Graybill & Guillaume/Ruth, 12. Who is the Central Character in the Book of Ruth

This book is entitled “Ruth,” but who is actually the central character of the book? Mathematical methods for analyzing narrative can shed light on this. In a previous work we applied the mathematics of social network analysis to the book. This analysis suggested that Boaz was the most central character. Here we apply more sophisticated social network analysis techniques, which identify either Ruth, Naomi, or Boaz as the most central character. Exploring this conflict, we use the mathematics of sentiment analysis to show that the narrative divides naturally into four acts, which correspond to the existing chapters. These acts are: 1. Naomi’s Tragedy , 2. Ruth’s Dilemma , 3. Ruth Obeys , and 4. Boaz Acts , with central characters Naomi, Ruth, Ruth, and Boaz respectively. As the spotlight of the narrative shifts, so does the central character: the book is not a simple story about one person.