“American Dreams, Desires, and Deception: Nationalistic Pride and Toxic Heteronormativity in Theodore Roosevelt's ‘The Strenuous Life'”

Braydon Dungan
University of Louisville

Abstract

Abstract: Research into Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Strenuous Life” has provided several arguments of racial, socioeconomic, and misogynistic biases present in its text. However, few studies have assessed how Roosevelt utilizes a sense of nationalism to support the perpetual toxic heteronormativity evident in the United States. My paper will address this question by examining the rhetorical structure of Roosevelt’s language and how it influences the underlying nationalistic connotations of his speech. I will discuss the divisions Roosevelt created in result of the boundaries he established regarding the ideal American man. These boundaries, in turn, created an additional strife in the lives of Americans who were not pro-war, heterosexual, white men. I will contextualize this claim by examining William Dean Howells’s “Editha.” This text will prove how “The Strenuous Life” challenges the heteronormativity present in the late 19th century. It will also serve as a pertinent illustration of Roosevelt’s damaging influence on the American identity. This is a fundamental examination crucial to understanding the United States’ current opinions on social justice. Roosevelt’s rhetoric has consistently misled generations of Americans, and his ideologies are still present in the American social system. Ultimately, I will argue that Roosevelt established a rigid structure only a privileged group of Americans could adhere to, thus further prolonging the cyclical heteronormativity still present in the United States.

Presentation