1970.

Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Let me set the scene: it is the mid 1860s on a cool September morning. Mr. Button is up and ready by 6:oo am because he is so unbelievably excited to me his new hopefully son. Whilst getting ready, he imagines showing his new son off to the town, dressing him in the highest quality of clothing, teaching him how to walk, and even sending him off to Yale College to play football. These thoughts dance around his head until he arrives at the hospital and is greeted by his not so welcoming family physician. Now fast forward to when he first meets his son, described as there sat an old man apparently about seventy years of age. His sparse hair was almost white, and from his chin dripped a long smoke-colored beard, which waved absurdly back and forth, fanned by the breeze coming in at the window (Fitzgerald). You can imagine the shock and horror Mr. Button felt as he literally watched all his dreams and aspirations for his son fly out that cracked window as the gentle breeze carried them farther and farther away from him. His first reaction, without a doubt was, how will I explain this to people, he also feared his family would lose status over this. In the 1860s status was almost as important as going to college now, you could not get very far in life without it. Even the doctors and nurses did not want to be affiliated with this horrible mishap. They knew they would lose business right as

hospitals were beginning to gain popularity just as Mr. Button realized he would lose his pull in the community as well as some friends. Though Benjamins life, he struggles to find his place in society. He has trouble spending time with the people who look like him because of their sheer age difference, the people he really wants to be friends with do not want anything to do with him. As Benjamin began to grow up and age down, just as any other teenage boy, Benjamin was starting to like girls. One night, Benjamin accompanied his father to a party. There he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Her laughter lit up the room and Benjamin was mesmerized. A year or two after they met they were married, expecting children. This was one of the first times Benjamin ever felt confident about himself and included. Like a regular teenage with a regular girlfriend. In his late twenties, early thirties, Benjamin began to become restless. He felt the need to prove himself to others. He ended up being very successful but for all the wrong reasons. He was too involved and obsessed with what others thought about him. When his father was raising him, he had pounded into Benjamins head that he was not normal, would never do anything extraordinary with his life like his father had. Years later Benjamin proved his old man wrong, he took over his family business and became more successful than his dad had ever been. Benjamins incessant need to always prove himself got him in a large about of amounts of trouble.

Benjamin went above and beyond all of the expectations his small hometown in Boston had provided for him. He traveled the world, joined the war, got married and had children, when to college twice, and also managed a very successful business; all without meeting societies norms for how he should look, feel and act.