Wreck It Ralph is an animated Disney movie that takes us beyond the arcade screen, through power cables and surge protectors to the innerworkings of the arcade, where the main character, Ralph, travels to different video games to earn a medal and prove himself a hero. Along the way, Ralph meets and befriends a young glitch prone racecar driver named Vanellope in the game of Sugar Rush. Together they go on a wild adventure to help Vanellope win her game’s big race to prove herself the racer she knows she is, and Ralph to be the hero he knows he is. Wreck It Ralph uses multiple sociological principles in the movie, and in the end, teaches us not to judge one another, but instead to accept each other for the good and the bad. Structural Functionalism …show more content…
is one of the main theories used to explain social order, social change, and social inequality. This theory is based on the “assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures” (Ferris & Stein, 2016). In other words, every person in a society plays a crucial part, and each part works together to help maintain a certain balance within the society. In Wreck It Ralph, Ralph plays the role of the villain whose job is to break things and Felix is the hero with the magical hammer that can fix anything. They can’t change their characters in the game because they need to maintain the balance between the good and the bad. They are part of a bigger story that comes together to create a certain experience for the players. Without that balance, without Wreck it Ralph breaking things for Fix it Felix to fix, there would be no game. The evil and the good work together to maintain the balance. Social structure within society pertains to the rankings, or different class levels within that society. Society is separated into different social classes, from the lower classes or poor, to the upper wealthy class (Ferris & Stein, 2016). A person is ranked according to their social economic status which is usually determined by wealth, power, job, and the type of home you live in (Ferris & Stein, 2016). One of the main plots of the movie was Ralph’s desire to gain status among his digital peers. Ralph was on the bottom of the social structure; he was the bad guy who broke everything. He was never invited to the parties and he was not allowed to live in the apartment building with Felix or the other Nicelanders, but instead, he lived in the dump. Ralph’s character was programmed to be the bad guy, his job was to wreck things. There was no social mobility for him. In other words, he had no opportunity within his game world to move up in social status. This is contrary to Felix who sat at the top of the social ladder. Felix had the highest prestige and wealth. Felix’s wealth was in the form of a magic hammer that can fix anything which he inherited from his father. It is Ralph’s low social status and the way he is perceived by his counterparts that leads him to leave his world in search of a gold medal of honor. Ralph believes that if he was the hero for a change, the Nicelanders would accept him and he would essentially move up the social ladder. Beyond the different levels of social class within society exists many different social networks and groups which people identify themselves with. A group usually consists of two or more people who share common things with each other, i.e. appearance, culture, occupation; and, there are several different types of groups including ingroups, outgroups, and reference groups (Ferris & Stein, 2016). A group that a person identifies with and feels loyalty toward would be that person’s ingroup; while the people or groups that they feel dislike or hostility towards would be their outgroup (Ferris & Stein, 2016). Both the two main characters, Ralph and Vanellope, were outsiders within their game. Where Ralph lived alone in the dump, Vanellope lived alone in an abandoned level of the game. Inside the Fix it Felix world the Nicelanders and Felix were all part of an ingroup; they stuck together and were loyal to one another. Ralph was not a part of their group and they looked down upon Ralph; he was their outgroup. In the Sugar Rush world where Vanellope was from, the other racers were part of an ingroup who stuck together. All the other racers looked down on her, tormenting her and calling her, “an accident waiting to happen” (Spencer, 2012). Vanellope was their outgroup, and she was not allowed to race with them. Both Ralph and Vanellope strongly desired to fit in with their world. The Nicelanders were Ralph’s reference group. They were who he aspired to be, and he strived to live up to their standards. They are the reason he felt he needed to win a gold medal and be a hero. The same is true with Vanellope, she wanted to race in one of the big race’s in her game world and win, so she could be a part of the ingroup as a driver. For Vanellope her reference group were the other racers of Sugar Rush. She looked up to them. Both Ralph and Vanellope had low self-esteems and negative self-images stemming from the way they were treated by their reference groups. After Ralph and Vanellope met and became friends, they formed their own group and they supported and encouraged each other. Learning to accept others for who they are was an ongoing theme throughout the movie. When Ralph left his game and snuck into another game, or game-jumped to Hero’s Duty, he not only committed what was considered a “crime” in the arcade world, he was displaying deviant behavior.
Throughout the movie, Ralph displays several behaviors and traits that are considered deviant behavior. Deviance is defined as behavior that is different from the normal behavior within a certain group, and this behavior is looked down upon by the rest of the group (Ferris & Stein, 2016). Within the world of Fix it Felix, all the characters are nice people, hence the term “Nicelanders”, except Ralph whose character is programmed to break things. The Nicelanders look at Ralph with disdain because of his destructive nature; he is seen as a deviant. It is Ralph’s desire for the Nicelanders’ acceptance that leads him to commit a “crime” by game jumping and entering Hero’s Duty to earn a medal of honor and be deemed as a hero. Even though Ralph’s character is programmed to be the bad guy and his job is to break things, he is a good guy who just wants to be loved and accepted. His general good guy nature deviates from what is perceived as normal behavior for a villain. Another act of deviance portrayed by Ralph was when he snuck cherries from the Pacman World (it is against the rules to take an item from one game world to another) and then gave them to the homeless Qbert characters. While everyone in Game Central Station was running from Ralph the villain, he did a kind deed and displayed his inner good
guy. Nearly every animated kid’s movie has an important life lesson to be taught. Disney Pixar’s 2001 hit Monsters, Inc. lead the way for Wreck It Ralph in 2012, which was then followed by The Lego Movie in 2014. These three favorites all featured a main character who is trying to break free of their initial character and discover their true self and end up saving the day and being the hero. Monstropolis is a monster town powered by the screams of human children which are extracted by monsters deemed “scarers” in the factory, Monsters, Inc. The movie centers around the top “scarer” Sulley who is known for collecting the most screams. Sulley is supposed to be this big scary monster who scares children; but, as it turns out, he doesn’t enjoy scaring children and he falls in love with a little girl they call Boo. Sulley’s love for Boo changes him and helps him realize his true self. Much like Ralph, who doesn’t enjoy wrecking things, and falls in love with a little girl, Vanellope, who also changes Ralph and helps him discovery his true good-natured and loving self. Both Ralph and Sulley are supposed to be “bad-guys” but are good at heart. Ralph and Sulley destroy the evil villains, save the day, and change their lives as well as the lives of those around them. Like Sulley and Ralph, Emmett is an ordinary Lego figure who breaks the rules and breaks free of his ordinary life. Emmett goes on an epic journey through new worlds, learns new invaluable life lessons everywhere he goes, takes down the evil villain to save his world, and becomes the hero of the movie. And, while the writers and producers of Wreck It Ralph relied on the videogame fan base to create their movie, The Lego Movie writers and producers used the already loved and popular Lego toys in their movie. Overall, Wreck It Ralph touched on a lot of sociological issues that are seen within our society every day. From the functional theory of how our society runs, to socioeconomic status and how it can prevent us from progressing in life. The movie demonstrates in and outgroups, and how these groups can affect people. And finally, deviance, deviant behavior and what can lead a person to act out in a deviant manner.
He was faced with difficulties. Ralph forgot to renew his visa, the only proof of his identity and had to live without a legal identity for months. Although he stayed in America with Theresa and Helen, he began to show “typical american” qualities such as lying and cheating his way through life. Ralph once said, “Money. In this country, you have money, you can do anything. You have no money, you are nobody. You are Chinaman. Is that simple” (Jen 199), this quote is only the beginning of Ralph’s detrimental
Ralph is the novel’s protagonist and tries to maintain the sense of civility and order as the boys run wild. Ralph represents the good in mankind by treating and caring for all equally, which is completely opposite of Jack’s savage nature. Jack is the antagonist in the novel and provokes the most internal evil of all the boys. Jack is seen at first as a great and innocent leader but he becomes t...
In the beginning, Ralph is indecisive between id and superego. He shows superego when Ralph says,” I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts – then you go off hunting and let out the fire” (Golding 59). The fire is the only way in which the guys can be rescued. When the guys miss their chance of rescue, Ralph gets mad and restates the importance of keeping the fire going. Ralph wants the guys on the island to listen to him and act more like a leader. “The rules!” shouted Ralph. “You’re breaking the rules!” (Golding 79) Ralph sets out certain rules for the society on the island to get alone with each other and get rescued. Ralph wants them to survive before they get rescued and starts to create a society among them, however, Jack, an ill-driven enemy, hates the idea of Ralph being leader and starts to do id-driven actions. Although Ralph is driven by superego, he also shows id when Ralph says,” This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we’ll have fun” (Golding 27). Ralph wants to just have fun at the beginning and doesn’t care about rescue. Ralph doesn’t care because he doesn’t think about the war that is going on and relies on his dad to rescue him. Ralph starts to realize the facts and starts acting more civilized. Ralph also shows id when he “was f...
Ralph's actions as a character in the novel assist in reinforcing Golding's point that the prevalent force within man is evil. While Ralph struggles, albeit unsuccessfully, to maintain a civilized society on the island, he repeatedly tries to resist the temptation of evil inside him. As the island descends into chaos under Jack's tyrannical regime, the rest of the boys on the island let their hair become longer, at the same time becoming increasingly vicious. Ralph tries to ignore the temptation of having long hair, trying to push it back to maintain the good he has inside him. Ralph wants to “have a pair of scissors” to cut his hair, but the hair is coaxing him to let evil dominate (109). ...
Throughout the novel when Ralph notices some of the boys have started to turn into savages, he tries to put an end to it as soon as possible. Ralph wants the young boys to remain as close to their old selves as much as they can, rather than transforming into unrecognizable people. Once the boys have gotten somewhat settled in on the island, they forget to watch after the most important job, as seen in Ralph’s eyes, “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there might be a ship out there” (Golding 42). The majority of the group has turned to having fun rather than getting rescued. Ralph is one of the only people that has common sense and seems to know their correct priorities. We can see that choosing Ralph to be the leader may lead to benefiting them all. In chapter 11, Jack and his group have bombarded Ralph’s group and stolen Piggy’s glasses, so when Piggy asks what they are going to do, Ralph responds with, “Supposing we go, looking like we used to, washed and hair brushed- after all we aren’t savages really and being rescued isn’t a game--” (Golding 170). Ralph ends up handling this given situation like an adult. He can see quite clearly that the thought of salvation and maturity has no meaning to everyone in Jack's’ group. They have been treating their whole situation like it is just a game, but Ralph knows at this point that rescue is
Ralph has an idealistic view of the world and he always strives for righteousness and perfection in himself and in others. I think that because he expects perfection in this world, he is disappointed with the imperfections in himself and in others as well as the unfairness in the world. Facing difficult situations, one after another in his life, has affected him deeply because of his idealistic view of the world.
Ralph, the first character introduced to the audience, is probably the most likable character in the entire story. Although he does not ponder such deeply like Piggy, is not as spiritual like Simon, or as energetic as Jack, there is something in him that attracts the audience. Ralph serves as the protagonist of the story. He is described as being a playful, innocent child in the beginning, but towards the end he matures significantly. In the first chapter where he takes his clothes off and goes swimming like any child would do, he seems to be Adam in the Garden of Eden, a child left to play with the nature.
Ralph, in some ways, parallels a school teacher. He always tries to do what is in the best interest of the community, but sometimes is over powered by the majority and gives in. In over words, he does his best to keep order and peace, but of course can’t all the time because of disagreements, stubbornness and rebellion.
When Ralph is confronted with adversity his character develops. He loses his sense of civilization and the savagery within him grows after killing his friend Simon. Ralph faces the inevitable loss of innocence on the island when discovering what was humanity is capable of. This novel will forever remain popular as it shows human nature in its truest form.
He blows the conch and summons the deserted children together” (Li & Wu 1). While all the boys are interested mainly in playing and setting out to satisfy their own needs, Ralph is focused on building shelter and keeping a fire going to facilitate their rescue. As one can see, Ralph is “the representative of civilization and democracy, lives by rules, acts peacefully, and follows moral commands and values the good of the group, who dramatically reveals the condition of civilization and democracy in Golding’s time” (Li & Wu
He is trying to be a teamplayer not like Jack who want’s to go adventure and kill things Ralph is protective and really smart. So If I was in Ralph situation then I would have not been able to prevent the deaths because Jack was way out of control. Even though there has been times where Ralph did not do what a leader should of done. There was times he was picking on piggy and time he was acting like himself. Although the difference between Jack and Ralph is that Ralph is not evil, cynical, or selfish he knows the difference between right and what’s wrong.
The start of Ralph’s troubles came when he was supposed to renew his visa to stay in America, but he let it expire, and was unable to register for classes. After Ralph’s sister Theresa and his future wife, Helen came to America, Ralph finally started getting himself back on track in terms of his dream. He would go back to school and eventually graduate: but the dream did not end there. This is the main conflict in the story for Ralph, an inner battle with himself to do the right thing, in hopes of living a better, more prestigious life in America. “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me” (p88), this is from a time in Ralph’s life when he ...
Ralph’s power at the beginning is secure but as the group succumbs to their savage instincts, Ralph’s influence declines as Jack’s rises. This is due mainly to the cruelty and violence that goes on in the story. This cruelty reveals that Ralph’s commitment to civilization and being rescued is so strong that he will not allow himself to change his morals and become cruel like the others. The cruelty in this novel also shows that Ralph is a very intelligent character. His intelligence can be proven because there was a point in the novel when he hunts a boar for the first time and he experiences the thrill of bloodlust. He also attends one of Jack’s feast where he is swept away by the frenzy and participates in the killing of Simon. This is a very tragic moment for Ralph because this is when he realizes the evil that lives within himself and every human being. It is the cruel acts that happen in this novel that reveals Ralph’s character of being intelligent and being able to think deeply about human experiences. He even weeps when getting saved because of his knowledge about the human capacity for
Not only do the two character's decisions clash so do their personalities. Ralph is caring and considerate, being kinder...
Before Ralph ended up on this island, he thought everyone was good, and bad was just a foreign concept. But now he sees that there is evil even within himself. While him and the re...