What is meant when it is said that someone is an individual? Are not all people individuals, each being perfectly capable of free will and of choosing his or her own path? Does this ability for choice create the individual, or are individuals those who have a more keen understanding of their ability for choice and differentiate themselves from others through its employment? In The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, the two title characters reveal …showed first 75 words of 1648 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1648 total…of choice to follow belief regardless of the social norm, is something clearly evident throughout. Both rise above the rest of their generation, pursuing their ideals with drive and passion. It is only late in life that we see some separation, as Heloise continues to hold to what she held so dear in the past, while Abelard becomes immersed in his religion and focuses on that alone, to the exclusion of all they had before.