IndexIntroductionAnalysis of Shrek: a sociological perspectiveConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionSymbolic interactionism in our society is present everywhere and on everything; Shrek, with its comical and lighthearted nature, proves to be an antithesis to this idea of ​​symbolism in our society. Shrek is about the story of an ogre depicted as an ugly, feared and terrifying protagonist who breaks society's stereotypical expectations. Other characters such as Princess Fiona, Donkey, and Lord Farquaad break society's typical notions by going directly against our stereotypical beliefs. This different approach to the fairy tale resulted in a film unlike others of the time that really highlights the sociological perspective, particularly with symbolic interactionism when examined by the various stereotypes, notions and beliefs we have towards symbols in society . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Analysis of Shrek: A Sociological Perspective “Shrek” is about the story of an ogre who lives a solitary life; being banished from society by being an ogre, he likes to spend time alone and have fun with himself. But because of Lord Farquaad, his private time alone is hindered by the banishment of all the “fairytale creatures” who now live in his swarm. To get his swarm back he makes a deal with Lord Farquaad that when he rescues Princess Fiona from her castle and brings her back to Farquaad for the wedding, he will get his swarm back. During his journey with the donkey, Shrek and Princess Fiona fall in love with each other but due to complications between ogres and humans and the princess' curse they cannot be together; a misunderstanding leads Shrek to fall back into a naive state away from society but he finally figures out the right thing to do with Donkey's help. Shrek eventually fights Lord Farquaad's knights; Fiona and Shrek reveal their love for each other; Fiona's curse is broken; Shrek finally finds himself within a community; they both have a wonderful and happy marriage. Shrek is a classic among children of the early 90s and 2000s for its comedic style and leading animation of the period. In this 2001 Dream Works 3D animated film, most people would probably miss the large amount of symbolic interactionism and different sociological perspectives present in it, which were hidden by the excellent comedy present in the film. “Symbolic interactionism views society as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, define their relationships, develop their worldview, and communicate with each other.” Symbolic interactionism is a framework for better understanding how individuals perceive and communicate with each other through repeated interactions. Symbolic interactionism in Shrek can be seen sprinkled in the interactions between Shrek's four main characters, Donkey, Princess Fiona, and Lord Farquaad, and the way this fantasy world operates in the current social structure. The plot of the film portrays Shrek as an angry and terrifying creature, but as the story progresses this is revealed to be far from the truth. As Shrek himself states, ogres are like onions that have multiple layers. Using the onion analogy about how judging based on appearance is misleading and should be made based on character is exactly what symbolic interactionism has led to. The prejudice placed on Shrek is invalid due to the countless years of ogres who preceded him and led society. in the film for having a negative symbol of orcs in the community. According to Henslin, it describes themas symbols present in our daily lives; the symbols used to define and distinguish parts of society help define status, position and relationship within our society. In thisIn this case, Shrek is a symbolic monster for society and that is why he is feared, hated and banished from it. The film breaks the stereotype of symbolic interactionism present in society by using two main characters, Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad. While rescuing Princess Fiona, she is portrayed as a classic damsel in distress waiting for her hero/prince to come and save her from a dragon. This portrayal in my opinion was done in the film intentionally to show and contrast how Fiona as a princess broke this stereotypical role later in the film. The stereotype and symbol of princesses of having ladylike ways and being a damsel in distress is broken when Fiona rises up by putting up an excellent fight against her male counterparts. Getting comfortable with Shrek she perceives the ladylike ways that society rejects as she is very casual with Shrek and does things like making him burp. “Sexual behavior, like all human behavior, is symbolic.” (Longmore, 1998) Fiona goes against this statement and breaks the generalized symbols imposed by society and the same can be said for Shrek regarding how heroes traditionally are tall, handsome and powerful that society loves, but Shrek is exactly the opposite of these symbols generalized among the heroes of fairy tales. Lord Farquaad turns out to be the antithesis of the expectation of a valiant knight in shining armor. Stereotypically Farquaad would be portrayed as a young, tall, and handsome knight, but he is short, old, and, although rugged-looking, disreputable and evil. To compensate for his flaws and his failure to fulfill this stereotype, Faquaad wears a suit designed to portray his longer arms and legs and comically stands on stools in public. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Shrek as a film has excellently captured the symbolic interactionism that our society is accustomed to and has perfectly encapsulated the antithesis of this theory. The representation of Shrek, the protagonist will be ugly, repugnant, feared; Fiona, the independent princess, clearly “unladylike” and no damsel in distress; Farquaad, a low, disreputable and evil chivalric king; the film allows the audience to realize the preconceived notions that our society has placed on different symbols. These multiple examples of symbolic interactionism in the film portray how our social structure works through the use of different symbols that help differentiate and define the status, position, and relationships between individuals in society; this different view of our opinions and perspectives of society leads the film to validate how the prejudices and preconceived notions that society places on things cannot always be believed. Works Cited Henslin, J. M. (2018). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th ed.). Pearson.Longmore, P. K. (1998). Symbolic interaction and sexual identity. In D. Seidman (Ed.), Queer Theory/Sociology (pp. 99-119). Blackwell Publishers.Powell, T. A. (2007). Symbolic interactionism. In J. M. Ryan & P. ​​G. Witenstein (Eds.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (pp. 4736-4740). Blackwell Publishing. Schlenker, B. R., & Hallam, J. R. (2014). The social psychology of good and evil. Guilford Publications.Schroeder, J.E. (2012). The social meaning of symbols and rituals. In W. A. ​​Darity Jr. (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social sciences (2nd ed., vol. 8, pp. 112-115). Reference.