Prologue Summary

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant tells the story of the biblical character Dinah, Jacob's daughter and Joseph's sister. In the Bible, Dinah's story is only briefly mentioned. The story says that Dinah was raped by an Egyptian prince. Simon and Levi, two of her brothers, avenge Dinah by killing all the men in the city. After that, Dinah is never mentioned again. Diamant wanted to give a voice to the character of Dinah as well as her mothers.

The story begins with Dinah accusing the reader of forgetting her story. She is sad to learn that she is only an afterthought to those who have read the Bible. She explains the happiness of women having babies, both boys and girls. She insists that to women there is something very special about having a girl baby. It is the girls who will carry...