Nonconformity
The American experience is the journey of the "nonconformist." Americans strive to be different and lead a life outside the "norms" of the past and present. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a recognizable American philosopher, advocated this view through his words "reject the old and embrace the new." Part of the American culture is "following the frontier" and obtaining from the old culture of Europe. Yet, In order to attain the "new", you must borrow from the old. Therefore, nonconformists develop and change ideas from the "old." This is a vital aspect of the American experience, as many individuals must step out of tradition in order to attain the American Dream.
How does one classify a nonconfomist? Read the multiple definitions given by the museam's historians and examine the following drawings to find out.
"True nonconformists conform to their OWN ideas (which, in reality is not conforming at all). Sinse they only conform to themselves, they come in all different forms, depending on what type of person they are. In short, a nonconformist is a totally honest and transparent person who says what they think does what they want."
"A nonconformist is a person who does not conform to the trends of the average person. A true nonconformist does what they want to do and not what other people want them to do.
This is not to be confused with an anticonformist, which is a person who does the opposite of what the typical person does.
Anticonformists often call themselfs nonconformists, because they dont know any better."
"The image that some people call "non-comfortist" is just an image that they want to portray themselves are independent and not needing of society and it's rules and regulations to functions as a being. It's because of the individualistic nature of this society that many people wish to portray themselves as such. And it's something you don't decide. You are born a nonconformist. It's not that you purposely go against the norms. It's that you fail to recognize the importance rules, structures and social norms and this naturally makes an above average level of uniqueness to you."
As seen in all three drawings, the young subjects have different appearances and appear to have an insightful and truthful onsite on the world. This characteristic is established in the next exhibit: Catcher in the Rye . Holden Caufield, the main character in Catcher in the Rye, demonstrates the traits described above and claims to see the world through the "true" perspective. As a result, he struggles with transition from childhood to adulthood and his own identity. Continue to the next exhibit to read more.
Catcher in the Rye
