New Betty example essay topic

Pleasantville. A world of black and white, conformity, where everyone is happy and wholesome, and the school basketball team never lose a game. In amongst all this is Betty Parker, a stereotype housewife who comes to learn that there is more to life than cooking and cleaning. Before the arrival of Jennifer and David and (all the changes that come with them, ) Betty was a conservative, subservient housewife who accepted everything for what it was.

She spent her days cleaning the house and cooking up gourmet meals that where ready on the table for when the kids got home from school and her husband arrived home from work. This was her life, her routine, This didn't bother anyone cause and thats the way things went in Pleasantville; The husband would go off to work while the wife stayed home doing the daily chores. This was all good and well, until things started changing. All of a sudden kids where constantly going down to "lovers lane".

This sparked Betty's curiosity and awkwardly ends up asking Jennifer (who is Mary-Sue to her) what goes on at lovers lane. This initiates a conversation about SEX, and because Betty is unaware of what sex is, Jen (a well known expert on this topic) fills her in. This later leads to Betty pleasuring herself in the bathtub that night. This is the major turning point for Betty, because this is where she experiences something different from what she is use to, which in turn leads to her changing form black and white, to technicolor. At first Betty is a bit unsure, and wants to hide her new self away from everyone.

But when at the soda shop with Mr Johnson, she removes her black and white makeup to reveal her new colourful self to Mr Johnson, he marvels at how beautiful she looks and the next thing you know there's a naked painting of her on the window of the soda shop. Her feelings for Bill (Mr Johnson) start to come out. However when all this was going on, she is suppose to be at home preparing her husbands dinner for when he arrives home, but when he did come home, he as confused to find no dinner, and no wife. It is obvious that she prefers her new self compared to her old self.

When her husband tells her that if she puts make up on it will go away and she replies with "I don't want it to go away". She leaves to be with Bill, and this is a total shock to her husband because that's not what's supposed to happen, she's not suppose to go out, shes suppose The new Betty seems happier with her new and colourful life, compared to the boring black and white life she was leading before. The new Betty has more will power than the old one. She is true to herself. She gives her self more options because she isn't conforming.

And all these things contribute to what makes the new Betty by far better than the old one.