Illustrations of Conformity
Conformity, perhaps the most cumbersome of all social pressures, appears many times throughout Literature. For instance, in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," the element of conformity appears, as an excuse for the main character to engage in conduct that he realizes is wrong. In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," conformity appears in a very different aspect. In this story, we venture into a seemingly average village to learn how the pressure to conform can be so powerful that people, who would otherwise be very much like any of us, repeatedly engage in a barbaric custom, with conforming to an age old tradition being the only reasoning for their actions. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," conformity drives the main character into madness, as she goes against her better judgment to adhere to the protocol prescribed by her husband. What gives conformity its tremendous strength? To answer that question, let us delve further into this timeless issue that continues to plague society, with an analysis of it's significance in the aforementioned literary works. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," we see conformity compel Young Goodman to participate, in a satanic, pagan coven, where the participants are all his neighbo
In the "Yellow Wallpaper," conformity becomes the ultimate downfall of a feminist spirit in a time when feminism was stifled by a male dominated society. The main character in this story appears to be the victim of post- partum depression, although the type of depression and eventual dementia that the woman falls victim to is never really disclosed. In any case, her husband and brother, who are physicians, both prescribe to her bed rest as treatment for her "nervous condition," which was actually standard protocol from the medical expertise of that era. Against her own autonomous feelings about what would be best for herself, she continues to conform to the advice of her husband, until it drives her to madness. The dangers of conformity are clearly the theme of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." In this story, we are introduced to an average village, where for years a violent tradition has continued to thrive. Despite the villager's insinuations at their desire to do away with the lottery, none are willing to stand out against their many perceived adversaries {pg.313}. Perhaps, the adversity would not be as strong as thy perceive it to be. Unfortunately, they will never know, because none were willing to resist conformity. Therein lies the most powerful asset of con
Some common words found in the essay are:
Yellow Wallpaper, Goodman Brown, Jackson's Lottery, Perkins Gilman, , goodman brown, main character, nathaniel hawthorne's goodman, Hawthorne's Goodman, Shirley Jackson's, Nathaniel Hawthorne's, yellow wallpaper conformity, pgs 306, average village, conformity appears, hawthorne's goodman, shirley jackson's lottery, adage minds, hawthorne's goodman brown, jackson's lottery, nathaniel hawthorne's, shirley jackson's,
Approximate Word count = 870
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
