Noticeably throughout society, a parent’s number one priority is their children. Parents are willing to go far and wide to ensure the happiness and safety of their kids. When it comes to rebellion, however, these parental figures need to decide if they are going to do what is best for their children, or what will give them the most successful outcome. After assessing the successes of many parental figures, it is clear that there is a drastic change in the way successful and unsuccessful parental figures rebel. Although rebellion is a reaction to the violation of rights on an individual basis, a closer look at parental figures reveals that the most successful rebels are not only disobeying for self-benefit but for something more than themselves. This suggests that when parents are subverting societal norms for the benefit of their children, they ultimately obtain the most successful outcome.
When becoming a parental figure, protecting and prioritizing children is a vital concern, often costing the prosperity of parents to the benefit of their children. This cost, however, is what ultimately makes the outcome of these rebellions a success. Malcolm X, a guardian to not only his children but also a father to the Islamic community, made selfless decisions to rebel against societal standards. Malcolm X made many selfish decisions in his early life, but ultimately when he took on the role of a father, he triumphed. As a young adult, Malcolm X dealt drugs in Harlem and engaged in prostitution. A selfish decision. As he got older, Malcolm X started gambling and went to prison for burglary. Another selfish decision. After prison, Malcolm X started the Afro-American community and risked his life to better the lives of others and rebel against the injustice in society. This time, a selfless decision. This selfless decision is what caused a change in society as Malcolm X gained equality for an immense population of black Muslims living in America. The rebellion was not successful when he was dealing drugs and stealing, for he wasn't rebelling against society, but rather resulting in immoral actions to deny the way he was feeling instead of accepting the fact that something had to be done. Once Malcolm X took on the role of a leader and accepted the fact that he had people looking up to him, as a child looks up to a parent, changes in society immediately were prominent due to his change in actions. Similarly to Malcolm X, in the film Captain Fantastic, Ben Cash and his family lived a life of isolation, and as a father, his main priority was expelling his children from the dangers of a capitalistic society. Ben denied his son from going to college because he thought that his son was too good for school. Ben refused to spend money, teaching his kids how to steal, because he thought money was not worth spending. Ben put his children in danger as they were suffering injuries from the severity of his physical training because he thought they needed to learn how to be strong. Ben moved back into the capitalistic society that he disapproved of because he knew that it was best for his kids. He was putting his kids first. Putting his judgment aside and doing what was best for his kids is what made the rebellion successful. They were living in a society Ben looked down upon, however, they were displaying their simplistic lifestyle, showing the society a balance between industrialization and naturalization. By rebelling peacefully to divide selfishness from selflessness, and doing what was best for their kids and the community, Ben and Malcolm X ultimately proved that the best way to rebel is by doing what is for the benefit of those who look up to you.
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Contradictory to the selfless parents who are willing to risk it all, some rebels think of only themselves or do not put the benefit of their children first and ultimately become unsuccessful, suggesting that when parents don't think selflessly, they will conform to societal standards. In Herman Melville’s Bartleby The Scrivener, Bartleby chooses to say no to work. When given a task, he simply replies with “I’d prefer not to”. These four simple words get him stuck into a trap leading to failure. Even when Bartleby was in prison, he refused to eat and caused his death; this was a selfish decision that he made. Bartleby was only sporting himself and had nobody supporting him. This lack of understanding for anything greater than himself ultimately caused him to fail since he lacked the understanding to realize that his selfish actions were detrimental. Similarly, Gropnik in Mr.Ravioli had a daughter who was thinking about imaginary friends who were too busy to spend time with her starting at a very young age. This made it very obvious to her father that there was an issue and that society was infecting deep into his daughter. Olivia, his daughter, was so infected that she created an assistant for her imaginary friend. However, Gopnik decided not to move and to keep his daughter in this unhealthy environment. Gopnik liked where he worked for its convenience and the financial stability that it provided him with, therefore improving his life at the cost of the well-being of his daughter. By keeping his daughter in the city, Gopnik was selfishly thinking of only himself. By Gopnik and Bartleby only thinking of themselves, they ultimately fail in their rebellion, displaying the failure that is associated with the lack of parental values.
There is a fine line between failing to rebel due to being selfish in your actions and fully conforming to societal norms. My life is a constant cycle. I wake up unmotivated, spend seven hours a day proceeding from one class to another, erode my body with intense sports practices, sluggishly go home, and start the neverending homework assignments. This is the cycle that causes depression. It is a cycle that causes anxiety, an overwhelming abundance of stress, and inadequacy of sleep. This is a cycle that causes mental breakdowns, panic attacks, and the constant fear of failure. Although I do not suffer from depression or anxiety, everybody gets anxious from time to time. If the way that our society is structured causes such detrimental issues, then why do we conform? The way we are raised and the way that education is prioritized does not give children the opportunity to say no. We have a mindset to study hard so we can have a good GPA and then do well on the SAT and go to a good college and have a successful job. The fact that our society has its mind set on having a good job from an elementary age is a catalyst for these issues. But if rebellion is a choice and I can leave this system as Ben Cash’s family did, then why don’t I? It is because our society is not fit for rebellion, since if you rebel you are risking yourself getting behind, or not getting into a good college. And what is this for? There will be no public recognition the only recognition will be people speaking badly about you behind your back. They will wonder how you will ever get a job if you drop out of college. There are days when I try less on my homework or go to bed before it is all done, but the truth is, I am always going to wake up early to finish it or spend a free block in a quiet study instead of spending time to relax. I am writing an essay on the ways that people rebel successfully when ironically I am too scared to rebel myself. If I were to not try on a homework assignment, yes I would be going against the system, however, it is not worth my grade. Our society is in a bubble. A bubble full of work, anxiety, stress, and chaos, and rebellion is not the way out. So what is? If rebellion is not the way out then how do I get out of this cycle? How do I learn what the balance is between work and stress and just enjoying the life around me? There is much more to life than what is in my bubble.
Made apparent by the successes of Malcolm X and the Cash family, rebellion is only successful when done selflessly, and when the actions of the rebels are supporting more than just themselves. That being said, however, Gopnik is a more relatable character than Malcolm X and Ben Cash because rebellion in society is easier said than done. Gopnik’s fear of leaving society which was causing severe complications is a significant problem in society today. Although the severity of depression and anxiety among teens displays the flaws of the societal system, few will rebel against it. The fear of being seen as flawed or a failure moves these individuals to deal with the fact that there is no way out of the crumbling cycle. Although there are ways to be more successful in rebellion and to cause more drastic change, in reality, rebellion is not for our society. It is not for the work-obsessed, money-crazed, and stressed community that lives in it. There is no “perfect” society for rebellion or impeccable conditions that make disobedience acceptable, but if one thing is set in stone, it is that the society of America in the 21st century is no place for rebellion. Our society is a place for conformists.
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