Women\u27s Silenced Anger: A Feminist Reading of Susanna

The story of Susanna tells of a woman sexually assaulted, accused of adultery, sentenced to death, and then saved by the prophet Daniel. Throughout the narrative, Susanna seems passive while she endures this dire experience. Underneath her outwardly submissive behavior and silence characteristic of biblical women, she is, I suggest, fuming with anger. This exegesis challenges Susanna’s historically docile interpretation by reading the story through a feminist lens of women’s anger. After problematizing common interpretations of Susanna’s character, I offer an empowered reading of Susanna that imbues her with agency by shifting attention to her anger. Within this interpretation, Susanna’s narrative has the potential to speak to the experience of millions of women who have endured sexual violence