Two women at the well: The “good wife” in patriarchal society

Abstract

Rebekah in Genesis, XXIV and the Samaritan girl in John’s Gospel, IV are the two characters of a diptych: both are portrayed while drawing water from a well. Yet Rebecca seems to be the pattern of the ‘good wife’ and the Samaritan girl – on the contrary – the pattern of the ‘bad wife’, according to patriarchal morals. So the act of drawing water from a well becomes a symbol of woman’s subjection to man during patriarchism. In contemporary times, a short story of Grazia Deledda’s abolishes woman’s subjection, replacing it by husband’s and wife’s complementarity.