The Chosen of God: Interrogating Fatherhood, Hegemonic Masculinity and the “Chosen” Family/Nation in Noah (2014)

Abstract

Darren Aronofsky’s Noah (2014) is a Hollywood Biblical epic film, re-imagining the tale of Prophet Noah from the Old Testament of the Bible, who is “chosen” by the Biblical God for a divine quest. Considering the American nationalistic agendas of the 20th century Biblical epic responding to the dominant geopolitical events of the time, this article reads the primary text against articulations of (masculinized) American nationalism in a post-9/11 and “War and Terror” world. With concerns of America going “soft” after the attacks of 9/11, the idea of “manning up” by harkening back to traditional modes of manhood and heteronormative patriarchal gender roles was a method of reclaiming (masculine) power. Religion was also used to articulate American nationalist creeds and belief systems to a global audience by the American political establishment. In the time of President Obama, rooted in Biblical teachings, fatherhood was foregrounded as the bedrock of the nation, illustrating the interplay of masculinity, religion and American nationalism. Through a focus on the politics of the “chosen” man/family/nation in Noah, I attempt to explicate contemporary constructions of fatherhood, masculinity, and nationalism as projected in mainstream American cinema.