PLEASANTVILLE - Ms. Gourley's Classes
PLEASANTVILLE
CULMINATING ACTIVITY ANALYSIS
SOCIOLOGY:
Conformity – Roles/Norms/Sanctions
➢ Stereotypical roles for mother, father, male, female, children
➢ Guidelines are set according to 1950’s rules
➢ Sanctions are: -verbal abuse/physical abuse (David’s girlfriend
is confronted)
-ostracize people (coloured people in the balcony)
-giggling, laughing (Mary-Sue in Geo. class)
Conformity – Factors Affecting Conformity
➢ Group Attractiveness -
➢ Group Unanimity – Geography lesson
➢ Public vs. Private Response – purpose of town hall meeting
➢ Nature of the Task – because members of Pleasantville don’t know many things, they conform to the norms of their society
Conformity – Groupthink
➢ Refers to the effect of group dynamics and pressure when a decision needs to be made
➢ The mayor and his “cronies” defend why the changes in Pleasantville are bad rather than analyzing them first and deciding whether anything needs to change or not
➢ When George comes to the bowling alley, they chant that they will take care of things “together”
Structural Functionalism
➢ Each institution (structure) has a purpose and function and all must work together for a common goal or else there is disequilibrium.
➢ In Pleasantville, all institutions (family, economy, education) uphold the norms and values of Pleasantville: that everything should be “pleasant” and the only way to maintain that is to avoid challenge and change. When one institution stops fulfilling its role, other institutions must pick up the slack or disequilibrium will occur. The cracks in each institution begin to fall apart and Pleasantville stops being “pleasant”.
Conflict Theory
➢ Conflict is good because it brings about change that is often necessary in society because the needs of one group (usually minority) are not being met. The needs not met are education, sexuality, free will, etc. The conflict between the two groups in Pleasantville ((black and white) conformists vs. “coloureds” (diversity/free will)) improves the lives of many members of Pleasantville.
PSYCHOLOGY:
Freud’s Model of the Mind/Defense Mechanisms
➢ David’s Id has a desire to be accepted among his peers in Pleasantville because he is not in the real world. He sees an opportunity to be accepted and eventually does what he can to stay. His superego knows that it is unrealistic and perhaps wrong to stay and alter this fake world. His ego must resolve this psychic conflict. He uses rationalization as a defense mechanism. He rationalizes that they people of Pleasantville need him and he should stay.
➢ Most of the “coloured” people must overcome psychic conflict because they are going against society’s rules. When they overcome the conflict that is most challenging to them, they turn into colour and continue to seek alternative ways of living and seeing the world.
ANTHROPOLOGY:
Nature and Nurture
➢ Despite the indoctrination of the people of Pleasantville, their true nature prevails in different ways for different characters; whether it be the quest for knowledge of what’s outside of Pleasantville, for sexual exploration/self-understanding, for expressing true emotion (anger/love), for the desire to create, etc. It is not likely that all people after turning “colour” will completely change, but their true nature has been allowed to be expressed.
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