COVE

Geraldine Brooks is an Australian-American novelist who has won a Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her novel 'March'. She grew up in Sydney, Australia, and attended the University of Sydney. She converted to Judaism after marrying her husband, which influeced her to write 'The Secret Chord' about King David. She was a correspondent for 'The Wall Street Journal' where she covered conflicts in the Middle East. She often wrote and spoke about humanitarian issues.

'The Secret Chord' is narrated by Natan, who is a prophet. He has been with King David for a long time, and David asks him to write his biography. Natan interviews different people from David's past to find the emotional sides of his story. He interviews David's mother, his wives, enemies, and allies. David was born as the 8th son, often dismissed, and there was speculation that David was not his father's child. This makes it so that David wants a place to be accepted. He is seen as musically gifted from a young age and writes psalms. This leads to Shmuel giving him the role of 'God's chosen one'. After defeating Goliath, David is brought to King Shaul's court. King Saul becomes jealous of the attention and praise David receives as a war hero. David also has a seemingly romantic relationship with Shaul's son, Jonathan. Jonathan has an unwavering devotion to David, which enrages his father. 

David becomes king after uniting Israel. He is a flawed king, but is also described as brilliant. He is great with politics and peace, but he is also often impulsive and lustful. One of the largest events of this novel was David's rape of Bathsaheva, who is the wife of Uriah, one of David's loyal soilders. Bathsaheva is nearly silent throughout, and when David realizes his sin, he has Uriah killed to cover it up. Natan then confronts David with a parable, who realizes his sins and asks God for forgiveness. He later marries Bathsaheva and they have a son named Shlomo. David's family life continues to be negative as one if his sons, Amnon rapes his daughter, Tamar. Then one of his other sons, Avshalom kills Amnon in revenge for his sister. This section of the book shows many of David's failures as a father and his inability to connect properly with his sons, which could be explained by his father never giving him attention. Shlomo becomes the heir to the throne right before David dies. 

'The Secret Chord' has many connections to the Bible, with most coming from 2 Samuel. One example is "...he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, 'This is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite.' So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.' (2 Samuel 11:2-4). This quote is represented in 'The Secret Chord' by the line, "She did not speak. Her silence was not consent, but nor was it refusal. Her eyes gave nothing. He wanted her; that was all he could know." (Brooks, p.98). The novel shows the perspective of Bathsheba and David instead of just David which gives more insight to if the situation was rape. The Secret Chord gives the reader a more feminist perspective and changes the previous storyline of a love affair to a sexual assault. The reader then feels even worse for Bathsheva and all the events that happen after because she's not in love with David. The image above of David and Bathsheva has her looking pained and uncomfortable which represents the events in The Secret Chord well.

Another connection is "Nathan says to David, 'You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you King of Israel, and I rescued you from the hands of Saul." (2 Samuel 12:7). This relates to the quote "I could not soften the words. He must hear them at full weight. 'You are the man,' I said, and in that moment, I think he hated me." (Brooks, p.152). The version in 'The Secret Chord' gives both characters more humanity and turns the situation more personal. It makes the reader feel more empathy for David because his reactions are shown to a greater extent. It also gives the reader more insight into Natan and makes him more personable. This scene helps to make both characters more relatable than in the Bible. 

A third connection is "When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1). This quote connects to "What they had was love, by any name. I had seen it. I had watched the way their eyes sought each other in a room, how their voices softened when they spoke together. There was nothing furtive or ashamed in it." (Brooks, p.170). Both the scene from the Bible and The Secret Chord hint at a romantic relationship between David and Jonathan. The Secret Chord extends this by showing how they spoke or looked at each other in a romantic light. The image of David and Jonathan shows them embracing each other and making direct eye contact. The way they hold each other in the image makes the viewer feel like they have a romantic relationship.