Character Complexity in the Book of Ruth

Kristin Moen Saxegaard demonstrates how character complexity is portrayed in the Old Testament, exemplified by the Book of Ruth. Each character in the story has its specific voice which raises a particular topic; Naomi proclaims her bitterness, Boaz is the merry character, Ruth stresses that she is a foreigner, and Yahweh is silent. Thus, character complexity generates theological themes, such as the problem of being a foreigner, and the question of God's silence. The interaction between the characters' voices elaborates multiple and nuanced perspectives to these themes which offer new approaches and alternative answers to the reading of Ruth. The biblical characters stand as examples of how certain problems are dealt with in the biblical literature, and, to the modern reader, they might stand as an example of how real life is as well.