Giver And Pleasantville

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The Giver and Pleasantville depict flawless societies, but the scarcity of individuality and change shows that perfect societies that lack growth and learning cannot be truly successful. Pleasantville erases different styles, different living situations, and different colors to erase individuality, which erases emotional development and makes everybody blend together and creates a difference between those with and without their own ideas. An example of this is after the riot when the Soda Shop was destroyed. A Code of Conduct is released that restricts music, the paint colors, the places people are allowed to go, and more. This is a moment in which every shred of individuality is taken away from those who are no longer black and white. People …show more content…

The lack of style with these characters, even with their names, makes every character blend together; it makes them the exact same. This shows us that in a utopia when there is no difference with anyone, it is tough to tell anyone apart from anyone else. These parts of the movie show the viewer that individuality allows people to be expressive and have their own ideas and feelings. Without individuality, people are unable to experience true emotion. Pleasantville prevents danger by preventing change and learning, which shows the viewers that a society without change that denies growth is inherently dangerous. We see an example of this in the scene where the tree in front of David and Jennifer’s house caught on fire. David runs to the fire station to inform them of the problem; however, the firemen sit where they are “with a perplexed expression” (Ross 68). It isn’t until David makes them believe that a cat is stuck in a tree that they finally get up. Even when they get back to the house, the firemen are still unaware of how to put the fire out, and David is forced to do it. This scene shows us that change is a dangerous thing if it is not a constant …show more content…

We see another example of the danger of stopping change during the riot scene. After a picture of Betty is painted on the side of the building, a group of “uncolored” people end up destroying Mr. Johnson’s soda shop by throwing bricks, breaking in, and trashing the furniture. This shows us that unfamiliarity is seen as a threat to those who are not used to it. How can a group of people simply see a harmless painting, and destroy a building over it? When people are not raised to understand and be okay with change, they see it as a threat, something that should be destroyed and kept away at all costs. Change and utopias cannot exist together in peace, so change is erased from existence. Utopias cannot truly succeed without change, however, because when change inevitably does happen, it will cause the downfall of the perfect society. The Giver uses things such as the age ceremonies to ensure everyone is held to the same standards and rules, making uniformity the standard and erasing individuality and advancement. An example of this is shown in the age ceremony. The age ceremonies occur at the year's end and determine how old everybody

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