1. What is idyllic or ideal about living in Pleasantville?
The idyllic things about living in
Pleasantville include a perfect, large breakfast; perfectly cleaned house;
appropriate, clean clothing; great, easy schooling; and firemen saving cats
from trees. Pleasantville is the perfect town. Everything in Pleasantville is
the “ideal,” or perfect, world that we picture today. The basketball team is
undefeated and never misses any baskets... except when Bud tells Skip that his
sister, Mary Sue, may not want to go out with him... Changing the outcome of
the episode may start to change things in the town...
2. What are the immediate differences that
strike David and Jennifer between their lives in contemporary American
surburbia and the idyllic American life in the 1950s as portrayed in the TV
soap Pleasantville?
There are many differences between these
two times. Originally, in Pleasantville, there are no fires, nothing known
about sexual activity, and blank books. The people are completely naive and
innocent. They don’t know that much compared to what we know in our world and
time mostly because there is no negativity and violence. In the beginning of
the movie, the teachers in the 90s are talking about global warming, famine,
and other negative things that are occurring in our world. So in all, the
people in Pleasantville only know what they need to know, according to us, while
our contemporary world is filled with vulgar ways but more knowledge on other
things. According to Jennifer, the 50s life, at first, is bland and boring
compared to her “normal” life when she could slack off at school and smoke
cigarettes.
3. What examples of conformity are shown?
Some examples of conformity include
everything at the same time and in the same way, and everything is in black and
white. Everyone is at school on time, they wear appropriate clothing, they learn
everything perfectly, and they listen to the teachers. The woman makes the food
at the correct time and makes dinner while everyone gets home on time to eat. Everyone
is on time and learning everything perfectly in Pleasantville.
4. In what ways do teenagers currently conform?
Teenagers currently conform by letting
their peers pressure them into doing things. Teenagers conform by what they
think is “cool” or the right thing to do or the right way to be. There are many
examples of social conformity amongst everyone in our world. For example,
teenagers want to own iPods, designer clothing, a car, and listen to the
“right” music just because they want to fit in and think that it is the right
way to be.
5. When the characters turn into color, what is that symbolizing?
When the characters turn into color, it
is symbolizing how the people are learning new things and having their eyes
opened. They are making decisions for themselves and changing the “status quo.”
They are learning that they don’t have to conform to a certain way. Jennifer
and David are teaching the people of Pleasantville the knowledge of their world
in their time. But how would they turn to color since they know what they are
teaching the people, you may ask? Jennifer turned to color when her eyes were
being opened that books and studying may be interesting, and she turned down a
night with her boyfriend. It took David a little longer to turn to color. He
had always wanted to live in the perfect town of Pleasantville that he didn’t
change to color until he punched a boy in order to protect his mother, the
first act of violence in Pleasantville.
6. What do the people in black, white, and
grey think of people who are in color?
When I first thought of how the people
in black and white looked at the people in color it reminded me of the poor treatment
of African Americans by the whites and the Civil Rights Movement. The people in
black, white, and grey believed that they are superior to the people in color
and that their way is the right way.
7. Does that change by the end of the film? Why?
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