Pleasantville And Grover's Corners: A Literary Analysis

Knowledge comes from experience and if you don’t experience life, then you will float through it without knowing. In Pleasantville and Grover's Corners a routine causes the fear of change among the citizens, ultimately leading to a narrow point of view. By the end of their stories, however, the residents of Pleasantville begin to understand life, while the residents of Grover’s Corners stay in the cave until death. The residents of both cities get too caught up in a routine to notice the outside world, which leads to the fear of change. The people are shunned for thinking about the world, making them have a narrow point of view. Citizens of Grover’s Corners don’t realize their ignorance until after death, while the citizens of Pleasantville
understand life near the end. The fear of change in both locations is due to their daily routine. If they aren’t used to change, then they will be scared when it comes. In Grover’s corners, this is idea is clearly stated when the milk route is mentioned. “Bessie’s all mixed up about the route ever since the Lockharts stopped takin’ their quart of milk every day” (Wilder, 11). Even the animals in Grover’s corners are on a routine. One change at it throughs the entire town off balance. Another quote shows the idea about conformity and the fear of change. “Millions have folla’d it, George, and you don’t want to be the first to fly in the face of costum” (57). The people are shunned into thinking lie the rest of the town. Little kids have their imaginations squashed from birth. People leaving is change and no one wants that. An example of the fear of change in Pleasantville is shown when the dad asks “where’s dinner.” He proceeds to have a meltdown when his wife isn’t home and refuses to cook for him. The theme of routine is present in the quote, “Well, it looks like we’re going to have another sunny day - high 72, low 72, and not a cloud in the sky.” The weather is always the same and nothing ever changes. Nothing ever happens to hake up the citizens lives so when their routine is altered, their universe crumbles.
Pleasantville is more extreme than Grover’s Corners, but they both have routines, that cause the fear of change and leads to a narrow point of view.
After Emily died in Grover’s corners, Simon says “that’s the happy existence you want to go back to, Ignorance and blindness” (109). Her worst days were actually not bad, she just focused on petty things. After attaining this knowledge that her life was a cloud, she freaks out. Coming out of a narrow point of view is overwhelming and stressful. After Emily realizes this she discusses with another ghost, “where you happy?” “No... I should’ve listened to you, that’s all human beings are! Just blind people” (109). Emily wants to try to bring her friends and loved one out of the cave of ignorance, but she can’t. She escaped, while her friends were left behind. In Pleasantville narrow points of view are also demonstrated. “What’s outside of Pleasantville? Like, what’s at the end of main street?” “Mary Sue, you should know the answer to that, the end of Main street is just the beginning again.” No one knows what’s outside become they were forced to not think of that, even the teachers do not know what is outside. Everyone is too shallow to realize their is an outside world until Mary Sue tells them. “There are some places that the road doesn’t go in a circle. There are some places where the road keeps going.” They were happy, until they earned that there was much more to be discovered, then they became greedy for knowledge. They did
anything to learn more, even break the laws set forth by the mayor. Citizens of both Grover’s Corners and Pleasantville had very limited points of view.
The people of Grover’s Corners are in a cloud of ignorance until death, while the people of Pleasantville taste reality after Jennifer and David arrive.
The ignorance in Our Town is shown in the following quote, “anything going on in the world since wednesday?” “Yessir, my school teacher, Miss Foster is getting married to a fella over in Concord” (8). When you ask about world news you expect to hear much more important things, than a teacher getting married. Another quote demonstrating the narrow mindset is when Rebecca asks, “George, is the moon shining on South America, Canada, and half the whole world?” “Well - prob’lly is” (43). They are so ignorant, they think that the moon is only shining on them. They are never taught about it in class and thinking is not part of their social standards. In Pleasantville the store owner says “Must be awfully lucky to see colors like that, I’ll bet they don’t know how lucky they are.” He is starting to see famous works of art and he realizes the cave he has been in his whole life. The colors symbolize the knowledge, so the more colors, the less ignorance and the more intelligence. Once the townspeople get a glimpse of knowledge they go crazy. When David explains a book, the pages fill in and everyone goes crazy. They all pick up books and ask “what’s this one about.” When people being discovering, they can not
stop.
The routine, the fear of change and a narrow point of view is shown in both towns, but the people of Pleasantville are able to escape. No world can be perfect and have everyone be happy. The balance between knowledge and ignorance is hard, but when you give people knowledge, you can only hope they can use it to benefit them and their communities. Knowledge comes through experience; some experiences are amazing, while others are terrible.