Individualism battles Conformity

I found that a prominent theme in all three texts was the battle against conformity or being ashamed of ones natural desires.

In Blankets, Craig is constantly questioning his direction in life, whether he should pursue art or the ministry, and his mentors reinforce the latter regardless of his desires. He struggles with independence from Raina, his parents, his peers, etc.

"So what's with the way you kids dress? is it the GRUNGE thing?" said by Dave pg. 265. 

This passage is important with my topic because it shows Craig's individualistic style of clothing is just another genre to someone else. Even when he dresses in his own unique way, he is following suit with another crowd. It's almost like complete independence is impossible.

In the story Oranges... Jeanette has unnatural passions according to her religious beliefs. Her feelings are of love though, making them impure by nature, but naturally pure to her. With her relations with Melanie and Katy she still finds a way to continue her church going and participation, while having secret love affairs with women on the side. A conflict of beliefs is all that separated her from her parents. 

"Unnatural Passions." said by Pastor Finch pg. 85.

This passage describes all three books in two simple words. It symbolizes Craig's lust towards art, Jeanette's affection for women over men, and Mayella Ewell's attraction to Tom Robinson. Even though all three subjects were as natural as breathing to the characters, societies norm was against them and while some prevailed, some fell into conformity changing their story (Mayella) to condemn someone else for their aspirations. 

"No sir, they oughta do away with juries. He wasn't guilty in the first place and they said he was." said by Jem pg. 220. 

I chose this passage over one with Jeanette because it's impact on me was evident. Jem is very passionate on truth and justice being served and when Tom is sentenced to death for a crime that he did not commit, Jem is outraged. He wishes for the jury system in his entirety to be done away with. He finds people's actions to be selfish and for the good of their image, compared to the right thing to do. Tom didn't rape Mayella, but because she is white and he is black, the white opinion will always win in court. Atticus told Jem this and Jem rebells against the premise completely. He won't accept the close mindedness of the world, and finds it hard to even tolerate it. He has very strong convictions for such a young man and will not falter in them by any force.

All three books share this perspective; society is unchangeable and unimaginative in their understanding. It reflects on conservative close mindedness in the states, racism, bigotry, or any other prejudice that is unjustifiable. Although I don't personally practice homosexuality, and according to most religions I find myself relating to it is sinful, I would never condemn a person for their beliefs. The same as I wouldn't condemn a man to death for a crime, without undeniable evidence that he actually committed it. One should never abandon their beliefs, if they are justifiable, because of outside influence.

Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing

I believe in things that would seem impossible to most. Anything that the imagination can conjure; that is what flows through my head. I watch movies of all kinds and my favorite have fantastical situations to which would not normally happen in the world. So you ask, does he believe in fairies? Trolls? Well, sadly in this day and age I hear they are impossible to find. For those who are believers of an entity that created everything like myself, I find anything would be possible. If one being can create the universe and everything in it, it's totally understandable for unicorns to exist. It would simply have to be the desire of the creator. To my disappointment, I'm afraid that wasn't part of the plan. Although magical creatures don't lurk in the shadows or roam the forest, there are plenty of wonders that catch my eye. Pyramids, rain forests, intelligence, photography. 

I believe in all things that makes a person feel like himself. I enforce the virtues of right and wrong; knowing the difference and practicing one while combating the other. Pursuing ones dreams, because they give you focus and purpose. If someone has a dream of becoming a serial killer, well I'd say they need to find some help because that is clearly wrong. If a boy wants to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro however, lets get him some training, lots of  veggies, and watch him ascend that mountain. I don't think that everything is as simple as black and white. Many things have a great void of gray to which people may have different opinions. Stealing for example is illegal and immoral. Yet I have friends that have vast amounts of copied DVD's and computer softwares that were not quite purchased with money. I don't consider them criminals, yet on all movies the FBI warning states they can go to prison and be subjected to pay fines of great amounts. A simple scenario of the miss-interpretation of laws and/or morals. So without a doubt I would take the red pill, and save the blue pill for a midnight snack.

Most of my beliefs are traditional, in the sense that my parents raised me, therefore they had a great deal of impact on my development. As people grow older they become more individual rather than copies of their parents, and that is when differences of opinion can occur. When dating someone, their beliefs tend to mesh into your life, vise versa, and your entire system is a now a collage more so than a distinct picture.

I know when I dated a girl in high school, we dated 3 years and saw one another on a daily basis for the majority of that time. Naturally I would start to pick up habits of hers, and she would begin behaving in manners that were alien to her years before. You begin sharing interests and developing entirely new ones. Finally when that relationship ended I found that my life would be very different. It was hard to picture anything because I didn't have a solid frame to look through. My behaviors would begin to change, interests would fall and become a faint memory, while new ones would develop once again. It was the same process as when the relationship began, except with different circumstances. That little drama changed me in a million different ways, yet in many ways I just reverted back to the person that I thought I remembered myself as. 

There is no clear view on the world from any one person that can be valid or invalid. Everything is taken through an individual perception which counters everyone else's. This can be noticed in Harpers book in many ways. Atticus believes in empathy and justice, not judging people and forgiving them for their ignorance. He is the central source of moral in the story and it radiates from him to his children. Most of the people in the town believe that the "negros" are inferior and of little use except for menial tasks. Atticus defends Tom regardless of the discrimination he might be subjected to and believes in his innocence, while the jury is racist and prejudice, believing the lies Mayella because of her skin color. The very dilemma of Tom being killed and injustice being served is thick in the writing. Evil vs good is a very prevalent theme in the story taking its form in various ways from Boo Radley, to Atticus himself. 

In Harper's Bildunsroman, Scout and Jem go from two innocent children, to two very different adolescents who have had a taste of the bitter reality that the world has to offer. They struggle to hold on to their ideas of good and its overpowering of evil when they see that their father's efforts were not applauded in the trial, but put aside and Tom Robinson was condemed anyway.

Segregation and Scout's advance to the intellect of adulthood

Indivisible it says. Our country has never been such in any way. Civil wars, poverty, religious views: simply three examples of how divisible our country truly is. Since it was established it has been impossible for everyone to see "eye to eye" except when discriminating against a common factor. Whether that factor be based on race, sex, social circumstance, or any other characteristic a human may possess, it is the only thing that has the power to unify people. 

It took the catastrophe of 9/11 to wake people up and embrace one another for the common goal of helping those in need. A vast amount of people must die for society to realize their faults: that's at least the message our country has been encoding into our minds by their actions. 

I find it detestable that such vast boundaries between peoples of different beliefs are current in my life. Because of the actions of a few, many must suffer stereotype. Because of Columbine, trench coats were banned from high schools, middle-eastern peoples are thought as terrorists at first glance, african-americans as less intelligent and economically sound compared to white men. Japanese were imprisoned during WWII because they appeared the same as the enemy regardless to whether they were even from Japan. While these stereotypes are gathered from different eras, they all share a common perception in which I call "just in case." Just in case the rumors are true, I will assume what I  fear is true.

I have been subject to stereotypes becoming reality in this very town, to my great dissatisfaction, but I refuse to give up on the whole because of the actions of a few. This country is progressing slowly, and even though it has made many changes, it has far to travel still. 

I admire Scout and her deep understanding for such a young girl. She is the black sheep of Maycomb, as far as stereotypes for ladies in the south goes. Wearing overalls and climbing trees with the boys, she is fearless and the perfect example of what people should follow. She does not adhere to society's expectations, rather sets expectations for herself and pursues them with full impudence. 

She is a little girl with big morals as the story begins, and by the end she has even more of an adult frame of mind towards understanding human goodness, while not being oblivious to evil. At first she doesn't understand the differences between herself and the negro children, with financial status or their standing in the  social caste that exists in Maycomb at least. Her understanding is novice yet developed in certain ways. While Jem is experiencing many changes while he goes through puberty, Scout asks Atticus if Jem might have a tapeworm on pg. 105. This shows that while she may be further along than most children her age, some simple things have yet to enter her field of experience just yet. I think it adds an innocence to her character that hasn't been tainted by age.

With the absence of her age in the text, one would probably assume she is at least mid-way through her teenage years. Yet she is barely in grammar school. Her point of view is always open throughout the novel and with more experience she grows more understanding towards the visible prejudice in Maycomb. 

Her aunt is the very personification of ideals and traditions that she fights against. She would usually be the nurturing motherly figure that fills in the absence of the actual mother. In this story however, Jem and Scout find friendship from family friend and widow Miss Maudie Atkinson. Sharing the same passion for justice, she is a good role model for Scout who follows similar manners as her father.