Emerson Individualism

Freedom to Enslave Society has rapidly evolved since the publication of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on the significance of individualism. Compared to the 19th century society, the current population has evolved technologically and advanced drastically, continuing to do so till today. However, Emerson’s convictions on what is comprised in a “perfect” individual are still not met, despite the ever-changing world. Emerson’s core philosophy about individualism and opposing collectivism becomes the topic of debate as people continue to argue whether his standards enslave or free a typical Emersonian genius from advancing oneself. In order to prove whether the genius is freer or enslaved, three different literary characters are analyzed and compared

The girl is characterized as an outcast of society that suffers from society’s harsh constructs that make it impossible for her to fit into society. Despite the impossibility of Breedlove to ever become “normal” based on society’s standards, she longs to fit into society by imagining herself fitting into society’s beauty standards. These characteristics make Pecola Breedlove the prime antithetical Emersonian archetype. Her will to fit into society’s standards negate Emerson’s core value of his philosophy. Emerson advises individuals to disobey society’s constructs so that one can form one’s own ideas and thoughts. Studies have shown that by pursuing society’s universal standards, the standards can create harsh backlash onto someone’s self esteem. In the case of Pecola Breedlove, she longs to fit into the white beauty standards of America of the 1900s. A study done in Columbia University states that, “There have been studies showing that racial identity status attitudes and internalization of the dominant White beauty standards lead to varying levels of body dissatisfaction” (Cheng 53-54). Breedlove’s subjection to racist social constructs over her physical appearance lowered her self esteem and confidence, resulting in a society where a majority of the population suffers from body insecurities while a minority is allowed the privilege to feel good about themselves. By following Emerson’s guidelines into becoming an independent individual, Breedlove would be able to grant her own satisfaction over herself based on her own standards of beauty, not tampered by society’s insane constructs of beauty. However, this circumstance is just one instance where an Emersonian genius was granted more freedom. The following literary characters prove that following Emerson’s guidelines will be more restricting than conforming to