Pinocchio's Development

After watching the Disney film Pinocchio, I realized that it teaches a lot of good moral values. Most people know the basic plot; a carpenter builds a marionette, names him Pinocchio, then wishes upon a star for him to become a real boy. The blue fairy comes and tells Pinocchio he will have life as a puppet and not a real boy until he is able to tell right from wrong with his conscience and prove himself to be brave, truthful, and unselfish. The next day Geppetto, his father the carpenter, sends him off to school and that's where his adventure and life lessons begin.  His conscience is a cricket named Jiminy Cricket. Throughout the story, Jiminy tries to tell Pinocchio what is right and get him to avoid doing wrong.

Pinocchio represents a naive young child trying to figure out life. Every child goes through this process as they grow up and their character is built. They gather information through what they see, experience and feel. And by doing so, they develop their conscience and moral values that tells them the difference between right and wrong.

Pinocchio's vulnerability first shows when he is on his way to school and a fox and cat easily talk him into showing him the "easy" way to get by in life. They take advantage of his physical state and sell him to a greedy puppeteer named Stromboli. Pinocchio thinks everything is going well at this moment until Stromboli does not let him go back home and locks him in a cage. This is the first time Pinocchio realizes that something wrong has happened and is a big moment in the development of Pinocchio's character. He now understands more about the evils of the world and what can come from it if you are not careful to avoid it. 

Next is the famous incident where the blue fairy comes and Pinocchio lies about what he has done. What the fairy tells him is a valuable lesson that children learn at some point. She tells him that lies can grow and grow until it's as plain as the nose on his face. When a child, or anybody lies, it never creates a better situation. And when the truth reveals itself, the child will learn their lesson from the feelings and consequences that proceed.

When Jiminy is unable to, the blue fairly saves him from captivity. This represents how a child is very dependent on their parents. When it comes to physical and emotional needs, a parent or guardian must be there to provide. However, even when provided with the necessary love, they still fall into doing wrong at times. And this does not take Pinocchio long to get back into.

The fox and cat again coax Pinocchio into doing something that is against his better conscience. By the persuasion of a coachman who takes young rebellious boys to pleasure island, the fox and cat trick Pinocchio into going with the coachmen as well.  All the boys think that pleasure island is a place where there is freedom to do whatever they want. Unfortunately for them, the coachman is an evil man who turns the boys into donkeys to sell them. Pinocchio realizes this when he and his new friend start turning into one. This is the second time he has been in a life-threatening situation by making a bad decision. Because of this, he learns again what is wrong. He is now understanding more about the benefits and consequences of good and bad decisions.

His values of bravery, truthfulness and unselfishness come around after he escapes from the island and finds out his father Geppetto has been swallowed by a giant whale while trying to find him. Like a child will have to stand up for what is right at some point in his or her life, Pinocchio has to do what is right and find the courage to save his father. He displays all these qualities as he and Jiminy rescue his father and nearly die in the process.

Through the story, he has developed the qualities it takes to be a good person. Because of the good characteristics that he has attributed, the blue fairly keeps her promise and turns him into a real boy. Pinocchio has now become a good boy with a strong moral conscience between right and wrong.