As I continue to work in the Book of Jonah:

Characterization

1: God

Identification: On the Liking End

I do not see a great deal of identification with God in the Book of Jonah. I have personally never been in the situation where the prophet I sent by divine command decided to run away. However, I have had instances of working with people under my own authority (that is, with children), and have known similar forms of rebellion. As such, using the continuum found on page 105 of our text, I’d place God somewhere between “weak” and “strong liking.”

Dynamic: Unsure

If the question of whether or not a character is dynamic is primarily dependent on a change within the character, then God is a static character. However, might a character be dynamic without undergoing change: Could God, who is unchanging, possess a “changing” character in the sense that more of that character is revealed? not a change of the character itself, but a change of the understanding of the unchanged character? This question becomes pertinent as God’s character is revealed throughout the Book of Jonah.

Depth: Round

The depth of God’s character is a central issue to the story of Jonah, the narrative ending on the question “Should I [God] not have compassion . . .” This inquisitive conclusion throws out any thought of God’s character as being presented in a flat way; Depths of God’s character are revealed in this short book. And yet this is not an ordinary depiction of a rounded character: Whereas most rounded characters are exposited by both flaws and virtues, failures and successes, God lacks detrimental aspects. This would seemingly relegate God to the flat end on a sliding scale of depth.

Many characters within the Book of Jonah voice an opinion regarding God’s mercy: The Ninevite King wonders if God will “relent” (3:9), the ship’s captain wonders whether God will be “concerned” for him and the ship’s company (1:6), and the titular Jonah declares that he knew God “relents” (4:2).

And so, even though God himself does not possess failure, does not fall like most rounded characters, there is still some question of God’s character which the Book of Jonah dives into, a revelation of who God is truly.

Roles: Antagonist

As surprising as it sounds, God’s role is very close to, if not in actuality, that of an antagonist. Baring Jonah, God would be the story’s protagonist: He has an overarching goal, and throughout the story, works to achieve it. However, this goal is set against the goal of Jonah, and the story primarily follows Jonah.