Pleasantville is a fascinating movie that captures the differences in society during the current era and the 1950s era ( Ross, 1998). When the main characters in the film go back in time through a sitcom TV show they watch, you can see how the characters are expected to fit into certain gender roles. The stretching of traditional gender roles can be seen throughout the film, especially in the scenes where the husband is surprised that he doesn't have dinner ready for him, where the female character gives life and color to the other girls in the city by introducing them to sex which implies that the girls of the town lived a colorless though still moral life, and where the entire community is troubled by the undeniable changes in traditional gender roles over the course of the film. The most interesting thing about the film is seeing the complete transformation that Pleasantville society undergoes, which can be seen in the way everyone has gone from black and white to being full of color. At the beginning of the film, women are always expected to be beautiful, stay-at-home wives who can cook, clean, and make their husbands happy while being completely moral. However, towards the end, women are more independent and free when they are able to appreciate the beauties of life such as art, sex, books and music. Inevitably, there was a portion of the community that was disturbed by the changes taking place, as some men did not want to give up their dominant power role, and others saw women's newfound independence as an invitation to foul play. This article will provide a gender analysis for Pleasantville by examining the different gender roles within the film, analyzing the relationship of the gender roles within the film to current society, and delving into the reasons why much of the community was against to the changes taking place. in Pleasantville. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The film begins with an introduction to Jennifer and David, who are brother and sister, attending the same school and living in the 1990s when they are introduced. This introduction to the lives of Jennifer and David is given so that, when they are transported into the 1950s sitcom, one can see the substantial differences between their old lives and their new lives and, in particular, the differences in the roles of gender they must adopt. For example, although David is a normal teenage schoolboy in his normal life, he is expected to work and earn an income as a cashier at a hamburger joint in 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 goes out with one of the most popular, and probably the most handsome, guys in town on a bar date, she is disturbed by how he expects her to be modest and therefore not make any moves, since Jennifer is used to flirting with guys and get compliments from them. However, in the 1950s era they moved into, women were expected to be modest, so it would have been foolish for a guy to make any flirtatious moves towards them. Before leaving for Pleasantville, Jennifer is shown to be waiting for a handsome boyfriend, so they can watch movies together as a date, while David is shown to be just relaxing at home and watching movies. As they discover when they head to Pleasantville, such luxuries of life did not exist in Pleasantville. Skip is shocked and excited to even hold on toJennifer's hand, let alone being alone together watching a movie, and David is expected to contribute to the income of the house and not go around doing anything. Therefore, from the beginning, one can easily distinguish the different gender roles of the two eras. Life in Pleasantville was disturbing. There was no world outside of Pleasantville (as the students' geographic maps within the school implied), 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 younger populations). Pleasantville was not only black and white in appearance, but also black and white in being. The people of Pleasantville were not truly alive, not enjoying a single pleasant thing that life had to offer. For modesty and harmony, the people of Pleasantville had given up their happiness and livelihood. Furthermore, as suggested by numerous scenes in the film, the modesty established in Pleasantville consists of forcing men and women into traditional gender roles, which Jennifer and David were absolutely not accustomed to. In addition to all the disturbing things already happening in Pleasantville, it is crucial to note that before David and Jennifer's arrival in town, there was not even any fire or rain in it, almost implying that David and Jennifer's arrival has brought about a change that is “bad”. The fact that Jennifer was the one who approached Skip about going to Lover's Lane was shocking to Skip, as he hadn't blocked her yet, which could be translated into him not even asking her out. However, Jennifer having sex with Skip also brought the first sign of color to Pleasantville, the red color of a rose. “This triggers a chain of events in which the entire country begins to 'free' and give in to passion. Teens begin to have sex on Lover's Lane, Jennifer teaches TV mother Joycelyn Elders her preferred form of sexual satisfaction, which then leads mother to an extramarital affair with the owner of the local soda shop” (Giganti & York, 1998). Once people are introduced to the sexual adventures that Jennifer is telling them about, the citizens of Pleasantville begin to change from being black and white to being full of color. The color symbolizes that particular person who evolves from traditional gender roles to modern gender roles, where they are more open-minded, understand themselves better and are not bound by the unspoken rules of society. When girls abandoned their modest ways and began kissing boys in public, they gained color, which was a sign of their newfound freedom and independence. The film offered fascinating and thought-provoking scenes, such as a black-and-white boy kissing a girl full of color; almost implying that the guy is not yet ready to leave his dominant side behind to get in touch with a more sensitive side, or the scene where a girl is in black and white but the gum she is blowing is bright pink, indicating her leniency towards being colorful and changing her ways. Numerous pages can be written on each scene of the film; they are full of symbols, implications and provide wonderful insights into how to address the gender role issues of today. Although many people perceive Pleasantville as a film in which only Jennifer challenges traditional gender roles, David also strongly challenges traditional gender roles. , but in his own way. While Jennifer deals with the lack of sexuality in Pleasantville, David deals with the lack of higher pleasures, such as enjoying art or books. He is disturbed by the fact that ibooks about Pleasantville contain no words, how the only thing the school studies is the geography of Pleasantville which is only made up of a few streets and how art is missing. David realized that Pleasantville's black-and-white appearance not only succeeded in enforcing traditional gender roles, but also ensured that the citizens of Pleasantville had no individuality of their own and lacked original thinking, which allowed them to be satisfied. with little Pleasantville has to offer. Rather, the people of Pleasantville had very mechanical ways and therefore accepted their traditional gender roles. Every night George came into the house saying, “Honey, I'm home,” and every morning Betty filled the family with an overload of fatty foods, believing she was fulfilling her maternal and wifely duties. “Mom, wearing the apron of a downtrodden housewife and hopelessly ignorant of dietary dogma, fills the whole damn family with foods dangerously high in animal fats” (Baker, 1998). With the point made here, the film successfully connects the idea of ​​forcing oneself into traditional gender roles with losing one's individuality and preventing one's true self from blossoming. There is an undeniable connection between Pleasantville's uneducated society accepting their current traditional gender roles. As soon as David started hinting at another world and another reality that exists outside of Pleasantville, society became extremely curious and intrigued, so it's not as if they were intentionally against a modern gender role, rather he has never been introduced to let's start with.Jennifer shows her TV mother, who is almost a representation of Eva with her innocence and obedience to her husband, how to masturbate. Her mother was curious to know why so many kids frequent Lover's Lane nowadays, and Jennifer took it upon herself to explain the whole truth. The mother was now filled with thoughts of pleasure, which she was embarrassed about because she knew that her husband would never take part in such an activity. However, the mother was curious and explored it herself, which caused the first flames to appear in Pleasantville. It is as if the city is mourning the change that is taking place, a change that would upset the balance of Pleasantville and a change that is not generally 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. He was aware that this newly acquired color is associated with the change that was being seen throughout Pleasantville, and he wanted to hide it, ashamed of it. This was mainly due to the city's divided perspective on the changes that were taking place. Although most of the young population embraced the changes and engaged in them, so that they could be part of the change, the dominant male figures in the city were completely against the changes that were happening. figures within society as they began to notice the changes, such as the younger population always having books in their hands and boys and girls publicly kissing and dating romantically. It is important to note that within Pleasantville society and era, men were expected to be the dominant, independent, and formidable figures in the home. Women didn't have to constantly stay out when they should have been cooking and cleaning the house, and men were expected to work and earn an income, not chase useless books. The TV mother would be the turning point in Pleasantville. One of the most famous scenes in this movie is when Betty, Jennifer and David's TV mother, isn't home when thefather, George. George, who has worked all day at his job, expects to find dinner on his table when he gets home, cooked and prepared by his ever-faithful wife. This time, however, not only did George not find his dinner, but Betty was nowhere to be found either. Having explored herself, Betty was now a new woman, with a curiosity about the other pleasures and thrills that life has to offer, such as examining works of art and committing adultery, which she managed to do alongside Mr. Johnson . But George not having dinner ready for him was the last straw that the dominant men of society could bear. They didn't want independent women, they wanted housewives who would take care of them and their children! The idea that a man should cook dinner alone after a long day's work was completely ridiculous to them, and the mayor let out a shout, saying that any of them could be next, any of them could go home and not to find dinner, and to find their wives full of color, full of change. George, who is waiting for his dinner, shouts every time, "Honey, I'm home," which is an indirect command that says, "Where's my dinner?" . It's not like they have this loving, sweet, trusting relationship that was portrayed when David watched from his couch at home. Rather, Betty and George have a relationship built on tasks 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 especially evident in how George is more concerned about running out of dinner than the whereabouts of his wife. Every time George shouts “Honey, I'm home,” the audience can hear roaring thunder in the background, once again highlighting the negativity of the change that is happening throughout Pleasantville. Immediately after the dinner scene, the audience is shown 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 by the fact that she is full of color, Mr. Johnson talks about her beauty and how he would like to make a painting of it. At this point, Betty, aware that her husband is most likely waiting for her at home for a dinner, is finally putting her own wants, needs and desires before those of her husband and, finally, showing some attention to herself, like any human being. should. There is also a scene where Betty and George are in the kitchen of their home, discussing the changes that are happening. George seems to be disgusted by Betty, because at this point she is full of color, implying that George is against the changes taking place. George plans to attend a town meeting so that all the problems, i.e. changes within Pleasantville, can be addressed and a solution can be found. However, Betty does not want to attend the town meeting to begin with, now opposing the mood of the town authority, and in any case, George urges, almost forces, Betty to go with him. George also tells Betty to wear makeup, so that she can hide her skin color. This is yet another way the film demonstrates the stretching of traditional gender roles; Pleasantville expects women to be beautiful, proper, and obedient to their husbands. Betty's TV son David/Bud is saddened by the events and doesn't want Betty to be severely affected by the changes. With good intentions, “her son helps her with makeup and a little gray powder; and you have the feeling of a painting of a corpse, that the covering of color is a kind of death” (Garrett, 2013). Even though he is wearing makeup, covering his skin tone, Betty denies his true wants and desires, as he is, 2009).