In a More Modern Sense, JB is a more Effective Telling of the Story of Job
In Archibald MacLeish’s novel, J.B., the main protagonist JB is described in scene one as a loving husband and father, enjoying a lovely meal with his family, all laughing and cheerful. Around the time of its publication, the story of J.B. is a more effective story in order to interpret the message of God compared to the Book of Job because audience members during the 1950s could feel more sympathy for JB’s character due to the way MacLeish creates a loving bond between him and his family, portrays JB emotions more clearly for the audience, and chooses the format of a play so people can feel more emotionally connected with the characters because of their ability to watch the story in person. MacLeish did an incredible job of integrating the more modern ideals of the time into his writing, making his work more empathetic. The Book of Job, although incredibly similar to J.B., is more straightforward and does not integrate human emotions into the story as well as J.B., making it less relatable for readers during the mid twentieth century and doesn’t allow for those readers to feel an emotional bond to the story.
During the 1950s, most families had an average of three kids per family. In the novel J.B., the main protagonist and his wife have five children, which although is more than the average, is not out of norm. On the other hand, in the biblical story, the Book of Job, the character Job and his wife had seven sons and three daughters. The number of children alone make the story of Job a less relatable story for that audience than JB. Rather than seeing Job as an actual person who suffered from these losses, the audience would see Job as another fictional character because his life seems so different from theirs. In Job 1:1-3, it states, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” Not only does Job’s family dynamic seem unreal, so does his lifestyle. Many people were still farmers, but the sheer size of Job’s farm is incredible. On the other hand, JB is a wealthy New York banker, a very respectable and viable career. This contrast between biblical and modern family structure has a big impact on the conveying of the message behind both stories: it may not always seem like it, but God is in control, and has a plan. Although both suffer a tremendous loss at the hands of God, for no true purpose other than the test of the protagonist’s faith, the audience was more inclined to feel sympathy for JB’s situation, because they could see this happening to themselves, or their own family. Therefore, because JB’s story is more likely to draw sympathy from the audience, it conveys the hidden message behind the story better than Job. If the audience was able to feel true sadness for JB, they would feel even more joy when JB is given a better life in the end, and truly understand that God does not put a human being through such terrible sufferings without showing them mercy, and will ultimately see His glory.
Not only did the audience relate more to the type of family JB has compared to Job, but to how JB interacted with his family. In the first scene of J.B., the main protagonist and his family are shown enjoying a well cooked meal prepared by their maid for Thanksgiving. The children hurry through grace in order to get their food more quickly, and JB and his wife look fondly upon their children. Although their lifestyle seems a bit more elegant than other families, it is a very wholesome and heartwarming scene. MacLeish is able to effectively exaggerate the family relationship of JB and his wife and children without making it too obvious that the family is supposed to represent the perfect “atomic family” of the 1950s. On the other hand, during biblical times, the father of the household was seen as the Lord of the household, and held dominion over his family. Ephesians 5:21-24 states, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” This type of family dynamic is archaic and outdated, and people in the twentieth century would look down upon this type of familial relationship. Therefore, when JB suffers, the audience would feel more sympathy for him because he is seen as a loving and great family man. Although Job was not depicted as a bad father or husband, this stigma around family dynamics during biblical times would automatically make Job look less connected to his family than JB. Therefore, the audience would feel a greater connection with the story of JB, and be more inclined to see the real message behind the story, making J.B. a more effective novel than the Book of Job.
Taylor's Blog 