The natural human instinct motivates the mind to seek the unknown. This thirst for wisdom is encouraged throughout youth as one grows and develops. Curiosity develops in the mind to gain a better understanding of the world around us. As one grows older, this desire for knowledge can be put aside and forgotten as the need to submit to society becomes more and more adamant. The fascination with creativity and personal passions are condemned by the public. The practicality of reality is that it is easier to conform to the social system than to resist it. When you are surrounded by pressure figures, you may find yourself embracing society's standards and placing full trust in them. Discipline and obedience become a character's only traits, until they are given the opportunity to explore their desires. Once given the opportunity, the character can pursue their passions that would otherwise have been ignored. In By The Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benet, the protagonist, John, lives in a society where conformity is necessary. Both he and his father are priests, who are high, dominant figures within his tribe. He grew up under the watchful eye of the public and is obedient and disciplined. Developing accordingly, his personal desires and dreams as a child have partially subsided, residing only in his mind. The tribe's past is shrouded in superstition and uncertainty, so new ideas are not easily accepted. He is proud of his tribe, the hill people, and places his full trust in them. He believes his tribe is intellectually superior to surrounding tribes and is proud of his village for its knowledge. As a priest, he must go on a journey of self-discovery and gain the wisdom that only priests can acquire. This quest gives John the chance to seek knowledge, at the cost of betraying the ways of his society. As his journey unfolds, the narrator decides to rebel against his conformity to his tribe by traveling to the most forbidden place of all, The Place of the Gods. Pursuing his passion for wisdom may lead him to discover more about his world than he initially anticipated. Due to the desire to learn, the protagonist's discipline towards society is compromised and he begins to question what he has been taught. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay During his youth and adolescence, John learns to conform to the standards of his tribe and become the priest his society always wanted him to become. As a child, his father took him to one of the Dead Places to search for metal and allowed him to hold the object in his hand. Society's rules told the father that if his son kept the metal and lived, he would be his true son and become a priest too. His father's faith in rules was strengthened in John at every stage of his childhood and he was taught to believe in everything he learned from his village. While traveling to one of the Dead Places, he opened a jar containing an unknown food substance left behind by the Great Fire and tasted it. This action broke one of the laws and he was punished severely by his father, putting John in his place. His father considered the protagonist a high responsibility and he began to be proud of it. John's statement that the rules and laws are “well made” makes it clear that he had full faith in the system. The need to please his father and his village is at the forefront of hismind, meaning that his will to conform is strong. John matures into a well-mannered and obedient young man, placing his duties before his secret desires. He begins to make his excursions to the Dead Places to find the sacred and magical pieces of metal, which only other priests can touch. His position as a priest makes John feel special and significant in his society. John's acceptance of his role and conformity to society is due to the practicality and essentiality of his situation. It is easy for him to conform to the laws of his tribe because it is a sanctuary of comfort and certainty. When the protagonist reaches adulthood, he is sent on a quest to travel beyond the village to gain the knowledge of the priests, but it is also an opportunity to express his own desires. When he consults his father about his trip, he confirms that he still respects the laws, stating that travel to the East is "forbidden." John still knows the boundaries of his role as a priest and knows that punishment could be meted out upon him if he does not comply, however, from a young age, he has always carried a hidden fire in his heart to seek greater knowledge in his life. world. He rejoices in the fact that his tribe is a more knowledgeable and advanced society, compared to the forest people, who are ignorant and unaware. The narrator looks down on the intellectually inferior tribe and knows that he doesn't want to be like them. He travels bravely and passionately with his knowledge, but continues to believe in the signs the gods have sent him. His village has taught him that the gods will watch him along the way, and he takes note of any symbolic presence. The eagle, the white fawn and the panther are the signs sent to him to travel towards the East. With his head held high, John knows that the journey will be significant for him in gaining knowledge for his occupation. At the end of the mission, John's dilemma of whether to make the journey back to his village, which represents a life of unfulfilled desires but ease and security, or move forward and pursue his hopes of gaining knowledge, shows his internal conflict. He states that if he doesn't go, he will "never be at peace with [his] spirit again." John's conclusion that he can no longer remain dissatisfied breaks the boundaries that have been set for him by society. Crossing the Ou-dis-on River and arriving in the land where the "gods" lived represents a significant point in this story, as his actions bear witness to everything he had been taught in his tribe. His lust for knowledge drives him to disobey the laws and sacrifice his clarity for the unknown. When the narrator crosses the river, he sings the song of death to himself. His determination towards his personal desires leads him to believe that his unruly behavior will ultimately lead to his death, and he accepts the conditions that have been set for him by his society. The song of death shows that he will not completely forget the ways of his origin. His desire to learn beyond what is assumed to be correct will mean that he will be punished by the gods. The narrator's travels to the Place of the Gods tilt the conflict in favor of John pursuing his passions, even if it means sacrifice. The protagonist becomes tired and prepares to be punished by the "gods" for his disobedience against society as he travels to the place of the gods. The land is dark and mysterious and he keeps in mind the stories he has been told. These stories put pressure on him and torment him as he crosses the river. The warnings that have been told, such as that the island is covered in fog and spells, and that the ground beneath it would burn, make John..