External Factors: A Literary Analysis

Rarely it is seen that a person is making decisions, solemnly based on what they believe in. The decision that they make is very much influenced by external factors surrounding them. The novels To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee; Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi and Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare all demonstrate how many decisions made by the characters in the novels were influenced by something or someone surrounding them. External factors such cultural norms, family opinions and society all influence the decisions a person makes and ultimately determine a person’s life.

To begin with, cultural norms can make one feel trapped to be someone they are not and, as a result, behave against what the cultural norms are. …show more content…
To begin with, family situations can affect one from being the age that they are and taking up responsibility for the sake of their family. This situation is shown in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird when Scout asks her father why it was alright for Walter to miss school when Scout was forced to go to school by the law. Scout’s father had explained to her that because of Walter’s family’s situation, he was not able to go to school even if he wanted to. Walter had to stay home to help his father with farming and so that was the reason that he was not able to go to school often, which concluded with the fact that Walter could not pass first grade. Walter’s family’s situation makes it hard for him to be able to come to school and help out at the farm, so he decided it was his responsibility to help his family out even if that meant he had to repeat grade one again. Additionally, many of the beliefs held by one’s family can influence their decisions. In Persepolis, Marjane’s family is shown to be very politically progressive as they are involved in both socialist and communist movements that take place in Iraq. These values held by her parents got integrated into Marjane’s beliefs and soon she was also taking part in the demonstrations. Marjane did not fully understand what the revolution was and how dangerous it was for her as a child to be taking part in these activities. However, she …show more content…
Firstly, society can lead one to doubt their own actions. This example is clearly shown by Tom Robinson in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird when he decides to run away from the prison he is being held in but ends up meeting his death. Tom realises that no matter what proof Atticus may bring to court, people of Maycomb will only see Tom as the black man who raped a white girl. He knew that the society he lived in where the black people were discriminated will never forget the crime that he did not commit and so he choose to be the criminal and gave up on what he knew was the truth. Another instance where social standards can lead to someone making unthought decisions is in Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence had believed that it was his duty as ‘friar’ to end the feud between the Capulets and the Montague. Friar Lawrence thought that the power he held in society as the friar should be used for the good of people, which in his opinion was to end the fight between the two families because this would result in fewer fights and in the end, fewer people dying. He thought that if he married Romeo and Juliet, then the families would come together and finally end their fight. Although Friar Lawrence’s hurried decision to help these two families with the power he held ended up creating even more problems for these two families as it ultimately leads to the death of both Romeo and Juliet. Lastly, as society