The Aspects Of Social Conformity In The 1950s

American society today has been shaped by years past. After the Second World War, U.S. inhabitants dedicated their lives and time to shape and improve America’s culture to the way it is today. Through the decades of the 1950s and today, the society has changed through scientific and technological advances. On the other hand, aspects of the culture have not changed because its citizens have yet to advance in those areas.

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is set during the Great Depression, whereas the American Dream is a crucial belief that is a part of the itinerant workers’ life. As itinerant workers, people worked from ranch to ranch, hoping to achieve their dream. Besides the hard work, the author Steinbeck reveals the tragic death of Lennie at the end of the story. A number of characters like George, Lennie, Curley and Curley’s wife are all responsible for the death of Lennie at the end of the story, however, George, Lennie himself and Curley’s wife are the most culpable.

During the 1950s, American society developed a conformity and obeyed social norms. Television, Music, Movies and the suburbs contributed to the standardizing development by giving an experience exhibiting approved social patterns. The new style of music, Rock-n-Roll gave a clear definition of youth and adulthood during this period. Suburbia and Television became symbols of an era. People got their relaxation and enjoyment by watching movies and TV. The life in 1950s was portrayed as a decade of conformity, prosperity and consensus in the United States.

During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.

In a society of people all in the same situations how can someone feel so alone. When lives fall apart and people have nothing to hold on to people need each other most, yet are pushed so far from others. The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, follows the storyline of two men who are displaced farm workers during the Great Depression; they travel around and stick by each other’s sides no matter the circumstance. After many jobs they end up on a farm,the farm they hope will be their last stop. The time spent on the farm is filled with blooming friendships and careless quarrels, yet with an abundance of characters and entertainment- many people on the farm feel alone and out of place. Characters such as Crooks and Curley’s wife often come to mind when the subject of loneliness is brought up. Throughout the book using characters such as Crooks and Curley's wife, John Steinbeck demonstrates that humans are immensely impacted by separation from society and it will change the way that people will act and show themselves to others.

The 1970s was considered the “Me Decade” because of the increasing amount of individuality that people were beginning to exhibit. Americans started discussing important issues, such as divorce and gender roles but remained silent on the subject of sexuality. One of the reasons was because television in the 20th century hardly mentioned homosexuality. The idea was considered taboo, and many Americans were not comfortable or familiar with this issue, much less talking about it. In recent decades, Americans have made tremendous progress towards the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in just forty years because of the television programs that have introduced Americans to these types of people. Many of the individuals that belong to either one of these categories have long struggled for equality and respect, just as other minorities have in the past, and continue to do so. Although American culture is more focused on individuality than conformity in today's times, the idea of what is “normal” is still an issue for many people. However, more television programs are bringing awareness to the idea of homosexuality, which makes for the gradual acceptance of it. The increasing amount of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters portrayed on television programs in today’s society has helped change the views of many Americans into embracing gay individuals into their lives. People are also more accepting of same-sex relationships or marriages and are

Children had to go to school and obey their teachers and parents, women had to run the households and always look their best, and men had to go out for their jobs and provide money. Children would always call their fathers “sir” and would show great amounts of respect. And at school, children would greet their teachers with a “Hello, Ma’am” or “Hello Sir”; they showed absolute esteem to their friends and teachers. Women and children would also dress up no matter where they went, whether they were at school or cooking at home. These were principles in the 1950s; nowadays, men and women of all ages are addicted to the modern technology, their appearance, and their social lives. Children and teens are absorbed in the house, never looking up to the nature around them. There are many differences among the 1950s and now; teens are more rebellious than ever, science is being more advanced, and our homes and lives are more technologically

The 1950s is considered to be the model decade of America. Families were close, children respected their elders, workers worked hard to provide for their families who grew up in nice neighborhoods, and the economy was booming. The forced conformity, neglect of the poor, and segregation are often overlooked when talking about the decade as they were during the time period. The 1950s were a prodigious time period for family life but not for the individual or societal ethics.

To what extent did the decade of the 1950s deserve its reputation as an age of political, social, and cultural conformity?

The 1960s was, undoubtedly, a very eventful period which saw dramatically changed social norms over the decade and, ultimately, attitudes were very different by 1969 then they were in 1961. The year 1960 saw the decolonisation of Africa when British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan announced his “Winds of Change Speech” to the parliament of South Africa. The post war government also believed that they had eradicated poverty with their welfare system, and though this was true for some families across the country, who were able to buy the first car, fridges and washing machines, this was not the case for everyone. Wages were still very low and gaps between social classes began to broaden, increasing tension and bring about extreme socialism and

With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American “ideal family” as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s were revealed to be a decade of prosperity, conformity and consensus. Just ten years later the atmosphere in America was shockingly different; the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and disillusionment due to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, arising feminism, and the Vietnam War.

Human beings are defined as ''social animals'' because in every aspects of life they live together, they form a variety of groups and improve relationships with each other. Interaction with others is a natural result of living in society. In the process of interaction, society and its rules has a social impact on each individual. If people face with any kind of social impact such as group pressure, great part of them show conformity by changing their behaviors, ideas, decisions in expected way. A person conforms if he or she chooses a course of action that a majority favors or that is socially acceptable. Some kind of conformity is natural and socially healthy but obeying all the norms, ideas, and decisions without thinking or accepting

During the 1950s, a sense of uniformity and conformity was prevalent in the American society, as the young and old alike followed the mainstreams norms rather than striking out on their own. The 1950s was a time of unprecedented wealth for many Americans. Many people enjoyed lives of comfort and convenience. By the end of the decade, however, some of the young people in America began to become dissatisfied with the dullness of their everyday lives. They started searching for something more meaningful.

When I think of “successful life” i see the definition as being able to afford the life style you want to live and not having to go from pay check to pay check. If you’re happy with the life that your living then you have a successful life not everybody has the same definition because some people want to live different lifestyles some want more and some want less.

What is required to be happy? Is it a 6.5-liter, V12, 8400 rpm, 740 hp, 4.5 million dollars Lamborghini Veneno? Perhaps something that isn’t as expensive, just a new pair of shoes? How about success? What it is that determines success? The reality is, it rests on your individual definition of what success is. Success is interpreted in a multitude of fashions. Success can be interpreted as living with monetary steadiness, perhaps it is