Conformity

Conformity

Fitting in is always a good thing, right? Yet in the film Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton, we are shown that the pressure to conform can be very heavy, but also that it is not always the best thing to do. And in our life now, I know that to be “normal” and the same as everyone else is very important to the majority of adolescents. If you are different, you stand out. If you stand out, you are seen as weird; but what if you find it hard to fit in? What if by going along with what other people are doing has consequences for yourself and others? Furthermore, what happens when even if you do change everything about yourself, you are still not accepted?

In the film Edward Scissorhands, being different is perceived negatively by the townspeople, who use every opportunity to try to change Edward to fit their idea of normal. Peg sits Edward down at one point in the film, and attempts to cover up his pale complexion with some sort of makeup. What she says at the time, “Blending is the key”, implies that she thinks Edward would be better off if he was the same as everybody else. In our society, many people (particularly in schools) are looked down upon, shunned or even bullied simply because they are different. Unsurprisingly, this just makes them wish they could belong even more.

I am sure that almost everyone in the world today has gone along with something that other people are doing, even if they aren’t entirely sure that it is the right thing to do. They do it because they want to be part of a group and don’t want to be the odd one out, even if they end up hurting themselves or others in the process. Edward attempts to make himself “normal” and tries to fit in because he wants to be the same as his new friends and family. He wears the clothes that the townspeople wear, he eats with his new family and ends up doing whatever others ask him to because he does not understand that being part of a group does not mean that you are doing a good thing....