Pleasantville is a TV show where nothing extraordinary happens. People think they're happy because they don't know another lifestyle, just like in the book "The Giver". Both societies have certain significant rules. First of all, in both of them, colours are forbidden. This is a lot more visible in Pleasantville because it is originally a black and white TV show. In both societies life goes according to a certain pattern that should not be broken. In Pleasantville, when the pattern was broken, people started a riot. On the other hand, it didn't always end with a bad outcome. For example, it changed the Burger shop owner's life. He used to just do the same things in the same order and considered himself happy but when David accidentally broke the pattern, he felt different and better. The uncertainty of the events made him enjoy what he does. Later, when colours started to appear, he became an artist. In The Giver, it is pretty much the same. In both societies the pattern of life and the certainty of nothing extraordinary happening causes the continuance of their everyday lives. In The Giver, this was called "sameness", a concept in which differences were not acceptable. In Pleasantville, we don't see such a thing but just like it was in The Giver, people has certain roles in society. They don't know why but they just do what they do anyway because they don't know another way of living. In The Giver, the controllers were Elders whereas in Pleasantville, it was the TV repairman. He told David to act according to the pattern just to ensure the lives of the characters in the show still exist. The main problem is that people didn't understand the difference between existing and living. Life without any feelings means a life without any danger. Another thing in common that's interesting is that books are forbidden and beds are for single people. Illiteracy is somehow mandatory. During the riot in Pleasantville, people first attempted to burn the books. Books made people colourful. Colours symbolised the differences and feelings. Both of them were stories about how people enlightened societies and changed them forever.
