The Twilight Zone Stereotypes

By the 1960s, there were over 53 million households in the United States, and about 45.7 million of them had a TV. As a result, there became a much greater need for screenwriters and directors, leading to never-before-seen styles of storytelling as studios fought for views. Many writers looked to society for inspiration, using current events as overarching themes for their stories. Consequentially, these shows became artifacts of their historical period, reflecting societal motives and fears. One of the writers, Rod Serling, produced countless movies and shows that can be regarded as historical artifacts of the period. Moreover, Serling was a major supporter of integrating modern-day culture into his work, once saying that “The Writer’s goal

Oftentimes, Serling chose to focus on societal fears and flaws, using science fiction to create a captivating story while also sending the audience a message. One of the greatest examples is The Twilight Zone episode “Monsters are Due on Maple Street”. Releasing on March 4th, 1960, the episode aired in a time where communist fears swept over the nation. Further edged on by other politicians who “repeatedly told the public that they should be fearful of subversive communist influence in their lives” (SOURCE), communities quickly ousted anyone accused of doing anything considered not normal. Moreover, even nominal things such as wearing red clothing or arguing with a neighbor led to accusations of communism. This idea of baselessly accusing others became known as McCarthyism, which according to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, can be defined as “the use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair” (EISENHOWER SOURCE). As a result of McCarthyism, the episode released in a time where the stability of society was at an all-time low and communities were quick to fall into mob-mentality against all those who threatened their comfortable way of

When Maple Street’s pleasant culture breaks down at the mention of a comic book by a child, it sends a clear message that utopian stereotypes like the American Dream can be as fragile as glass. Furthermore, as Maple Street began to come apart, it was quick to fall into a mob-mentality, which is defined by the National Library of Medicine “as the phenomenon of individuals deciding to follow others and imitating group behaviours rather than deciding independently and atomistically on the basis of their own, private information” (SOURCE LIBRARY OF MEDICINE). This concept is accurately depicted in the episode as the people of Maple Street quickly turn on one after their comfortable lives shatter. An example of this happens near the end of the episode, when the mob of people quickly turn on Charlie after the lights in his house go on, then suddenly change directions again when Charlie baselessly accuses Tommy, the young boy who first brought up the story, and the mob then goes from person to person with just the mention of a name. Soon after, all hope fades for Maple Street as the everything falls into chaos and the mob quickly descends from house to house, becoming the cause of their own destruction and becoming the monsters that are due on maple street. This mimicked a fear held by much of the US