Individualism is the idea that the sense of self is greater than the community. It urges its supporters to explore the depths of their psyche, even if it challenges accepted doctrine. To moral criticism, individualism is its greatest enemy. At its core, moral criticism finds its strength through the community over all ideology. This desire for communal uplift allows the people to serve a common purpose when advancing the community. But because of this, the voices of the individual are lost to the wind. During the Age of Romanticism, the people had had enough of being silenced; they sought to wholeheartedly explore their inner self. Through their writings, Washington Irving and Herman Melville were two men fighting for the people’s individuality; much to the dismay of moral critics. Washington Irving, famous writer and individualist, sought to bring individualism to the forefront of society’s progression. He believed the exploration of one’s self was more important than seeking communal prosperity. Irving wanted the people to see the world through lenses untainted by God, religion and the established doctrines. For him, the world’s morality was meant to be created by the individual. This way of thinking was quite scary to the moral critics of this era. The sense of community was being lost in novels centered on individuals. These novels allowed the people to play God, and by doing so, they were able to concoct their own morality. Irving’s writings continued to propagate the message of selfishness, as opposed to selflessness. The people were able to escape from reality through his writings; each person was now venturing into worlds without established moral order. Morality had lost its battle to individualism. Herman Melville was another famous writer who adamantly wanted to create an individualist society. Melville was an extremely passionate writer who despised moral criticism. To him, morality was a means of great conformity, it limited human exploration. He saw faith as an illogical entity that continued to oppose his cause. Melville’s writings also incited escapism from reality. His writing ran perpendicular to a biblical point of view, and it broke the rules of formal literature. For moral critics existing in this time, Melville’s constant attacks at moral order were severely detrimental to their cause. Without a doubt, morality had officially taken a backseat to individuality by the Age of Romanticism. No more were people in fear of religious order. Self-exploration had become the new name of the game, and anyone could play without fear of repercussion. Moral criticism’s greatest fear was now confirmed.