Conformity In Death Of A Salesman And Unbroken

In Dead Poets Society, A Death of a Salesman, and Unbroken, the theme of "battle against conformity" is expressed through the main character's reactions to overwhelming societal pressures, the reasons behind conformity, and the consequences of characters willingness to forsake their individuality. (Thesis)

In various literary works, a character's reaction towards conformity and societal pressures often leads them to forsake their individuality effectively taking away the unique aspects which wanes their distinctiveness. Essentially, conformity causes one's eccentricity to be molded into universal concepts or ideas shared by the masses. This level of thought is proven true in Death of a Salesman through the ongoing conflict between the

In Unbroken, the primary character who manages to retain his individuality despite facing extreme adversity is Louie Zamperini, an Olympian turned POW. He manages to not conform to the Japanese authorities who captured him in a variety of ways despite constant abuse at the hands of his captors. According to Wade, “Louie's face was so swollen that for several days he could barely open his mouth. By Wade's estimate, each man had been punched in the face some 220 times" (Hillenbrand 295). In other words, Louie Zamperini is captured and transported to Naoetsu, a brutal POW camp, where he was subject to frequent beatings such as the aforementioned one. This piece of information holds tremendous relevance as the scene demonstrates the amount of sheer willpower Louie possessed. The whole purpose of the beating was to dehumanize and “break” Louie but he manages to retain his individuality by accepting his punishment and remaining mentally strong. Additionally, through the author's usage of imagery, the mood becomes that of a somber one as Louie's beatings are visualized which allows the reader to sympathize with him. In general, Louie’s beating brought out his true mentality and his “never give up attitude” which is essential for one to retain their individuality and not conform to any individual or society in general. However, possessing an indomitable will wasn't the only skill Louie had in his arsenal. In addition to his mental prowess, Louie’s greatest skill allowed for him to survive the various POW camps, his knack for thievery. According to Louie, ”What the POW's couldn't sabotage, they stole. They