Being yourself by preaching your truth and standing up for what you believe in is important. Many people understand that, and even if a person or character does not always act upon their truth, does not mean they do not understand what it means to do so. Whether it is a little boy in the deep south in Black Boy, a ship full of whalers in Moby-Dick, or the transcendentalists, speaking your own truth is seen in so many pieces of writing. Self truth is revealed in standing up for one’s self and going against others, and is a topic explored in several works studied this year. Standing up for what you believe is, is a common theme explored in works studied this year. It is a recurring theme in Moby-Dick. In the first few chapters Father Mapple gives a sermon on “preach[ing] the Truth to the face of Falsehood!” (Melville, 47). That idea comes back often throughout the story. Starbuck takes that advice to heart after Ahab gives his quarter deck speech, and he is the only crew member to not agree to help Ahab find Moby Dick. Starbuck says that he went whaling “to hunt whales, not [his] commander 's vengeance” (Melville, 161). Even …show more content…
Transcendentalists are a perfect example of staying true to yourself and living your own life despite what other may say. The Transcendentalists believed that one did not need material items to be happy, and that it was best to live a simple life. That view was very different from society’s beliefs on life. Nonetheless, Transcendentalists continued to live their lives as they chose to. The idea of being yourself also heavily applies to Ahab, his crew sees him as crazy without his priorities straight, but for the entire book Ahab continues to pursue his ‘destiny’ of killing Moby Dick. Even though other people’s views may be different, several characters are still true to themselves throughout their respective