for her exceptional mid-wife skills. In slide 6 I depict Dinah's seclusion by showing her fenced in garden on the complex. I tried to express the gloomy atmosphere of her new home in slide 6 by placing empty barrels and dead trees along with an angry leader.
The constantly changing setting proves to be the driving force behind much of the plot in the story. It is what allows Dinah to escape harm time and time again, yet throw her in the way of more dangerous experiences to face. Time and time again, specific events took place that had crucial outcomes based on the current part of the story. The author’s use of setting up a detailed and complex setting is what made this an amazing book.