Pleasantville is a fascinating film that captures the differences in society in today's era and in the era of 1950s (Ross, 1998). When the main characters in the film travel back in time through a sitcom television series they are watching, we can see how the characters are meant to fit certain gender roles. The forcing of traditional gender roles can be seen throughout the film, particularly in the scenes where the husband is surprised that she didn't cook dinner for him, where the female character gives life and color to the rest of the girls in the house. town by introducing them to sex implying that the town girls led colorless though moral lives, and where the entire community is disturbed by the undeniable changes in traditional gender roles throughout the film. What's most interesting about the film is seeing the complete transformation that Pleasantville's society ultimately goes through, which is seen in how everyone went from being black and white to being colored. At the beginning of the film, women are still expected to be beautiful housewives, capable of cooking, cleaning, and making their husbands happy while being completely moral. However, towards the end, women are more independent and free when they can appreciate the beauties of life such as art, sex, books and music. Inevitably, part of the community was disturbed by the changes taking place, as some men did not want to give up their role as the dominant power, and others saw women's new independence as an invitation to criminal acts. This article will provide a gender analysis for Pleasantville by examining the different gender roles in the film, analyzing the relationship between gender roles in the film and today's society, and delving into why much of the community was against the changes underway. in Pleasantville. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The film begins with an introduction to Jennifer and David, who are brother and sister, attend the same school and live in the 90s when 'they are introduced. This introduction to Jennifer and David's lives is given so that when they travel to the 1950s sitcom, we can see the substantial differences between their old lives and their new lives, and specifically the differences in the roles of gender they must adopt. For example, although David is an ordinary teenager in his normal life, he is supposed to work and earn income as a cashier at a hamburger restaurant during his 1950s life. As for Jennifer, although she is independent, outgoing and deeply interested in boys in her normal life, she is expected to be conservative, gullible and dependent in her 1950s life. When Jennifer dates one of the most popular and arguably most popular boys beaus of the city for a coffee date, she is bothered by how he expects her to be modest and therefore doesn't make any moves, because Jennifer is used to it. flirt with guys and hear their compliments. However, in the 1950s, women were expected to be modest, so it would be foolish for a man to make flirtatious overtures towards them. Before leaving for Pleasantville, Jennifer waits for a hot boyfriend, so they can watch movies together as a date, while David just relaxes at home and watches a movie. As they discover on their way to Pleasantville, suchLuxury living did not exist in Pleasantville. Skip is shocked and excited at the idea of ​​even holding Jennifer's hand, let alone being alone together to watch a movie, and David is expected to contribute to the household income and do nothing. So, from the beginning, one can easily distinguish the different gender roles in the two eras. Life in Pleasantville was worrying. There were no people outside of Pleasantville (as the school's student maps suggested), couples didn't have sex, and no one was even aware of the idea of ​​sex ( couples slept on separate single beds) and books were considered dangerous artifacts (believed to corrupt and infiltrate the minds of young populations). Pleasantville was not only black and white in appearance, but also black and white in its being. The people of Pleasantville were not truly alive, not enjoying any of the pleasant things that life had to offer. In order to experience modesty and harmony, the people of Pleasantville had given up their own happiness and livelihood. Furthermore, as many scenes in the film suggest, the modesty established in Pleasantville involves forcing men and women into traditional gender roles, to which Jennifer and David were decidedly unaccustomed. Besides all the disturbing things already happening in Pleasantville, it's crucial to note that before David and Jennifer arrived in the town, there wasn't even any fire or rain, almost implying that there he arrival of David and Jennifer has caused a change that is “bad”. It was Jennifer who approached Skip about going to Lover's Lane, which was shocking to Skip because he hadn't even pinned her yet, which could translate to the fact that he hadn't even pinned her yet asked to go out. However, Jennifer having sex with Skip also brought the first sign of color to Pleasantville, the color from red to rose. “This sets off a chain of events in which the entire city begins to 'liberate' itself by giving in to passion. Teenagers begin having sex in Lover's Lane, Jennifer teaches her TV mother, Joycelyn Elders, the preferred form of sexual satisfaction, which then leads the mother to an extramarital affair with the local soda shop owner" (Giganti and York, 1998). Once people find out about the sexual adventures that Jennifer tells them about, the citizens of Pleasantville begin to change from their black and white color to full color. The color symbolizes the evolution of that particular person from traditional gender roles to modern gender roles, where they are more open-minded, understand themselves better, and are not limited by the unspoken regulations of society. As girls abandoned their modest ways and began kissing boys in public, they gained color, a sign of their newfound freedom and independence. The film offered such fascinating and thought-provoking scenes, like a black and white man kissing a colorful girl; almost implying that the guy is still not ready to give up his dominant side to get in touch with a more sensitive side, or the scene where a girl is black and white but the gum she blows is pink lively, indicating his clemency. towards being full of colors and changing your habits. Each scene in the film can contain many pages of writing; they are full of symbolism, implications and provide wonderful insight into how one should approach the gender role issues of our time. Although many people perceive Pleasantville as a single Jennifer filmquestioning traditional gender roles, David also strongly questions traditional gender roles. , but in its own way. While Jennifer addresses the lack of sexuality in Pleasantville, David addresses the lack of higher pleasures, such as enjoying art or books. He is troubled by the fact that the Pleasantville books contain no words, by the fact that the only thing the school studies is the geography of Pleasantville which only has a few streets, and by the lack of art. David realized that the black and white side of Pleasantville not only succeeded in enforcing traditional gender roles, but it also ensured that the citizens of Pleasantville lacked their own individuality and lacked thought. original, which allowed them to be satisfied. with what little Pleasantville has to offer. On the contrary, the people of Pleasantville had very mechanical manners and therefore accepted their traditional gender roles. Every evening, George would enter the house declaring, "Honey, I'm home," and every morning, Betty would stuff the family with an overload of fatty foods, believing she was fulfilling her duties as a mother and wife. “Mom, dressed in the little apron of an oppressed housewife and hopelessly ignorant of dietary dogmas, stuffs the whole damn family with foods dangerously rich in animal fat” (Baker, 1998). With what is being argued here, the film successfully connects the idea of ​​forcing oneself into traditional gender roles, losing one's individuality, and preventing one's true self from blossoming. There is an undeniable connection between Pleasantville's society not being able to educate themselves and accepting their current traditional gender roles. Once David started dropping hints about another world and another reality that exists outside of Pleasantville, the company was extremely curious and intrigued. So it's not like they are deliberately opposing a modern gender role, but rather that they were never introduced to it. Start with.Jennifer shows her TV mother, who is almost a representation of Eve with her innocence and obedience to her husband, how to masturbate. Her mother was curious as to why so many young children were hanging out at Lover's Lane these days, and Jennifer took it upon herself to explain the whole truth. The mother was now full of thoughts of pleasing herself, which she was embarrassed about as she knew her husband would never participate in such an activity. Nevertheless, the mother was curious and explored herself, which caused the first flames to appear in Pleasantville. It's as if the city is shouting that a change is coming, a change that will upset the balance of Pleasantville and a change that is generally not accepted in Pleasantville. As Jennifer's TV mother explored feelings that were unfamiliar to her, color began to bloom on her face and throughout her body. She was aware that this newly acquired color was associated with the change seen all around Pleasantville, and she wanted to hide it, feeling embarrassed. This is mainly due to the city's divided view on the ongoing changes. Even though the majority of the young population accepted the changes and implemented them in order to be part of them, the dominant male figures of the city were completely opposed to the changes taking place. There was collective dismay on the part of the men. figures in society when they began to notice the changes, such as the fact that the younger population still had books in their hands and boys and girls were publicly kissing and hanging out together romantically. It is important to note that in society andDuring the Pleasantville era, men were expected to be the dominant, independent, and formidable figures in the household. Women were not expected to stay outside all the time when they should be cooking and cleaning at home, and men were expected to work and earn an income, not chase after unnecessary books. The TV mother was going to be the point of change in Pleasantville. One of the most famous scenes from this film is when Betty, Jennifer and David's TV mother, is not home when the father, George, arrives. George, who has worked all day at his job, expects to find dinner on his table when he returns home, prepared and prepared by his faithful wife. However, this time, not only did George not find his dinner, but Betty was also nowhere to be found. After exploring herself, Betty was now a new woman, curious for the other pleasures and excitements that life has to offer, such as examining works of art and committing adultery, which she managed to do alongside by Mr. Johnson. But George not cooking his dinner for him was the last straw that the dominant men of society could stand. They didn't want independent women, they wanted housewives who would take care of them and their children! The idea of ​​a man having to cook dinner himself after a long day of work was completely ridiculous to them, and the mayor let out a scream, declaring that any of them could be next, no matter what. no matter which of them could come home without finding dinner, and finding their wives full of color, full of change. George, who is waiting for his dinner, each time shouts, "Honey, I'm home," which is an indirect command saying, "Where's my dinner?" . It's not like they have this loving, sweet relationship, full of trust, like it was portrayed when David watched from his couch at home. Rather, Betty and George have a relationship based on chores and responsibilities, in which Betty is expected to take care of things at home and George is expected to take care of things outside the home. This is particularly evident in the way George is more concerned about not having dinner than knowing the whereabouts of his wife. Every time George shouts "Honey, I'm home," the audience can hear roaring thunders in the background, once again emphasizing the negativity of the change happening all around Pleasantville. Shortly after the dinner scene, the audience sees Betty again, who is now at Mr. Johnson's side. Betty stands by Mr. Johnson because he makes her happy and makes her feel good about herself. Although she is embarrassed about being full of color, Mr. Johnson talks about her beauty and explains that she wants to make a painting of her. At this point, Betty, aware that her husband is most likely waiting for her at home for dinner, finally puts her own wants, needs, and desires ahead of her husband's and, ultimately, shows some attention to herself, as a human being. should.There is also a scene where Betty and George are in the kitchen of their house, discussing the changes that are taking place. George seems disgusted with Betty, as she is full of color at this point, and this implies how George is against the changes taking place. George plans to attend a town meeting so that all the issues, namely the changes in Pleasantville, can be addressed and a solution can be found. However, Betty doesn't want to attend the town meeting to begin with, now objecting to the mindset of the town officials, and anyway, George urges, almost forces, Betty to go with him. George also tells Betty to put on makeup so she can hide the, 2009).