Moses, Second Ed‪.‬

Frances Watkins Harper’s novel Moses: A Story of the Nile is a retelling of the story of Moses from the Old Testament. However, Harper’s story centers on the child Moses, rather than the man Moses. Some scholars believe Harper does this to stress the feminine in legend, showing the influence Moses' mother had on him as a cultivator of a leader and prophet and in helping him to establish his self-identity as a Jew. The Mosaic legend is a theme in many of Harper’s works. She admitted her fascination with the story and in her famous speech “Our Greatest Want,” she expressed a desire for a leader and prophet like Moses for the Black race.