The Myth Of The American Identity In American Melodrama

Melodrama reflects and constructs ideology. In American
melodrama, the dominant social group imposed its ideology by
constructing the standard American identity and its opposite through the
heroes and villains. In the four plays discussed, the standard is pictured
through the heroes in terms of their ability to get financial success, their
acceptance of the Protestant moral codes, and their being white. Thus,
in the world of melodrama people of color as well as financially
deprived people are marginalized.