American Dream Of Individuality Analysis

Mario Pengili
3-14-14
4th hour
American Dream of Individuality What do Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Barrack Obama all have in Common? They all embraced the American dream of individuality and changed the whole world, they did not try to fallow the ideas of the general public, they were individual thinkers that had their own ideas, and thoughts. Most people conform to the world, they try to fallow the footsteps of others and expect the same success. However, everyone on earth is different, and what works for one guy won't work for the next, but in the end people still try to follow the path that everyone else takes, which leads to a small amount of people actually making a difference in the world, and the rest failing. But, the
people who choose to not conform, and make their own path, are the ones that really make a difference in society and in the world. If more people choose to not conform to the worlds views, and have their own individual thoughts and ideas the world would improve greatly in all aspects. The idea that, people who embrace the American dream of individualism are the ones who better society is seen in the "Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The characters in the story that improved the town of Salem where the ones " that signed their soul to the black man (171)" , and were shunned from the community. Even though the towns people in the story did not like Hester, Mistress Hibbins, and later on Dimmsdale, all three still did what they knew was best to do for themselves, and the community. they did not fold under the pressure of a town that hates them, like most people would do, they kept doing the duties that they thought were right. Nathaniel Hawthorne is suggesting that embracing the American dream of individualism is empowering, and that those who embrace it are the ones that end up improving society. Hester Prynne embraced the American dream of individuality by staying in Salem, a town that shunned her, to help out people in the town, even though most people in the community hated her.
After Hester was freed from prison, for adultery, she found a "small thatched (68)" cottage outside of town and lived there. There Hester starts her needle working, she was very talented and her products became the "fashion (69)" of the town. Even though she committed adultery, a huge sin in the puritan society, " her needle work was seen on the ruff of the governor; military men wore it on their scarf's, and the minister on his band; [and] it decked the baby's little cap (69)", in that quote Hawthorne used syntax to convey how prominent Hester's needle work material was. Her work wasn't seen on normal clothing, like shirts and dresses, her materials were seen on luxury accessories that only few could acutely have. However, Hester's own clothes were " of the coarsest material and the most somber hue (70). Even though Hester made the most luxuries, and high quality materials, she never wore them herself, because, she wanted others to enjoy her materiel, and did not want to waste the fabric on herself. Hester also " bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, and who not infrequently insulted the hand that fed them (70)". Unlike most people, who want revenge on people that hate them or who want glory for their charity, Hester tried to help
improve the lives of others in Salem, even though the people she helped still looked down on her, and she did not need to receive a physical award for it. Hester positively affected the towns people lives so much, that over the years people forgot her scarlet A stood for adultery, some even though it stood for able. Later on, when Hester became old, she decides to stay in her small cottage on the outskirts of Salem, even though she did have property in England, to help counsel women who were going through tough times. Most people would abandon a town that hates them, but Hester Prynne didn't, she embraced the American dream of individuality, and did what she thought was right, not what most people would think was right to do, and because of that the town of Salem benefited gravely. Hester made them high quality, needle worked material, and later on she helped consol other suffering women in the community. Another, character that the people of Salem disliked was Mistress Hibbins, they thought that she was a witch. However, Mistress Hibbins embraced the American dream of individuality by being the one real symbol of truth, and honesty in a community that saw her as a devil worshiper. Mistress Hibbins was the only one that knew that Dimmisdale and Hester committed adultery together, other than Roger Chillingworth. However, she did not announce it to the town because Hester and Dimmisdale were not the only people in the community she has witness commit sin, she witnessed "many church members... walking behind the music, that have danced in the same measures with me (Mistress Hibbins), when somebody was a fiddler, and it might be a Indian powwow or a Lapland wizard changing his hands with us!(198)", but, she still kept it to herself. She was also the only character to show acceptance for sins, while others were angered by the sin of adultery, Mistress Hibbins recognized that it was something that a lot of the towns people did, and that not everyone in town was not as "pure" and "holy" as they claimed to be. Mistress Hibbins also did not partake in gossip, like most of the towns people enjoyed to do. That shows her honesty, she knew that what others did was not her business, and that she should not be the one slandering others name around town, even though that is what others did to her. Since, Mistress Hibbins had her own thought and did not conform to what the other towns people thought was fun, like gossip, she saved many other people from being killed because they committed adultery. Also, like Hester, she did want revenge for the towns people that mocked her, like most people would, she accepted that people thought she was a witch and let it go. Even when she could have gotten revenge on people in the community she didn't, and this resulted in less deaths, and torture in Salem. Finally, Reverend Dimmisdale embraced the American dream of individuality and became a role model, and hero to the towns people of Salem, even though he was a sinner among "pure" people.
Dimmisdale was " a young clergy man... who had graduated from one of the great English universities, bringing all the learning's of the age into our wild forest land (57)", and was admired by all the people of the community, especially the women. But, he had committed a great sin, he had a affair with Hester. However, unlike most church members who committed the same sin, he felt a huge guilt for it. His psychological guilt caused his young body to physically decay, and unlike others he confessed to his sin, in front of all the "pure" people of Salem. But, despite him being a sinner, in the eyes of the puritans, he delivered a speech, in the last moments of his life, that made the gloomy, and anti social puritans "not rest until they had told one another of what each knew better than he could tell or hear. According to their testimonies, never had a man spoken so wise, so high, and so holy a spirit, as he that spake this day (203)", at one point they thought "a spirit as a prophecy had come upon him (203)". After, the revered sinner Dimmisdale even showed the mark on his bosom, and some people refused to believe it, they could not believe such a loved, and holy man could sin and have a A marked on his chest. Dimmisdale's individuality made him a inspiration, and a hero to a depressed
town, because of his individuality and courage, to admit to adultery, he showed others that everyone can be a sinner. In the "Scarlet Letter", Nathaniel Hawthorne showed that embracing the American dream of individuality is empowering, and the ones that have the courage to embrace it are the ones who help improve the lives of a community. Without the individual thinking of Hester, Mistress Hibbins, and Dimmisdale, Salem's people would end up more miserable, than they already were. If they had conformed to the "popular" ideas that others would do in their situations, than they would not have made any impact in their gloomy town. Imagine how different and dangerous the world would be if everyone did not fallow the American dream of individuality, and they conformed to whatever society wanted them to be.