Hurston formulated his identity to comment on the limitations that defining a person’s identity can bring. Moses avoids explicitly identifying himself with the Israelites, but his backstory is present as an indicator of his complex identity. Slavery Slavery is portrayed in the novel through the Israelites in Egypt. Hurston tells the story of the slavery and freedom of the Israelites from an African American perspective, portraying Moses as a figure of hope for the Israelites. In the traditional African American telling of the story of Moses, he is worshiped by the Israelites more than God himself. During slavery in the United States, God was a source of hope for those who were enslaved as well, which is reflected in Moses, Man of the Mountain. African Americans commonly relied on the Exodus narrative during the time of slavery, making the novel especially relatable to African Americans who were enslaved. Critical Reception Moses, Man of the Mountain received very mixed receptions originally, with some believing that the novel was useless and others believing it was powerful. Writing in the context of Adolf Hitler's rise to power, critic Mark Christian Thompson describes the novel as critiquing the authoritarian tactics of states, and becomes a metaphor critiquing the premises of National Socialism. Brad Hooper emphasizes Zora Neale Hurston’s importance as a writer during the Harlem Renaissance and writes that the novel is a metaphor for the black experience. Other writers, such as Valerie Boyd also believed that the novel was a masterpiece and was powerful in terms of Black literature. On the other hand, Alain Locke described the novel as caricature, believing that it did not portray anything of substance. Ralph Ellison, Robert Hemenway, and Lillie P. Howard also believed that the novel did nothing for Black fiction and considered it a failure. In the current day, the novel is used as a topic of discussion in writing often. References Further reading 1939 American novels Cultural depictions of Moses Hoodoo (spirituality) Novels by Zora Neale Hurston