The Battle of Conformity Essays - 1017 Words

The Battle of Conformity In literature, there are four main types of conflicts: man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society and, the toughest one of them all, man vs. himself. In the novels The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, both of the main characters have large conflicts with themselves. They battle with their conscience to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. â€Å"So [they] beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past† (Fitzgerald 189). I see this battle every day in the high school world. There is always someone who breaks under peer pressure even though that person knows it is wrong. It’s the battle of conformity. The narrator of The Kite Runner, Amir,†¦show more content†¦He impressed his father when he was little by kite fighting, but when he grew older he stopped conforming and focused on his true passion: writing. Even though he had been a victim of conformity, he was able to stand u p for himself and take a hold of what he wanted to do in life. This shows that even if peer pressure dominates a person’s life, they can still turn things around and head in the right direction. While Amir struggles with conforming to Baba, Nick, the main character in Fitzgerald’s well-known novel, The Great Gatsby, struggles with conforming to society. He finds it hard to do what is right when everyone around him is stuck in the muck of immorality. He is submerged into this world of drunken parties and promiscuous spouses; he doesn’t know what to do. Throughout the book, Nick observes and participates in illegal alcohol consumption at the many parties he attends. He realizes that it is all wrong and he should stop it, but he decides it would be better to simply fit in. Nick also witnesses his friend, Tom, cheat on his wife, Daisy, and later on in the novel Daisy turns around and cheats on Tom. He doesn’t know whether to intervene or to just let it play itself out like a day-time soap opera. This is one of the main conflicts he deals with throughout the book and plays a large role in his personality. He is willing to conform toShow MoreRelatedEssay on Co nformity and Rebellion834 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Lead or Follow† Should I conform? Should I rebel? This has and always will be, a constant battle struggled individually, or as a society. A certain amount of conformity needs to exist in life in order to avoid disorder. This is the reason we have laws. Take those laws, rules, control, or even expectations, to an extreme, and some form of rebellion is probable. Struggle with these opposites, and you have a catalyst for war, or perhaps, being fired from a job. Literature represents life, andRead MoreEssay on The Importance of Freedom569 Words   |  3 Pagesillustrate to us the hardships and rigorous tasks undertaken to give us our freedom. 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The main character is forced to conform to the clichà © laws and expectations of the laws and expectationsRead MoreTranscendentalism In Peter Weirs Dead Poet Society1017 Words   |  5 PagesTranscendentalism is artistic movement that values inspiration and individuality, it focuses on shying away from societal conformity, valuing intuition instead of reason and logic. The Dead Poets Society follows the lives of seven high schoolers and their English teacher, Mr. Keating, while they battle the social conformity expected within their prestigious school, versus expressing their individuality and true feelings. With the help of their teacher, Knox and Neil learn to think differently andRead MoreCharacteristics Of The American Dream1166 Words   |  5 Pagesdismays of communism still new in everybodys brain, Americans were anxious to come back to their foundations and demonstrate that the American lifestyle was the ideal approach to living. The period momentously merits its reputation as a decade of conformity, political consensus and economic prosperity. However, the hypocritical pattern of racial discrimination continued and millions of minorities were reduced to low paying labor intensive jobs no one else wanted to do. Post war economic prosperityRead MoreAdvantages and Disadvantages of Conformyit1528 Words   |  7 PagesThe advantages and disadvantages of conformity. The New Zealand Oxford dictionary defines conformity as accordance with established practise and agreement suitability. Conformity comes with many advantages and disadvantages. Conformity exists so people don’t feel left out. It also comes with many dangers such as losing your logic and forgetting whether what you’re doing is good or bad. An advantage of conformity is feeling that you’re not alone. You feel accepted and a part of a group where willRead MoreThe Idea Of Conformity Vs. Non Conformity Emerges1601 Words   |  7 Pages The idea of conformity vs. non-conformity emerges in the American issue for generations as the opposing views on this concept exemplify diverse consequences in choosing which path to follow. In the genre of one’s journey west toward self-discovery, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951 illustrates the journey of him and his friend’s across America in the post war beat generation, as they counteracted the societal norms of that time in order to discover his own true individuality.