Conformity In The Great Gatsby And Their Eyes Were Watching God

The contrast of conformity between different social class

Conformity is the action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, and practices. It is very common for a person to conform to society, especially towards other people in the same social class. It is even more common for those of a higher social class to conform. The problem with conformity is that it urges people to be intolerant of people's differences, which diminishes a person's individuality. Conformity affects people’s everyday choices throughout their lives, which later results in inflicting a specific lifestyle for a person based on their social status. The conflict of conformity vs. individuality is present in the novels, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

One day, Nanny sees Janie kissing a local boy named Johnny Taylor, so Nanny gives Janie a speech about her future. Nanny explains that she had a hard life growing up. Nanny lived in slavery and was later raped by her white master, and gave birth to Janie’s mother. Janie's mother was also raped by a school teacher and gave birth to Janie. Gradually, Nanny started to take care of Janie because of her mothers absence, and did everything she could to give Janie a good life (33-37). Nanny had a hard life, and wants Janie to have a better life than she did. There is a great deal of pressure that Nanny puts on Janie so she will learn from her mistakes and conform to society; for example, Nanny believes that Jaine should marry for protection, not love even though it is against Janie's values. As a result, Nanny convinces Janie to marry Logan Killicks so Janie will have a secure future. The narrator explains, “In the few days to live before she went to Logan Killicks and his often-mentioned sixty acres” (38). The protection that Nanny wants Janie to have is money. Nanny most likely forced Janie to marry Logan for his land, so Janie would be safe. Although this act is out of Nanny’s love for Janie, It’s forcing Janie to conform to society and marry for money, even though it is going against Janie's morals of marrying for

At the end of the book, Janie finishes telling Pheoby the story of how she ended back in Eastonville. Janie exclaims, “Now, dat’s how everything wuz, Pheoby, jus’ lak Ah told yuh. So Ah’m back home agin and Ah’m satasfied tuh be heah” (217). Jaine is happy with herself, and happy with the choices she’s made throughout her life. Because she came back to Eatonville after Tea Cake died, it shows that she doesn’t care what people think of her. Janie doesn’t care if people gossip about what they think happened with Tea Cake because she is content with herself, which shows that she is her own person. Finally, Janie goes up to her room and gets ready for bed while thinking about Tea Cake. Janie thinks, “Of course he wasn’t dead. He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking….Here was peace” (219). At the very end of the book, she feels at peace even though Tea Cake is dead, and is very calm. This shows that she doesn’t have to put on a sorrowful facade to please society, because that’s what a person is supposed to do when a loved one dies. Janie is very at peace with herself because she doesn't let the world around her define her choices anymore. This also shows that she doesn’t need a man in her life to be happy, because she is an individual. As stated above, Janie develops individualism, and doesn’t let society