An Analysis of Pinocchio

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TMA 102 Section 10 Thought Paper 4: Pinnochio The biggest theme of Pinocchio is that your status as human is based on your moral behavior as defined by societal traditions, and unless you follow the “straight and narrow” you might as well be a wooden puppet or an animal. This theme is shown quite explicitly in the inciting incident, which is when Pinocchio is brought to life. Here it is established that simply living was not enough; it would not satisfy his father’s wish. Pinocchio must become a “real” boy. In the film, this seems harmless enough. After all, he is a puppet, and it is obvious he is not a real boy. But when the message is applied to our own lives, it becomes a bit more complicated. Pinocchio is the protagonist, and we are encouraged to identify with him and his struggles. The biggest pressure on Pinocchio is his inhuman state due to lack of moral compass, and we are supposed to apply this to our own lives. Are we no longer human when we disagree with the common moral code? The inciting incident also establishes an interesting idea about having a conscience. We usually consider a conscience as something separate from ourselves, but inside our own heads. It is our moral instinct, or our knowledge of the societal code of behavior. In the film, they separate the two. Pinocchio gets a guide and conscience in the form of Jiminy Cricket, who is obviously outside of Pinocchio’s head. This further pushes the idea of humanity based on moral behavior. Pinocchio cannot be human for he has no internal instinct or knowledge of this code. The main tension of the movie is will Pinocchio survive the temptations of this world and become a real boy? This tension is set up by the blue fairy and is accepted without question. She is portrayed as beautiful and giving, a symbol of all things good. Thus the characters accept her word as law without question. This
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