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View Of Individual And Society By Hawthorne, Thoreau, And Mark Twain - Essays

View Of Individual And Society By Hawthorne, Thoreau, And Mark Twain

Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain each had a different view on how an individual does and should interact with society. They each pointed fingers at what caused the friction between a person and his society. Several themes run common to these writers, but the most prevalent may be the dualistic theme of Rebellion vs. Conformity. Where there is rebellion within a society, of course there will be friction. Choosing a guilty party amidst this chaos is where Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Twain separate.
It is easy to assess Hawthorne’s point of view on rebellion in relation to his opinion of the Puritans, but translating that belief to his own modern time is much more ...

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that society is the problem. However, he seems to put more blame on the individual than on the masses. Hester and her daughter, of course, were not actually Puritans, but Hawthorne is just using them as an example of how no society will ever remain “pure” because it is impossible for the people within the society to remain pure. This is a very dark and pessimistic view, because it does not leave room for much hope or improvement in the human race. No one can ever be what he or she is seeking to be. One will always be a contribution to the ruin of society.
Henry David Thoreau would disagree, and furiously at that, with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s notion of the individual in society. Rebellion versus conformity was at the height of Thoreau’s concerns, and the former option was at the center of his beliefs. Thoreau hated conformity with every thread of his being. In Journals, published after his death, Thoreau commented, “As to conforming outwardly, and living your own life inwardly, I have ...

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View Of Individual And Society By Hawthorne, Thoreau, And Mark Twain. (2008, February 14). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/View-Individual-Society-Hawthorne-Thoreau-Mark/79026

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Added: 2/14/2008 08:06:50 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1002
Pages: 4

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