The Representation Of President John Adams In Tom Hooper’s Miniseries And Adams’s Life Writings: A Comparison With The American Cultural Figures Of His Time

Résumé: This dissertation studies the representation of President John Adams in Tom Hooper’s miniseries John Adams and the latter’s life Writings. It explains why Hooper seeks to rehabilitate John Adams in the context of the terrorist attack of America in September 11, 2001. Following a historicist approach, four major findings are reached. One John Adams stands for a political republicanism that modern America seems to have forgotten. This political republicanism is contrasted with both economic republican, the popular republicanism, which is used into screen in the present day America. Two, John Adams is represented as a self-made man whose success story is built on high ideals rather materialism. His association with the American Dream is meant as a criticism of contemporary America’s material economic version of the American Dream. Three, John Adams and his wife Abigail illustrate gender relations based on equality not subordination. In a sense, the portrayal of the Adamses is addressed as a critique to the Bush family as another example American presidential family. Four, the miniseries shows strong belief in politics and diplomacy to solve domestic and international problems. John Adams is portrayed as a politician with a low profile. His leadership is not authoritarian since it is marked by delegation of power. Five Adams is used to rehabilitate New England and move particularly, Massachusetts as a central of American politics. Through Adams, Massachusetts and New England it is the American Revolution that Tom Hooper goes back to, to celebrate American ideals. Six, Adams’s politics is described as being non-partisan. This constitutes an indirect critique of partisanship politics of contemporary America. II

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