46 pages 1 hour read

Zora Neale Hurston

Moses, Man of the Mountain

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1939

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Chapters 10-19Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 10 Summary

Moses travels through the night, dreaming of a new nation where people are truly equal. As he moves through farmland and down the Nile, Moses decides to dedicate his life to observing and communicating with nature. He spends time watching the life cycles of animals and plants as he travels. After three days, Moses reaches the Red Sea. The fishermen lining the beaches recognize him as a prince, and demand high prices to carry him across. An old man offers Moses a different option: a small straight of land accessible only at low tide, which Moses can simply walk across. On the other side of the Red Sea, Moses relaxes into the knowledge that he is free from the restraints of his life in Egypt and starting a new life of his own choosing.

Chapter 11 Summary

Moses meditates on the journey that brought him out of Egypt, reflecting on the good he had hoped to do there and the abuse he suffered because of it. He wonders if goodness can ever be rewarded. He walks until evening when he finds a resting place for caravans. The nomads dance and sing raunchy songs. Two men threaten each other and almost come to blows, but both back off.