One of the objectives of books is to reach out to the reader, and provide a life lesson, or make the reader see things from a new perspective. The easiest way to make sure the message is taught is to provide a clear and blatant explanation of what should be learned. Some authors however, choose to be more challenging and make the readers think on a higher level in order to learn the lesson. In other words, part of learning the lesson is thinking about the possible meanings behind the writing. One of the greatest texts to utilize this concept of implicit and explicit meanings is the Bible. Many stories in the Bible provide a clear message, while some of the other stories require a great deal of insight before a conclusion is reached. The Book of Job is an example of a story in the Bible, in which deep thought is required in order to see the more powerful, implicit meaning of the text.
When asking people what the meaning of the Book of Job is, the answer is rapidly given in simplistic terms, "the patience of Job." Patience has been one of the more explicit meanings taught by the Book of Job. Popular teachings and conceptions force people to believe that through all of the suffering endured by Job, he maintains his pious nature. Practically all aspects of Job's life are taken from him, yet in the end Job is able to apologize to God and remain religiously devout. People choose to look at the beginning and end of the story to say that Job is faithful, yet the same people neglect the fact that in the middle of the story Job does nothing but question God and his authority. The middle section of the story is what makes the more intelligent people think of the implicit meanings.
For the more insightful readers of the bible, the question that should be raised about the Book of Job is the concept of retributive justice. Retributive justice is the straightforward concept of getting what you deserve.
