The relationship of Ruth to Ezra demonstrates how biblical texts can be extremely effective in unpacking for students the construction of identity. What is considered normative for identity by the dominant voice of the culture is suddenly brought into question by a character who does not meet the requirements for identity. Students are asked to consider Ruth as a story told for and about women. Ruth stands out as a woman who, while living within the confines of patriarchally constructed society, defines herself autonomously rather than allowing the society to define her heteronomously. The second issue that Ruth uncovers is the question of power.
Students usually conceive power as a thing to be possessed as part of one's identity.
The latter answer can be appreciated when one considers Ruth, seemingly without power, who exercises profound power on her new community. In subverting the established norms of identity, she personifies insights raised by the contemporary philosopher Michael Foucault who sees power as negotiated relationship. The emergence of the self is always the result of this mutual struggle. The use of biblical core texts such as Ruth provide rich opportunities to examine the emergence of personhood amidst community and conflict. While wrought with the fear of superimposing critical theories or reading one's own hermeneutical bias into the texts, I believe it is worth the risk.