Conformity is gradually oppressing the world in which we live in. This ideal is prominently illustrated in the film Pleasantville which is directed, and produced by Gary Ross. Pleasantville is a great demonstration of the dangers of abiding by society’s expectations, and the freedoms that come with rebelling to these expectations and embracing change. Gary Ross uses several literary techniques such as; colour (symbolism), and character development to indicate the lack of creativity, and originality in society. Throughout the film, Ross illustrates how obstructive conformity can be to society, and how rewarding rebelling to societal norms can be for not only self growth, but societal advancement as well. Symbolism through colour is crucial to indicating the importance of contravening societal expectations for fabricating individual thought and freedom. Ross uses colour not only as a stylistic feature in Pleasantville, it is also used to symbolize the change in beliefs or attitudes of a character. The black and white is used to represent the oppressed and conformed times in Pleasantville. Individual thought was frowned upon, there was order in society, life was repetitive, and gender inequality was still prevalent. In the black and white, teenagers were innocent, women were expected to follow the orders of the men, and new ideas and free thought were disapproved. In contrast, the colour is expressive of the more gender equal times, life for the town gradually becomes