Functionalism In Pleasantville

Deviance from cultural norms are what accelerate the rate of social change within a group of individuals. The more challenged otherwise solidified expectations of the individual are, the more likely those elements are to be uprooted and replanted, contributing to a movement that advances the group in a new direction. The film Pleasantville highlights the propensity humans have to become flexible, adaptive creatures when prompted by external forces that are appealing to their self interests. When guided by such forces, people will mold themselves into newer, brighter versions of themselves, enhancing the likelihood that they will have an impact on the group as a whole. The most obvious way the viewer is able to follow along with the abrupt rate of social change in this film is through the literal changes of color that reflect a figurative
This suggested that not only was the origin of social change difficult to pinpoint, but the way it was viewed by the individual played a major role in how they interacted with it. When Mary Sue began discovering her intrinsic value by reading D.H. Lawrence and rejecting the desire to have physical experiences, she too became symbolically colorful and a part of the movement. From a functionalist perspective, the occurrences in Pleasantville would not be ideal because the intensity of social change negatively affected the connection throughout the community. As more residents discover their full potential and true selves, the more organic this otherwise mechanical society becomes. This adds complexity and enhances the gap between the interaction of the individual and the group as a whole because the residents in color are consequently polarized from their black and white