Overcoming the Past and Forging New Identities in Memoirs by Ex-Amish Women

Amish societies seek separation from the outside world and reject many core American values, such as rugged individualism and gender equality. Retaining a traditional way of life in the face of modernity, media attention and technology has been a primary concern of the Amish for years. Yet the interest in this religious minority has never been greater, interest that fuels the demand for Amish romance novels and TV shows. Many of these representations either idealize Amish life or portray damaging representations of this closed group. Popular “reality” TV shows produce distorted images of the Amish in the name of profit and mindless entertainment. The characters on these programs are mostly scripted figments of imagination that mock or trivialize the trauma and actual experience of the Amish and ex-Amish. Nevertheless, the trauma of putting one’s past behind and starting over in unfamiliar surroundings is real and enduring.

After introducing memoir theory, I will analyze the struggles of young Amish women to flee the margins and adapt to life beyond the bonnet. The ex-Amish memoirs by Saloma Miller Furlong and Emma Gingrich will provide the basis for this study. Leaving the Amish with only an eighth-grade education and limited access to financial resources is especially difficult for young women. Identity construction as well as themes, such as gender roles, sexuality, and abuse, will be treated. Memoir empowers these authors to chronicle ordinary life in diverse Amish contexts, analyze trauma-laden experiences, and creatively share their own stories of escape and transformation.