Conformity means giving in to group pressures. Everyone is a a member of one group or another and everyone expects members of these groups to behave in certain ways. Fear of humiliation can lead to conformity. People agree with others because they fear being ridiculed, or being isolated from the group. They fear the idea of not being a part of the whole. Society tries to place many regulations on us as individuals as to what is OK and what is not. We must decide for ourselves whether to conform or not to follow rules and regulations. .
In the Chocolate war Jerry is confronted with the choice to conform, sell chocolates and lead a relatively problem care-free and contented life at Trinity. Or to be an anti-conformist and defy the might of Archie and the vigils, the brutality of Brother Leon and the sheepish cruelty of his peers. Slowly the 'baddies' (Archie & Brother Leon) break Jerry down, in a similar way to George Orwell's '1984' conclusion. Until he is fearful and has no will to fight for what he believes is right, and is all but ravaged of his morals & spirit. This is quite a depressing ending but is sadly realistic, the romance of individuality and rising up against the oppressors does not happen nearly often enogh.
Conformity is important for any team, group, nation or even the world to function, but we should not conform to anything that is hurting another human being. We have to keep a balance between conformity and resistance in doing right where there is wrong. There can be no freedom in conforming against our own beliefs, we only lose the respect from our self and the respect of others, and there is no freedom in resisting life's fundamental rules. .
