Pleasantville, A Hollywood Biblical Film?

Through the usage of color, the movie was able to tackle major social issues and allude to the bible, which are deeply rooted concerns in American culture. The main element of change (to undergo a color change) as interpreted from the movie could very well be a symbolism of sin, as many of the non-colored feared.
Pleasantville can very well be the equivalence of the Garden of Eden, a place of innocence and perfection. However, when Jennifer and David (who aren’t so innocent) are placed in Pleasantville, things begins to change as Jennifer and her ’90s permissiveness contributes initially to the discovery of sex. Thus, such an act has broken the perfect harmony of Pleasantville and soon everyone who doesn’t conform to the norms of Pleasantville undergoes a vibrant color change. This color change is believed to be an act of sin and corruption for the most part of the movie; it was very shameful to be a "colored."
In the bible, Genesis introduces the story of the Garden of Eden where there is a "Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil." As many may know, Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat from the tree, and thus brought knowledge and evil to mankind. In Pleasantville, this was portrayed as the discovery of books (the good)and the partake and openness of engaging in sexual activities (the evil). All of a sudden, the youths of Pleasantville became very interested in the empty books in the library that suddenly became filled with words and stories (Huckfinn) and they also started flocking to Lover's Lane. As they, so to say, "sinned" they changed from the black and white to vibrant colors.

Betty Parker, the repressed housewife, is symbolically a representation of Eve. She’s so innocent that she doesn’t even know what sex is. When she “sinned” so to say, she wasn’t even aware that what she was doing was wrong. Particularly in this scene, Mary-Sue (Jennifer) plays the role of Satan as she spreads the knowledge of “evil"; she teaches her mother about sex and how to satisfy herself.

Does this scene remind anyone of anything? Particularly, this scene looks like an exact duplication of the “Garden of Eden” story in Genesis. The tree with the apple represents the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” And as the bible story goes, Margaret (Eve) picks the apple from the tree and she gives it to David (Adam) and he eats it. Following this scene, it rains and thunder in Pleasantville for the first time ever. It seems to represent God's angry judgment of the sinful activities going on in Pleasantville. Particularly, it is identical to the bible as God banned Adam and Eve from the garden and brought about punishment and hardships to mankind after Adam ate from the tree, which parallels how God sent rain to Pleasantville after David ate from the tree; it could be a sign of God's unsatisfcation towards his behavior.

Here’s a section of the mural painted by Mr. Johnson (Soda shop owner) and David. This is another, but less explicit bible allusion to the “Garden of Eden.” Through out the movie, there has been redundant portrayals of the Garden of Eden scene, where man first sinned.

(More random Biblical allusions from the movie.)
Caption: There are many Bible references in this movie. (1)There is a burning tree. (2)The Rainbow and the Promise, from Noah's Ark (God promises to never send floods to the world anymore. Shockingly, this rainbow also occurs after the first time it rains in Pleasantville. From the bible story Noah's Ark, God sends floods to the world because it became sinful and he dispproved of it. The rain scene followed by the rainbow was a show of God's disapproval of Pleasantville).

Check out this video to find out about more biblical analysis from the movie, Pleasantville.

Pleasantville War on God Controversy: