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FILM ANALYSIS EXEMPLAR
THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE CONFORMITY (ROLES/NORMS/SANCTIONS):
According to the text, to conform means to change one’s behaviour or attitudes to follow
the beliefs, rules or guidelines of other people in a group. Sociologists have determined
that social roles, norms, and sanctions are used to shape the behaviour of people in
groups. In Pleasantville, the social roles for mother and father, as well as their genders
are stereotypical, meaning that the definitions of the roles are exaggerated. The film
uses the format of a 1950’s sitcom to help illustrate the rigidity of these roles, how much
conformity is valued, and to force the audience to consider whether or not we still
conform to roles in modern times, even if the norms attached to them have changed.
The guidelines, or norms, are clearly laid out in Pleasantville. For example, the norms
for being a female and a mother are to raise the children, cook all meals which are ready
at prescribed times of the day, clean the home, and live a life of chastity. This is evident
when David and Jennifer first find themselves in the home of their new “parents” and are
invited to join them for breakfast. The father is reading the newspaper before he goes to
work and the mother has done all the domestic preparation. The norms for males and
fathers are to be the breadwinner and to not show emotion. We know that he goes to
work to make money for the home and the family and he is not expected to do much
else. This is highlighted when we see his regular routine is disrupted by the absence of
his wife. He comes home, sets down his briefcase from work, hangs his hat, and
announces, “Honey! I’m home!” to an empty house. The film then follows his ineptitude
at accomplishing anything other than working.
Sanctions are often used as a means to reward those who are living by the norms set
out for them by the group, or as a punishment to guide them to going back to what the
group expects. In the case of Pleasantville, negative sanctions were often used against
those who were not conforming to their roles. For example, after a nude painting of
David’s mother was displayed on the restaurant window, a group of young men led by
Whitey began using intimidation as a means of scaring her for not living by the norm of
chastity for a woman/wife of the time. Another norm that was valued in Pleasantville is
to not question what is taught to you. An example from the film is given from Jennifer’s
geography class on her first day of school. At the end of the “geography lesson”,
Jennifer innocently raises her hand and asks “What’s outside Pleasantville?” to which
every peer responds by staring and giggling. Her teacher brushes her off by telling
Jennifer that she should know the answer to the question and that “the end of main
street is just the beginning again.” Jennifer, who avidly seeks the approval of her peers
in her real life, remains silent even though she knows everyone else is wrong.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE –
CONFLICT THEORY
According to conflict theory, there are different groups in society with different degrees of
power which produces inequality. Conflict is necessary in order to ensure that the needs
of those with less power are being met. In this way, conflict is seen as a positive force in
society, and is absolutely necessary.
The two groups in Pleasantville are those who wish to continue to conform to and
maintain the status quo, and those who wish to change it. The ones who conform are
seen in black and white in the film (also a metaphor for how they view life), and the ones
who are creating conflict are depicted in colour. The “coloured” people are not having
their needs met by the strict norms of the society in which they live. They create conflict
by ignoring and directly challenging the norms. For example, a norm of Pleasantville is
to adhere to a pattern of rigid thinking (exemplified by characters in black and white) and
to avoid questioning at all costs. One of the purposes of art in society is to challenge
society’s norms and values. Bill Johnson does this by not only painting in prohibited
colours but by painting subjects that have previously been taboo; Betty Parker lying
naked breaks both norms. As other citizens blatantly ignore the norms of Pleasantville,
conflict is created to a point where those in power begin book burning, vandalism, and
public displays of threats and intimidation. Eventually, this conflict between the two
groups results in members deciding that change is necessary for all members of
Pleasantville to be happy and fulfilled.
THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE –
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
The theory of structural functionalism purports that there are “structures” that are formed
in order to meet specific needs of members of a given society. If all structures are able
to meet the needs of the members of society, then it will remain stable. If one structure
is unable to meet the needs, then the other structures must adjust to maintain
equilibrium.
The structures in the society in Pleasantville are education, government, family, and law.
Together, these structures aim to fulfill their specific functions in order to maintain
equilibrium. However, as the structures struggle to meet the needs of the citizens of
Pleasantville, other structures must react in the hope that it can correct the problems.
The overarching “need” being met in the Pleasantville we are introduced to at the
beginning of the film is that everything in life must be pleasant, and to have a pleasant
existence, conformity is necessary. However, the citizens begin to realize that they
would prefer to have experiences like “dangerous” and “sexy” over “pleasant”. In the
pursuit of having these needs being met, Betty Parker decides that she will not perform
her role as mother and wife, Bill Johnson chooses to create art in colours and subjects
that have been previously forbidden, and young people go to Lover’s Lane to explore
their sexuality. In order to regain the pleasant nature of Pleasantville, the government
and law step in. They forbid a series of activities by law in order to maintain the status
quo. However, at the end of the film, they realize that the structures must change in
order to keep up with the changes in the needs of the citizens if they wish to maintain
equilibrium.