Tim Burton’s 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands” portrays a small suburban society and the introduction of a man who just doesn’t fit in. Edward Scissorhands is the lonely unfinished creation of the mad scientist who lives up the hill from a relatively ‘normal’ suburban neighborhood. The neighborhood has all the men leave at the same time in the morning on their way to work and all the women begin to go about their daily activities. These are revealed as Peg Boggs makes her rounds as an Avon lady desperate to make a sale. Not having any luck, she eventually makes her way up to the mansion where Edward has been living alone following the death of the mad scientist. She brings him home with her and tries to integrate him into mainstream society but fails because of his unusual and sometimes uncontrollable scissor-like hands.
Although everyone in the neighborhood appears to be ‘normal’ on the outside, they all have their quirks and eccentricities that somehow fall outside of the realm of the acceptable – overly religious, overly sexual, etc. When the men finally come home and have the barbeque to welcome Edward into the neighborhood, they are revealed to be equally strange and eccentric on an individual basis as the women. However, within this realm, each person makes the effort to conform to an undefined ‘norm’ as a means of being acceptable.
Unfortunately for Edward, he is incapable of conforming like the others because of a fundamental physical difference – the scientist had not yet completed Edward’s hands which were still in the form of giant scissors. Although different, Edward is obviously very innocent, sweet, and gentle as is shown in the detailed and creative topiaries and hairstyles he creates for the various neighbors. His physical difference can be overlooked, but the difference in the way he thinks, as is seen in these creations, illustrates that he can never fit into their mentality either. Because of his differences, he is persecuted by at least one member of the community, a jealous boyfriend of Kim’s, and is treated with great suspicion by others. When he accidentally cuts first Kim and then Kevin, he is chased out of town by a mob.
Through its depiction of the gentle but different Edward as compared to the sometimes malicious but outwardly similar suburban dwellers, this film demonstrates the sociological danger of being different and the pressure to conform. When Edward finds himself in a completely different world from the world of the mansion he had known, he attempts to conform to the expectations of the society, but despite his best efforts, his differences are alarming to the community. At the same time, the superficiality of the community as compared to their reality confuses Edward.