The Book of Esther which we read on Purim is a literary masterpiece. The author utilizes dozens of literary techniques: symbolism, irony, hyperbole, repetition, foreshadowing, enantiodromia (things becoming their opposite) and many, many more.
Beyond the artistry, though, the megillah is a profoundly spiritual document—precisely because it never mentions the name of G-d!
Some theology, huh?
In excluding the name of G-d, the megillah becomes a profound metaphor for our condition as Jews in exile. Unlike every other book of the Tanach, the action in Esther is all in the diaspora (specifically, Persia). And unlike other books where G-d evidently reigns supreme, in Esther, it is the drunken buffoon of a king who doesn’t even deserve the respect of his wife Vashti, much less our respect.
One deliciously symbolic evidence of this is the fact that in most megillot, the first word in each column is Hamelech, “the king.”—here, referring to the drunken bum. On the high holidays, the Cantor begins his chanting with the powerful declaration “Hamelech yoshev al kisei ram v’nisa” “the King [the real Divine king] sits upon His high and exalted throne.” The rabbis, in a rather tongue in cheek expression, noted that Yom Hakippurim, the Day of Atonement, is a yom k’purim, “a day like Purim.” Like Purim, but as different as night and day.
Unlike, say, the exodus from Egypt, the Jews of Persia were not rescued by divine intervention, but rather by the political maneuvering of Mordechai and the courage and resourcefulness of Esther.
Or so it seems. But in the Book of Esther, nothing is as it seems. Because over and over again, things “happen” for reasons we don’t understand. The king “just happens” to order Vashti to dance before the drunken assembly, setting in motion the events that will lead to the rise of Esther. Mordechai “just happens” to overhear a plot against the king. The king “just happens’ to have a sleepless night and learns of Mordechai’s loyalty. Haman (may his name be blotted out) “just happens” to show up just when the king decides to reward Mordechai.
That’s a lot of “just happening.”