Esau in The Slave

As I scan The Slave looking for points to use in my paper, I'm noticing things that I skipped over when I first read it, which I should have questioned more.

First, references to Esau. Jacob calls Wanda a "daughter of Esau" on page 111. Then, on page 133 when Jacob is traveling back to Wanda's town, he reasons with himself that trying to save his unborn child is a virtuous act because "his seed would not be mingled with that of Esau." Then, on the next page, a random man shows Jacob the path he must take, and Jacob likens him to the prophet Elijah but then considers he might be "an emissary of Esau, sent by those powers who wished Jews and gentiles to mate."

I don't know about everybody else, but from what I remember about Esau, he was Jacob's brother whom Jacob stole the birthright and blessing from, and he was a hunter who liked meat.

Having just gone back to re-read Esau's story, I realized that the "sin" Jacob in The Slave keeps referring too is intermarriage between Jews and, in Esau's case, Canaanite women. So, if Wanda is truly a "daughter of Esau," one of her parents must be a Jew, which is obviously not true. And, I highly doubt that Esau would have emissaries urging Jews and gentiles to mate, because when Esau realized that intermarriage was displeasing to his father, he went out and married a Jew (as if one Jew among 15 Cannaanites would set things right? Esau was a poor fool).

But, I do understand the part of "his seed mingling with Esau," because in this context any gentiles could be descendants of Esau. And actually, Wanda could be a "daughter of Esau," in a distant sort of way.

After reading into this I kind of feel bad for Esau. He tried, but things didn't work out for him. It's hard when Jacob is your brother, I suppose.

Which brings me to the question: How is Jacob in The Slave like the Biblical Jacob?

It could be a whole new term paper.