The 50s were a time of great affluence in America. Pleasantville represented the idealized view of the 50s. However, as we know, all was not paradise. Not everyone was included in the ideal world that is depicted there and not everyone who was included found that world ideally suited for them. The Civil Rights and Women's rights movement, the rise of a youth culture, McCarthyism are all referenced by the Pleasantville story.
Choose a scene from the film that you think is a metaphor for cultural clashes... civil rights, women's rights, youth culture or McCarthyism. Describe the scene and explain why it represents one of those clashes and what the filmmaker is trying to say to the viewer about that clash.
There are a number of articles that you can google to get other perspectives on Pleasantville.
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