Pleasantville and Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Home for thanksgiving and still recovering from a food coma, I decided to indulge in a pleasurable read. As I scrambled through my never-ending bookshelves of novels, I came across one of my favorite middle school stories: The Giver. Although it has been a few years, I still remember the essay we were assigned upon finishing the book. My classmates and I were instructed to compare and contrast Lois Lowry's classic to the movie, Pleasantville. Each piece takes place in a black and white utopian society neglected of true feelings and emotions. Blinded by the falseness of their lives, the characters are unaware of the many truths of reality. The only individuals with any knowledge of life outside the utopian boundaries are the main characters. In The Giver, the protagonist, Jonas, is aware of the countless emotions and troublesome instances of the real world. Similarly, in the movie, the central characters, David and Jennifer, are exposed to reality before entering the "flawless" life of Pleasantville. Nevertheless, the other characters believe their lives are "reality" because they have never seen or been told of anything else. Evidently, the two stories share strong similarities, however, since I've already written an essay arguing that, I am not going to reconstruct my former writing assignment in this post.


Instead, after reading Elyssa Kozak's blog post, comparing The Giver to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, I have been inspired to draw a relationship between the Allegory of the Cave and Pleasantville. I figured they must be comparable if The Giver relates to both Plato and this Oscar nominated film. So after I skimmed through most of the novel while cuddled up on the couch with my turkey-full stomach, I couldn't resist from watching this movie. With the Allegory of the Cave lingering in my mind, I began to feel as if Pleasantville was actually based off of Plato's theory. Plato's cave consists of prisoners who are only able to see the shadows produced from the objects outside of the cave. Because this is the only life they know, their "truth is nothing other than the shadows of artificial things" (Plato). Similarly, the people of Pleasantville have never experienced life outside of their perfected community. They are unaware of the imperfections of reality and the power of human emotions. The prisoners of the cave and the individuals of Pleasantville are both restricted from the truths of reality.

However, both Plato's Allegory of the Cave and Pleasantville do not end there. Plato goes on to describe the effects one would face if they were to be released from the cave. First and foremost, the prisoner would have to become accustomed to the sunlight after being held captive in an enclosed dark space. Obviously even this transition is hard to overcome. Most shockingly though is the truth of what objects their shadows actually represent. At first the released prisoner still believes the images in the cave are truer than what he sees now. It is hard for him to grasp the fact that what he believed to be real in the cave isn't real at all. The psychological troubles of this adjustment causes the released prisoner to want to go back to what he knew to be "real." However, as he begins to adjust to the sunlight, the released prisoner becomes acclimated to the real world outside of the cave. As his interest grows in discovering the many truths of reality, the released prisoner goes back to the cave to share his knowledge with his former inmates. Unfortunately, still accustomed to the world inside of the cave, the prisoners are scared of the released prisoner's shadow and the sounds he is making. Evidently, the truth is hard to accept when you have been taught something different your whole life.

Pleasantville also depicts the many effects of an individual discovering the falsehoods of his or her life while learning the truths of reality. The main characters, David and Jennifer, expose the citizens of Pleasantville to the realistic imperfections of the real world and the powerful impact of true human emotions. Similar to the released prisoner, the characters have a hard time adjusting to this reality. At first the individuals are scared of the change they are experiencing through their new discovery. For example, take a look at this clip:

Betty Parker, a flawless citizen of Pleasantville, has recently experienced the powerful emotions of human sexual intercourse. As a result, Betty has turned from her original black and white self into vibrant colors. Clearly, she is scared of the change she is experiencing. The individuals of Pleasantville, including Betty, had never been exposed to the intense emotions she felt nor have they ever seen color. Similar to the released prisoner's initial desire to go back to what he knew, Betty originally wants to return to the way she was. This clip fully captures this aspect as David conceals the color of Betty's body with her gray-scale make-up. However, likewise to the prisoner, as the characters become more familiar with the truths of reality, they develop an interest to learn more and teach others.

Here we find David teaching Bill Johnson of the various forms of art through literature. Although David does not appear in color as Betty does, David has already been exposed to reality before arriving in Pleasantville. He isn't afraid of others knowing of his experience with the truths of reality as he strives to spread the knowledge to other individuals of the community. Unlike most of the characters, Bill Johnson is open to learning about the real world. He finds the life outside of their utopia to be beautifully shaped by emotions and colors. However, most individuals of Pleasantville are similar to the prisoners left behind by the released individual. They remain consumed in their artificial lives and are reluctant to any change. In fact, these characters are afraid of the color and truths gained by others, similar to the inmates fear of the shadow and sounds produced by the released prisoner. 

As you watch this clip, picture Betty as the released prisoner and Betty's husband, George Parker, as one of the prisoners left behind. Evidently, George is afraid of his wife's knowledge of reality and the color she has become. Similar to the prisoners, he refuses to accept the truth of her newfound emotions and appearance. Instead, George is scared of the information that caused her to change. He wants her to go back to the way things were before. However, in comparison to the released prisoner, Betty is no longer scared of the transformation she has experienced. Conclusively, the characters of this film are mere representations of the individuals in Plato's Allegory of the Cave. 

The parallels between the Allegory of the Cave and Pleasantville are plainly obvious. Restricted from the truths of reality by their environment, the prisoners of the cave and the citizens of Pleasantville live artificial lives surrounded by false representations. Those who are exposed to the reality outside of their  confined worlds are at first taken aback by the truths they are taught. However, as they become acclimated with their new lifestyles, their interest in reality develops as they aspire to teach others of the knowledge they have gained. Conversely, the remaining individuals continue to be scared of any life other than the one they are accustomed to.

Originally comparing this movie to The Giver, my youth restricted me from realizing the connection to the world I am living in. Now contrasting Pleasantville to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, I have become more mindful of the relationship between these pieces and my own life. Throughout my life I have heard people say "change is good," "change is hard," and "change is bad." However, after relating this film to Plato I have discovered that change can be both good, hard and bad. The exposure to new things is scary but usually turns out good after you overcome the fear of change and discovery. You never know what change will bring, therefore, you should never reject it. What do you guys think about this comparison between the Allegory of the Cave and Pleasantville? Has this relationship between the two triggered any thoughts of how this idea of change can be applied to the world in which we live? Let me know what you guys think! 

P.S. 

I thought this clip would add some humor to this post. It reminded me of how the prisoners may have reacted if they interpreted the shadow of fire as a cat!