Relationship Between Society And The Individual

From the ideas shared in the novel, it is evident that the writer defines his ideal society in the form of an antithesis of existing society. The author takes the initiative of informing the American population - using the novel’s romantic medium - on matters concerning individualism, which is notable in an argument by Andrew Carnegie who claims

In a community, people understand and know each other. In most cases, individuals grow up together and share the same ideals and customs. When a new person shows up, people tend to flock and try to form a persona of the person. Many people expect him or her to fit into the community very fast and follow their laws and customs without complaint. Unfortunately, not everyone can act as a perfect person, and mistakes or problems can occur, which leads to the isolation and alienation of the person from the rest of the community. Through the use of a historical lens in the 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores how the isolation of people and alienation of the communities who enact the isolation occurs from the strict belief structure of the Puritan communities; therefore, people need to forgive the mistakes and wrongs of others if they show remorse for their actions.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, a novel set in an early 17th century American Puritanical colony, highlights the struggle between societal conformation and moral independence. Matthieson quite accurately contends that Hawthorne intentionally conveyed the novel’s fundamental themes through their association with distinct locations around the Massachusetts Bay Colony; expression of such themes are most evident in places such as the marketplace, the scaffold, and the forest. The marketplace and the scaffold are similar in that they both often serve as focal points of Puritanical pressures, but the forest provides reprieve from these tensions. The forest symbolizes freedom that is forbidden by society due to the fact that it is described

Societies build rules to help individuals, but they often harm or repress the individual instead. People face the frustration of having their persona and very identity stifled by the laws society expects them to support. Because obeying these rigid rules results in miserable conformity and a lack of self-expression, they must choose between following the law or staying true to themselves. Challenging society instead of following it blindly reveals greatness within a person; it takes true strength to resist the lifestyle and laws followed by everyone. One perfect example of this inflexibility can be seen in the fundamental ideology of Puritan society. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne address this dilemma and his attitude

Slavery was a very sensitive issue during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was so much of a sensitive issue that it was one of the primary causes that split up the United States in half and divided the nation causing a civil war. During the time, both the stories of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe refuted the pro-slavery argument by somewhat igniting a flame in Americans minds and causing them to realize that the economic and political effects of slavery weren’t enough to justify it. In addition, the story within the Blessings of Slavery refines a new way of thinking from a slave’s perspective and cultivates the idea that “the free laborer is more of a slave than the Negro, because he works longer and harder for less allowance than the slave” (Fitzhugh, pg1).

When comparing different 19th century American authors, it becomes clear that societal influences play a major role in their views about man’s virtues and ideologies. For example, authors from the transcendentalism period focus on different themes than authors who are dark romanticists. Two authors we studied this semester relate very differently on themes of conformity, individuality, and wisdom. Unlike Hawthorn, Ralph Waldo Emerson did not follow the norms of society, Emerson was a strong advocate for self reliance; but Hawthorn did not follow the norms in his writing style so both of these writers were somewhat of outcasts.

There are always high expectations for everyone due to society's standards. Back in the Medieval times, men had chivalry and was willing to do anything to go back home and been known as a hero, like in the story Beowulf by Beowulf Poet. Similar stories about chivalry and bravery are “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, by Gawain Poet and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, by Geoffrey Chaucer. By looking at the early literature of Britain, it is bad for people to try to live up to the ideals of their society because there are many problems with society.

Despite writing in different time periods, Nathanial Hawthorne and Benjamin Franklin both demonstrate strong opinions about democratic equality in America. Through his short stories, Hawthorne writes cautionary tales demonstrating the fear and confusion that Puritan characters have when they discover the sinfulness of others. Franklin writes about the inequality in America but gives the reader a method for overcoming this inequality and making the most out of oneself. While Franklin and Hawthorne both argue for democratic equality, there are important differences in their writings in the way to achieve equality. Throughout this paper, I will compare and contrast these two authors and then make the argument that Hawthorne’s writings are more persuasive since they demonstrate the constant struggle between morality and individualism, a challenge that still exists in the 21st century.

Some two hundred years following the course of events in the infamous and rigid Puritan Massachusetts Colony in the 1600s, Nathaniel Hawthorne, descendant of a Puritan magistrate, in the 19th century, published The Scarlet Letter. Wherein such work, Hawthorne offered a social critique against 17th Massachusetts through the use of complex and dynamic characters and literary Romanticism to shed light on said society’s inherent contradiction to natural order and natural law.

Many people across the world have their own definition and beliefs of the word individualism. There is nothing selfish to be able to express ones personality and internal emotions. Being an individual alone could value a person’s overall true character. The claim presented would be opposed by many because people like to feel independent and self-reliant. Individualism in today’s society lets people express themselves, and helps create something small into something big. For a long time now individualism has existed since the founding of our country. History was created by those who showed independence and proved that an individual can do it all.

The cornerstone of freedom is built upon human nature. Through man’s societal development and evolution; however, certain minuscule liberties are sacrificed for the enhancement of the common good. It is only when such a gradual progression turns swiftly around a new corner, that these limitations are boldened by a more oppressive, stricter society. Eventually, in the midst nature and fate, the very blood of mankind will become sullied, yet preserved by rule of law and strict social order keeping its people healthy, yet also removed from their inherent tendencies and natural desires. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter, he depicts the contrast between nature and oppressive rule of law through the harsh reality of Puritan

Distrust and suspicion are innate human qualities that every person will experience in their lifetime. The romanticism movement in American literature invokes these human qualities into its works, targeting the distrust and suspicion towards society and social order. Institutions and other restrictors of human liberty are viewed as shams in the sense that they don’t reveal the inner truth. Instead, romantic authors argue that to truly grasp the inner truth, they have to separate themselves, both mentally and physically, from civilization and enter the natural world. Hawthorne, in his work Young Goodman Brown, emphasizes that the inner, revealing truth is in nature and not in structured society.

In the 19th century, a new ideology called Romanticism emerged, pushing back against strict conformist beliefs and relying on nature, individualism, and emotion. Many writings from this time period are still being discussed because of their relatability to modern societal problems. Of the many Romantic writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville effectively explain the negative effects of society on individuals. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne narrates a Romantic story of a young woman in the Puritan Era who is convicted of adultery and has to face being a social outcast. On the other hand, in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” Herman Melville examines the story of Bartleby, a copyist who mysteriously refuses to work and is, therefore, put in jail. Both Hawthorne and Melville use the characterization of Hester Prynne and Bartleby as nonconformists to critique the effect society’s evils have on the Romantic ideal of individualism in order to remind their readers that despite the human inclination to conform to one’s society, self-reliance is more important than the status quo to support progress for humanity.

An individual's role in society can vary with the number themes the characters exhibit. When there are signs of fate, cruelties, weaknesses, and desires for justice and catharsis the role of an individual becomes more complicated. In Antigone, most of those themes are shown thus a single person's influence or role on society is very small and complicated to attain. However in The Lottery the society has most of the control and there is not many signs of those characteristics so the role of a person is simplified because they are nothing compared to the society combined. Finally, in The Penalty of Death, there are signs of many of the themes but since it is the societies influence against that of an individuals, it is simplified because

To begin I want to start with how much society means to a person. Many may not notice that some people act and do what they do because of society's standards. Society has became a huge competition for many people on the way they dress and how they look. Social media has a huge impact on this one problem. Women today go on social media to see what other people are wearing or doing for the day. Creating social media helped created the society we live in today. Social media is not the main cause but it is one of the big causes of this problem we have. Women choosing to change how they look is becoming a huge problem in the world we have today. Everyone wants to have that perfect body that everyone talks about when in reality everyone is perfect in their own way.