Deadly Outcomes Of 'Normative Conformity In Red Dress'

The Deadly Outcomes of Normative Conformity
Normative conformity results in deadly outcomes. An example of this occurrence is evident in the movie Mean Girls, Cady the leading heroine starts high school after been homeschooled her whole life, she conforms to the group “the plastics” social standards keeping in mind the end goal to remain a member of the group and to keep on gaining beneficial circumstances of group membership. In Characters in Conflict similar catastrophic forces surface in a handful of short stories. In Alice Munro’s story “Red Dress” the troubles of a teenage girl lead her to desert her individuality to feel accepted by her peers. In a similar fashion, in James Hurst’ story “The Scarlet Ibis” an older brother is unable

In addition, in Edgar Allen Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor seeks a merciless revenge on Fortunato for insulting him. Using the theme of peer pressure, authors Munro, Hurst, and Poe argue that normative conformity results in insecurity and leads to a deadly outcome.
In “Red Dress”, Munro uses the theme of peer pressure to argue the normative conformities of growing up and being a teenager lead to insecurity and the death of oneself. The narrator’s mother was making a dress for the upcoming Christmas Dance,which everyone was looking forward to besides the narrator. In providing rationale for her lack of individuality and insecurity, the narrator states “I had worn [mom-made] clothes with docility, even pleasure, in the days when I was unaware of the world’s opinion. Now, grown wiser, I wished for dresses like those my friend Lonnie had, bought at Beale’s store” (Munro 129). Her statement explains that she cares about the “world’s opinion” which leads her to be insecure, lacking her individualism. Her lack of individualism and insecurity causes her to follow along with other’s desires rather than her own. The narrator just wants to fit in. She

The narrator learns that Fortunato had laughed at his proud name, Montresor, the name of an honored family of many generations. In providing rationale for his revenge, Montresor emphasizes, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 87). Montresor’s statement shows that he wants “revenge” because of his “thousand injuries” which lead him to protect his family's honor, increasing his rank on the social pyramid. This quote recommends that Montresor believes that Fortunato recognized what he was gambling, however insulted him in any case. Noted when, Montresor tells Fortunato he’s a mason, he reflects, “'It is this,' I answered, producing a trowel from beneath the folds of my roquelaure” (Poe 91). When Montresor pulls the “trowel” from his cloak after Fortunato expresses his shock at Montresor's insistence that he was a member of a masonic society. He shows the trowel as a symbol of his expectation to utilize his stone work abilities, keeping in mind his goal was to bury Fortunato in the openings of the catacomb.Connects to, why Montresor follows the normative conformities of his family honor and being on top of the social