Symbolism In Pleasantville

546 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Colour symbolism essay

As Pleasantville progresses more and more objects and people turn to color, but if we look back to the beginning we can identify some key changes. After Jen and Skip go to Lover’s Lane and have sex with each other, Skip drives home and spots a solitary blood red rose. This single rose symbolizes the passion and love that he and Jen just experienced, while sex may not be the most romantic deed it is still filled with passion. Not only is the rose a symbol of passion, it symbolizes growth and knowledge. Flowers are clearly symbols of growth and change, and in this case Skip’s view on the world and what is possible is expanding and growing, just like a flower. Before Jen’s prompting for more, Skip simply wanted to date her, he was even afraid to hold her hand so soon. Yet, after Jen takes him to Lover’s Lane and they have sex he opens up more to new experiences and opportunities, again similar to how …show more content…

As many of these events occur a giant thunderstorm is pouring down outside. However, Jen is inside, reading a book. As she continues to read she pulls on Peggy Sue’s cardigan and glasses. The next morning, Jen wakes up in color like many others. Obviously this is a crucial and changing moment in Jen’s character. In the beginning of the movie, Jen was vehemently against Pleasantville, school, and solely interested in boys and the social scene. However, as the movie progresses Jen gains more understanding of herself and who she truly wishes to be, this moment being the final piece in her puzzle. By putting on the unflattering cardigan and glasses, she is accepting who she really is and at the same time coming closer to becoming Peggy Sue and accepting the town of Pleasantville. The rain that arose that night is symbolic of her washing away her past misdeeds and issue and turning over a new leaf. After that night she morphs into color, simply because she had finally accepted who she

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Flowers In Toni Morrison's The Song Of Solomon

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each woman in the Dead family is associated with their own wilted flower, which is significant because the flowers exist out of oppression and lack of affection. Before it is clear in the story that Macon and Ruth do not love each other, the flowers that Ruth interacts with beforehand serve as a precursor for the dead romance that is to come. Morrison notes the flower arrangement on Ruth’s dining table, which “once exposed, behaved as though it were itself a plant and flourished into a huge suede-gray flower that throbbed like fever.” The “suede-gray flower” is an artificial fabric flower associated with Ruth reveals that she is deprived of love. By following the life cycle of the “grey-suede flower,” the reader can understand the evolving position that Ruth has had in her home. When the flower was alive, her father was also with her, so she would communicate with her husband and dictate the matters of the household. When the flower was alive, Ruth and Macon were somewhat more in love. Macon was also kept quiet. As the flower weakens and dies, we see Ruth’s strength, independence, and love life dwindling and dying. Thus, it is clear that a

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

    316 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the short story “The Possibility of Evil,” Shirley Jackson uses several symbols to tell the story about Miss Strangeworth. One symbol she uses consist of the roses that Miss Strangeworth treasures. The roses represent the love and perfection of Miss Strangeworth. As we know, Miss Strangeworth believes that the world is horrible and unclean and that she is the only perfect person. She loves her roses dearly which emphasizes her needs for everything to be perfect just like her. She values her roses so much because only she takes care of them making them a symbol of perfection and becomes one of the items that Miss Strangeworth loves and sees as superior to other roses. Another symbol Jackson uses compose of Pleasant Street, the street that

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Gattaca

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    Set in the “not-too-distant future,” GATTACA, directed by Andrew Niccol, shows us a society where DNA determines your status. The film explores the significant idea of discrimination which is shown through Vincent’s character. The director’s use of techniques helped influence my understanding of the consequences of discrimination within society. Society discriminates against “in-valids” because they believe invalids aren’t as good as valids.

    Read More

  • The Dystopian Changes In Gary Ross's Pleasantville

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pleasantville is a movie written and directed by Gary Ross that reveals the dystopian elements hidden within seemingly utopian worlds by portraying the contrast between modern society and the idyllic setting of suburban 1950s’ America. The film follows the adventure of twin teenagers David and Jennifer as they find themselves transported into the world of the 1950s’ television show “Pleasantville”, replacing the main characters Bud and Mary Sue. In various events throughout the movies, both characters spark a series of changes in the conservative Pleasantville society that result in the town gradually transforming from repressive black-and-white to liberating Technicolor. In Pleasantville, Ross shows that the Technicolor version of Pleasantville

    Read More

  • Symbols and Subversion in 13 Happiness Street

    2163 Words  | 5 Pages

    "13 Happiness Street" is a political satire which relies largely on the subversion of conventional symbols to convey its message. By subversion, I mean the process by which Bei Dao uses unconventional meanings of conventional symbols to undermine accepted literary norms. That is, he offers in place of the common associations of a symbol, another symbolic association that draws its meaning from the context of the narrative. Indeed, the very meaning of the narrative is couched in the language of metaphors and symbols. It is here that the author constructs a narrative using conventional symbols which play upon and also against the reader's expectations. Before we examine the means by which the author subverts the archetypal notions of symbols, it is first imperative to understand how these symbols stand in relation to the narrative and the reader.

    Read More

  • Freudian Analysis of Marigolds

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning, the author explains how this young girl, Lizabeth, lived in the culturally deprived neighborhood during the depression.  Lizabeth is at the age where she is just beginning to become a young woman and is almost ready to give up her childish ways.  Through this time period she was confused and could not quite understand what was happening to her.  In the end she rips Miss Lottie’s marigolds among the ugly place in which she lived.  The marigolds were the only things that make the place a bit beautiful to the eye.  In this scene the marigolds represent the only hope the people had for themselves in this time of depression.  This could reveal how the author has experienced a loss of hope in times of need.  In her explanation of how Lizabeth had torn up the flowers and destroyed all hope in that time of depression, might explain that she has also destroyed hope in a time of pain and grief.  Later she writes, “And I too have planted marigolds.”  This could mean she has learned from her experiences and that she has finally found hope and always tries to seek the good within the bad and the ugly.  On another note, it could mean she just wants to act out on something, but she can’t, so she writes about her...

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everything was great, every day was the same except that particular day when your life

    Read More

  • The Symbol of the Rose in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the life of Emily Grierson, she remains locked up, never experiencing love from anyone but her father. She lives a life of loneliness, left only to dream of the love missing from her life. The rose from the title symbolizes this absent love. It symbolizes the roses and flowers that Emily never received, the lovers that overlooked her.

    Read More

  • The Stylistic Conventions of Pleasantville

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the arrival of the TV repair man we get more sense of the sci-fi

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I was crying and all, I don’t know why, but I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome” (53), Holden says. As humans, we have a hard time belonging in society. This is the same case for Holden Caulfield, the main character from the Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the rye, a novel by J.D Salinger, is about Holden, a lost boy in desperate need of help. Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded by the world around him. He continually attempts to try and belong in a world in which he is isolating from. In this novel, Salinger uses symbols such as the red hunting hat, the ducks and Allie’s glove to support the theme, belonging and isolation.

    Read More

  • Symbolism And Imagery In Stranger Than Fiction

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the film, Stranger than Fiction, director, Marc Forster conveys idealistic concepts through the use of symbolism and imagery. Alluding to René Magritte's Son of Man, the green apple was a prevalent symbol in the film -- often being held or eaten by Harold Crick. It exemplified the idea that the beguiling sight of that which is hidden by what is visible was sought after by Harold. This motif is portrayed when Harold abruptly stopped everything in pursuit of determining how he would die after hearing the narrator express that a small act “ … would result in his imminent death” (Stranger than Fiction), therefore becoming enmeshed in his efforts to see what is hidden by what is visible. In doing so, Harold disregarded the miniscule feats that could potentially change his fate, and only focused on that which he had no control over. Forster

    Read More

  • Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Harper Lee’s bestselling novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee investigates issues pertaining to justice and prejudice employing the symbolism of the ‘mockingbird’. TKAM is set in an unfortunate time of injustice and inequality, and tells the story of the unjust persecution of Macomb County’s greatest citizens. Maycomb’s unjust legends victimize Boo Radley, forcing him to live in exile in his home. The people ridicule Atticus Finch for his morals and decency. Tom Robinson is unjustly persecuted for the rape of Mayella Ewell. Although the title of TKAM is elusive in meaning and its references are few and far between, the mockingbird carries a great symbolic weight throughout the book and is personified in these three characters, among others.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Mockingbirds do nothing for us but sing all day. That’s why it’s a sin to kill one” (103). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells of a small town life, disrupted by an unfair trial of a black man accused of rape.It has many underlying points, like the children trying to meet Boo Radley and new friends in the summer. As named in the title, the mockingbird is used several times to symbolize innocence destroyed by evil, the mockingbird is an innocent animal doing nothing but singing, while the one who shoots it down is the evil one destroying all innocence. The mockingbird represents certain characters throughout the story who have been metaphorically “shot down”.

    Read More

  • Innocurity And Compurity In Queen Annes Lace

    1598 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the poem progresses, the flower blooms underneath the touch of the man, representing that their passion for each other allows her spirit to bloom just as a flower does. Philip Jason notes the effectiveness of Williams’ metaphor to Queen Anne’s lace, writing, “…it is mainly through metaphor that he transforms his observation, his still life, into a dynamic field of action that reveals the life and energy hidden.” Just as Jason proves, the metaph...

    Read More

  • Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Alabama during a crucial time in American history. The book is told from the point of view of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and revolves around her and her brother Jem while they are growing up. While they are growing up, they learn many life lessons that are shown by different milestones. Lee uses many symbols in the novel to represent the maturing of Jem and Scout.

    Read More

More about Symbolism In Pleasantville

Open Document