Another point that Emerson presents in his essay is his critique of people's conformity to social norms and rules. For him, conformity marks the death of progress in human society because it hinders individuals to explore and discover their true 'selves,' and hone their skills and knowledge that they consider necessary for their personal development. He further explains why society condones non-conformity or the pursuit of one's self-interest: "For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure...The by-standers look askance on him in the public street or in the friend's parlour...but the sour faces of the multitude, like their sweet faces, have no deep cause, but are put on and off as the wind blows and a newspaper directs..." By stating this in "Self-reliance," Emerson assures his readers that the pursuit of individualism is anything but wrong; it furthers improvement of one's self and reflects society's lack of understanding of...
[ View Full Essay]