Essay #1 Freud And Pleasantville Essay

Essay #1 Freud and Pleasantville Essay

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Essay #1 Freud and Pleasantville Essay

Introduction:

Our life is full of emotions; happiness, anger, sadness, love, lust, frustration and many more. From past till today, the world has changed so much. This change is good or bad, and people become more civilized or uncivilized, all depends on the perspective that how they see the world. The moral values, ethics, laws, and regulation create an environment which tell us the changes or limits to our emotions. Freud theory defines the core values of enlightenment. He argued that ethics and morality are the limitations to the happiness of the people. He discussed the civilization and their discontents through his psychoanalytical thought. He argued over the inner mindset and its desire with the outer world and its limitations in the form of religion and moral values. In the movie, "The Pleasantville," the concept of civilization is highlighted through people change. The change in people due to creativity, sexuality, desires, and independence.

Discussion:

The story started with the modern world where two siblings with different mindset lived together. Sister Jen who was fun loving, loved smoking and hanged out with the friends while brother David who was quite shy and liked to watch an old t.v show Pleasantville. They both entered into a new world through a magical remote. David lived as Bud while Jen as Mary-sue. Brother in the black and white world felt comfortable while sister felt it dull and boring unless found a handsome boy in the town. Here Freud theory seems true that he defined through the word "libido" (Freud, Sigmund. (29 Nov. 2007). Civilization & Its Discontents). The meaning he defined was desire or lust. The dullness and boring nature suddenly changed into excitement, happiness, and sexual desires when she attracted toward the opposite sex. Later meaning of libido defined the condition of the brother Bud who was happy in the black and white town. The mental energy of the Bud behind his activities for living purpose made him comfortable. In black and white world people were portrayed as most civilized. As they lived their lives with ethics and moral values. As Freud said that human desire for sex is kind of irresistible. It is natural and can bring many other emotions. This can be considered through the example of Sue; she because of her rebellious nature started questioning when she came to know about the life concept in Pleasantville. She was being told that there was no concept of living outside Pleasantville, she raised the question about what is outside the pleasantville? This showed the desire of unknown or things that was out of moral values and norms. The isolation showed the sensitivity of the people. Like in the people of Pleasantville who limited their lives within the village experienced ignorance for the outside world. Apparently, Pleasantville seems like a civilized, but if we see the civilization through the eye of Freud theory, it is a conflict between civilization and sexuality. The circumstances between people related to sexual love were restricted by laws and morality. Freud called this kind of society as superego. It means if people try to be civilized then it leads to the primary factor to feel discontent.

Freud Commented that civilized man has exchanged a portion of his possibilities of happiness for the portion of security can be identified through the environment of Pleasantville which was very civilized and the disrupts created by the Bud and Mary Sue. Most civilized people are usually more rigid for their rules and regulations and overreact if any changes happened. In case of black and white Pleasantville, Sue brought changes through new language and habit with her rebellious nature. She got involved with a boy skip and came to know about his sexual relation — movie start showing color in some objects. For instance, red rose, green car, red cherry on ice cream, red color on heart card, and sudden change in routine started. The change started with the question, what is sex? Asked by Sue to her mother. The factor sexuality entered in the discussion. When Sue pleased herself in the bath, more color started appearing and a flame outside the yard, she became the colored character from black and white. The flame in the yard indicated the change, and rigid mindset of the people while experiencing the unusual behavior or we can say unethical behavior. The addition of more colors entered in the town, and change named as the independence of women. Sue fulfilled her sexual desires through unusual or new behavior as Freud discuss that civilization bounds the sexual desire of the people. Otherwise, people cannot control their desire to have sex or love relationship with their partner.

The brother Bud disrupted the Pleasantville civilization through his painting. He painted the picture of his girlfriend in which he portrayed her upper half naked. The painting developed anger and censorship among the people of the town. This was the behavior that Freud discussed through libido. Libido that men always have sexual desires and people bound it with name friendship or other. Bud showed her sexual desire and love through the color painting of her girlfriend, and her cheeks became pink. People showed aggression as they experienced something out of their religion, laws, and morality to be civilized. The changes through art and activism brought the color in the town.

Racial politics was established in the town. The new code of ethics was introduced after changes brought by the siblings. There was a ban on colored things, and also they tried to stop sexuality or sex through laws line no lover's lane and no large beds fitting two peoples, to stop sex between people. Buds placed his argument in front of the mayor by saying that you can not stop something that is already inside you. This dialogue made the Freud theory true. Also emphasize that love, lust, and sex is natural in human ” (Freud, Sigmund. (29 Nov. 2007). Civilization & Its Discontents). They can not stop or control it if society doesn't make laws. The Bud argument made mayor aggressive and whole landscape of the town changed into color from black and white. A new change appeared in Pleasantville. Bud and Sue brought change through activism and art.

In the end, Bud came back to the real world or modern world from where he went to the Pleasantville while Sue decided to stay there. It was a little surprising because, in the staring, the movie showed how happy Sue was in the modern world. She was satisfied with her modern look, smoking, and boyfriend but in the end she decided to stay in the Pleasantville so she can continue her study at related college as Freud imagined that women become aggressive to civilization and from the family. The character of Sue make his imagination true, her aggression and rebellious behavior brought the change, and she was happy with the change. The change made her decision to stay in the Pleasantville. On the other hand, Bud who loved to watch Pleasantville on television and was shy returned to his modern world. He did not find the change in Pleasantville desirable. The movie defined unusual possibilities by gaining knowledge.

Conclusion:

The movie Pleasantville presented the people change. The change came through independence, creativity, activism, sexuality, and art. The two characters Sue and Bud became the reason for change in the town. The story started in the modern world where Sue and Bud lived as Jen and David. Through a magical remote they entered into television show named Pleasantville. It was a black and white city. Initially, Bud was happy in the town while Sue found the city boring. Sue found a handsome guy named skip in the town and then for the first time experienced the restriction that she cannot go out of the town to study. Bud also got a girlfriend. This is how Freud theory started to apply, i.e. about sexuality. The sexual desire appeared in both sibling's life. Changes that Sue brought was by pleasing her sexual desire in the bath and through activism, town got freedom of women. Bud brought the change by creating a painting of his girlfriend in which he painted her half naked. This highlighted the narrow-minded and rigid society into the frame. The activism and art start coloring the town and through the eye of Freud theory civilized people who pushed their sexual desire for social security start being questioned. In the end, Bud’s statement about the fact that a thing that is already is in the mind of a human cannot be controlled or destroyed made Freud theory valid and brought the final change that was aggression in the Pleasantville. The result is a fully colored town of Pleasantville. The movie well defined the Freud theory by explaining the emotions of love, lust, sex, and aggression.

Sexuality is a natural phenomenon; it is in the human mind from starting. People control sexuality through laws, religion, and morality ” (Freud, Sigmund. (29 Nov. 2007). Civilization & Its Discontents). By adding restriction to the natural behavior of the people, they create a civilized society. However, they can not finish libido from lives.

References

Freud, Sigmund. (29 Nov. 2007). Civilization & Its Discontents. [Excerpt] Trans. Joan Riviere. Retrieved from www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/freud-civ.html