The Beauty of Individuality

Emerson and Whitman are both strong individualists; they value the strength it takes to "stand out from the crowd."  In Emerson's "Self Reliance" he states, "...envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide..." (paragraph 2).
By that statement he says that envying what someone has is foolish, and imitation is just unimaginative.  I think he's trying to say that you might as well not have a brain to use if you are just going to use it to imitate someone.  You probably won't get very far in life if you solely rely on mimicry to build your personality.  Emerson also implies in his poem that people should accept the life that God has given them: "Accept the place the divine has found for you...."Emerson feels as if people shouldn't alter the life God has set out for them. 

In the first few lines of his poem, Whitman invites the readers to take a look at his life.  In stanza fifty-one, Whitman states that he has many personalities: "I contain multitudes" (8).  His many personalities make him the individual that he is.  Also, Whitman shows his individuality through his voice: "I sound my barbaric yawp on the roofs of the world" (stanza 52).  His "yawp" sets him apart from other peoples' voices.

Mrs. Mallard has a heart attack upon discovering that her husband is alive.  She can no longer live because her newly gained freedom has been swept right out from under her.  I believe that Chopin's story does affirm
Emerson and Whitman's notion of individuality because Mrs. Mallard becomes an individual the minute she finds out her husband has passed.  She is excited for the new found freedom she has gained: "She said it over and over under the breath: 'free, free, free!'" (paragraph 10). 

question: I wonder if Mrs. Mallard was unfaithful to her husband during their marriage?
connection: Whenever I think about individuality Forrest Gump always comes to mind.  Forrest was always sort of an "odd ball" in his society, but his individuality was what made him so charming.