The novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a strong example of independence and conformity. As soon as the book begins, the reader is told by the narrator, “Call me Ishmael.” Right away we see how Melville sets his novel apart from others. Another example of Melville’s independence in writing this novel is the use of the whale as a main character that cannot really be a main character because it never speaks or is able to voice its own opinion or thoughts. This leaves something to be desired by the reader. As a reader, we only know of the whale as it as the characters speak about it. On the other end, conformity is shown in this novel in that Melville decides to leave no details out. He chooses not only to tell a fictional story about the sea, but he also adds in every little detail about whales and the sea that he knows. As a reader, it makes the book slightly tedious to read. The actual plot of story is interesting and captivating; however, a manual on every whale existent on this earth is not particularly necessary to the enhancement of the plot. By doing this, I feel as though Melville is conforming to what other people would want to read. I am aware that he needs to make a living and write what others would want to read but at the same time the novel would be just as captivating without the detail.Edgar Allen Poe is probably known as the king of non- conformity, however, that mostly applies to his short stories. His poetry, as far as meter and rhyme goes, appears to conform to a more traditional style. If you look at the poems, “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee,” you will notice a methodical pattern to both poems. For example, in “The Raven” each stanza ends in the word “more.” In “Annabel Lee,” every other line in a stanza rhymes. Even though the patterns and rhymes of these pomes and other poetry written by Poe are that of conformity, the co...
