Blog Post #5

Oleanna is an interesting piece of literature to criticize because it brings about so many conflicting emotional reactions among its audience members.  The way the play is written causes audience members to “cheer” for characters and situations that would normally cause them to be upset or angry.  The play also explores a topic that often brings about heated debates and arguments: sexual harassment.  Most of us are familiar with the “do’s” and “don’ts” regarding sexual harassment, especially in a professional setting, because we have had to suffer through that awful video filmed in the 80’s that Human Resources requires you to watch.  However, when it comes to actual experience, it can prove to be quite difficult not to overstep that line.  One of the big problems is that every person interprets words and actions differently. We are all living different lives, and our experiences as individuals have great impacts on the way we perceive things.  Oleanna really explores this issue and the fact that in some situations, it can be hard to determine who is right and who is wrong.

                In Act I of the play, Carol seems to be a somewhat annoying student who is having trouble in one of her classes.  However, at the beginning of Act II, the audience comes to find out that she has filed false allegations of sexual harassment against John.   At this point, she becomes what one critic refers to as “’just a stereotype that audiences can join in hating’” (Goggans par. 1).  The audience usually takes John’s side because from most people’s perspective, he did not sexually harass her.  While John has done most of the things that Carol stated in her report, she completely exaggerated his actions to mean much more than they did (Curry par. 1).  It is simply impossible for most people to sympathize with her because it is obvious that John has no ill intentions, and the man is on the verge of having his life ruined by this girl.  She loses all sympathy from the audience “as her claims grow preposterous” by alleging that John raped her when clearly he had not (Curry par. 1).  John definitely overstepped some professional lines that he should have been more cautious about, but his intentions never seem to be anything but trying to help a student who has asked for it.

Many people agree that there is no “right” or “wrong” person in this play, but it definitely brings up the issues of intention and misinterpretation.  Some critics like to argue that Carol seems to come from a background of sexual abuse and possibly incest (Goggans par. 5).  She says things like “’I’m stupid’” and “’nobody wants me’” and at one point she asks John if she “’[said] something wrong’” (Goggans par. 6).  According to a psychologist by the name if Dianne Cleveland, these phrases are signs of low self-esteem and shame that come with being sexually abused (Goggans par. 7).  Her false allegations against John and her body language when she is near him show considerable amounts of distrust, but most people do not see a reason for this unless she experienced traumatic things when she was younger.  This would explain why she misconstrued John’s actions into being sexual when his intentions were purely professional.  It is nearly impossible to really determine who is right in their situation, but the way the play is written definitely causes the audience to lean more toward supporting and defending John than sympathizing with Carol.