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Conformity In The Great Gatsby

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1) Church and school are important settings of the book. Major lessons are learned in these two places throughout the book. Twain depicts these institutions as both agencies of spiritual and intellectual growth and engines of conformity and inhibition. Some characters value church and school more than others.
Church is depicted as a place of religious and intellectual growth. Though most of the characters are Christian and go to church because of their religion, some life lessons are learned there. For example, Tom learned that he should not do drastic things in order to impress someone. He bought off tickets that make it appear that Tom memorizes many prayers, even though he actually does not. As a result of this mistake, he embarrassed himself …show more content…

People will not act in a way that is socially unaccepted or disapproved. Many people get embarrassed throughout the book. Church and school are two places that instigate conformity and inhibition. Throughout the book, Tom mostly causes a reaction out of people due to his unorthodox behavior. Whether he embarrasses himself or precipitates a disturbance, Tom finds a way to stand out. One event in the book where Tom showed this kind of behavior happened at church. Tom inadvertently induced a chain of events that led to a dog creating a scene. A dog was bitten by a pinch bug Tom played with and ran around the church in pain, which was amusing to some people. This prompted the clergy to turn red from keeping themselves from laughing. They acted is way because it was not socially acceptable. In church, religion is very important, and therefore any lighthearted comedy is frowned upon. In another occasion at school, Tom was late to class because he was talking to Huckleberry Finn. Being late to class is not condoned, but Tom's excuse for being tardy was shocking for others. Other students do not act that way because it does not comply with the idea of conformity and …show more content…

They are settings of intellectual and spiritual growth and engines of conformity ad inhibition. Most people want to act in a way that is socially acceptable in fear that they will be frowned upon. Children are educated at church and school so they could learn from others and become good people. Adults value church and school more for these reasons. They want children to grow up and be proper and respectable.
5) Good and bad characters are often misinterpreted the book. Often times the, the way they are presented is not how they actually are. In many cases good characters are caught doing bad things and vice versa. This concept of switching good and bad is commonly used between characters.
Tom and Sid are siblings who do not usually get along well. In Aunt Polly's eyes, Sid is a nice, well-rounded kid and Tom is known to tell a lot of guile. Sid does not always act as truthful as he is presented in the book. In one incident, Sid broke a sugar bowl and tried to blame Tom. He was dishonest and tried to use how Tom is perceived to his advantage. In the end, Sid did not get away with it and Aunt Polly punished

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