Term Paper on "Erving Goffman's Stigma"

Term Paper 4 pages (1307 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Stigma in Easy a

There are a number of contradictory stigmas in Will Gluck's Easy a, which result from the two opposing belief systems that rule the film's setting, Ojai High School. It is true that cuius regio, eius religio (whose realm, his religion) -- and the case is in point here: there is the Protestant Christian governing body, essentially led by Marianne; and then there is the liberal establishment, essentially led by the "popular" crowd. The former sees sexual promiscuity or immorality as a stigma; the latter sees the lack of heterosexual activity as a stigma. Where the two finally merge, however, into one condemning viewpoint is with the condemnation of infidelity (either to truth or to one's spouse) and the spread of disease (which may be seen as a corollary to the first). The film portrays a number of characters, each of whom suffers from at least one of these stigmas in the eyes of at least one of these groups. This paper will analyze the characters and their stigmas and show the trajectory of their moral career paths.

As Erving Goffman notes, "The Greeks, who were apparently strong on visual aids, originated the term stigma to refer to bodily signs designed to expose something unusual and bad about the moral status of the signifier" (11). According to this definition, the stigma most literally presented in the film is that of Olive Penderghast, who voluntarily wears the letter "A" (announcing her kinship to Hawthorne's Hester Prynne) in an effort to stymie criticism of her moral status. She begins the film as a normal (with a degree of anonymity), but by showing that she does not care what Marianne's tribe thinks of her, she loses her anonymity and her normalcy. Indeed, by setting herself against the idea of "normalcy," she imagines the harassment will lose its flavor for those who point fingers. In other words, she hopes to undermine the stigma (of sexual immorality) by proudly embracing the stigma. Hers is a character stigma, foisted upon her by the Protestant tribe.

Olive is restored to normalcy by returning to the truth. The hidden standard of actual normalcy in the film is brought into relief by Todd (who represents Goffman's normal). Todd is neither rash in his judgments nor naive. He neither condones nor disapproves of the supposed promiscuity -- but that is because he does not believe the rumors are true. (He is aware of Olive's tendency to lie). Thus, the movie gives legitimacy to high and low grounds of moral behavior. Todd embraces Olive once she confesses her lies: the stigma of dishonesty is erased. But the stigma issues of promiscuity vs. lack of sexual activity are never clearly resolved. They remain so long as the opposing tribes remain. Olive and Todd, however, ride off into the sunset (where it is supposed they may be preserved from either tribe and perhaps establish their own).

Like Olive, her friend Brandon also suffers from a stigma, but his is that of being gay. He does not engage in normative heterosexual activity and is bullied by the sexually liberated tribe. By pretending to have sex with Olive, he is granted legitimacy (at least in the eyes of the liberated tribe; in the eyes of the Protestant tribe, he simply helps to further undue Olive's reputation). Brandon's is a tribal stigma, for he is associated with a backwards tribe (the homosexual community). He employs the covering strategy to ease his contact with others in social settings. Olive assists his covering by pretending to sleep with him. She, of course, cannot cover her own stigma -- thus she tries to pass with it.

Marianne embraces the gestalt of disability, since she perceives all those who fall below her moral standard as being blind and deaf -- which causes her to shout all the more loudly. But Olive is not deaf nor blind: she merely does not… READ MORE

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