Pressures of Society

Essay by Jake MansHigh School, 10th gradeA-, April 1996

download word file, 2 pages 4.3

Pressures of Society

Our behavior usually is controlled and decided by us, but that is not always the case. As we saw in the play Marty's behavior was not always his own decision. The behavior of any person can be greatly manipulated by society. There are a few points in the play and in normal life that can prove this statement is true. Marty's actions were greatly influenced by the views of his family and friends. Marty was forced into many actions by the people around him. A person will consider what other tells them as much as what they believe in themselves.

Marty was always a quiet man that didn't like going out, it was his family and friends that told him to do so. It was his decision, but it wasn't his choice. Marty did not want to go anywhere yet he did just because his friends and family told him so.

It is not always easy to refuse such thing, Marty had to make a decision and decided he should go out. By analyzing the pros and cons he made a decision, basing it on knowledge and commonsense, after all going out is not a bad thing.

But what if there is no decision? What if the person is forced to do something that he does not agree with? This can be blamed on the pressure of society as well, sometimes you do something that you know you don't want just because someone is forcing you. Marty showed such behavior many times throughout the play. It was not always a conscious decision every time that Marty did what he did, he based many of his decisions just on what his friends and family told him.

It is this play that made me think, that our decisions...