The first-person narration of Jacob Have I Loved determines many of the book's literary devices. Literary allusions are confined to books Louise has read, and the symbols in the novel derive from Louise's perceptions. Since a strict Methodism pervades Rass, it is not surprising that the Bible provides the chief source of allusion and symbolism.
Grandmother Bradshaw, a religious hypocrite, incites Louise's jealousy by citing Romans 9:13, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Louise cites Proverbs 25:24, "It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house with a contentious woman," to combat her grandmother's persecution of Susan. The value that Truitt and Susan place on good conduct, generosity, and love adheres more faithfully to the spirit of the Bible than Louise and Grandma Bradshaw's use of.....
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