Examples Of Functionalism In Pleasantville

Pleasantville
The movie, Pleasantville, had a large number of sociological theories and ideas expressed in very concrete ways. The people of the town were so obsessed by their norms that they were unable to function without them. It is a wonderful example of the functionalist perspective in action.
I found it fascinating that the town was overwhelmingly concerned with “conventional morality which is based on right and wrong as embodied in social rules and laws” (notes). They never even thought to question what they wanted in life; their needs were not even a thought in their mind. The norms of this town were totally different than today’s society where violence, nudity, sexual conduct, and profanity are just part of everyday life. The normative order in this place was so in check that peaceful social control had been taken to a whole new level. Everyone was so afraid to rock the boat before the two new transplants got there that; social control had become an art form. The young man in the story understood the town's need for social
I found it very interesting from a gender and functionalist perspective when the father came home and his wife was no where to be found, and his first response was "What about my dinner?" This response struck me as odd not when he did wonder if she is ok; instead his first instinct is to wonder who will fulfill the role of food preparation. Another wonderful example was when the father brought his son cocktail olives for dinner because all the other food was frozen, and he did not know how to thaw it. I thought that it was disturbing when big Bob was in the courtroom trying to drum up support for keeping the town as it always had been. He referred to the men’s wives as a means to an end to get household chores done, such as ironing, cleaning, and cooking and not as an emotional attachment that one would think of in a