{"id":433,"date":"2012-10-15T06:15:55","date_gmt":"2012-10-15T06:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/joecarter\/?p=433"},"modified":"2012-10-15T06:15:55","modified_gmt":"2012-10-15T06:15:55","slug":"a-scholarly-critique-of-gilligans-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/joecarter\/2012\/10\/a-scholarly-critique-of-gilligans-island\/","title":{"rendered":"A Scholarly Critique of Gilligan\u2019s Island<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Almost every American who owned a television from the late 1960s to the early 1980s has watched an episode of\u00a0Gilligan\u2019s Island<\/a><\/em>. And if you were a child during that era\u2014in a time before cable and console video games\u2014you probably watched all 98 episodes more than once.<\/p>\n

It shames me to consider it now, but I suspect I\u2019ve seen each episode at least a half dozen times\u2014over 8,000 hours engaged with this single cultural artifact. \u00a0Even more embarrassing is the that despite spending so many hours watching the show I never considered whether there was a deeper meaning in this \u201ctext.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because Lewis Napper is much smarter than I am\u2014or perhaps because he felt the need to justify the time he wasted watching the show\u2014he has put a lot of thought into the situation of this sitcom and produced a short essay titled, \u201cHere On The Island: A Scholarly Critique of the Style, Symbolism and Sociopolitical Relevance of Gilligan\u2019s Island<\/em><\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The entire essay is quite delightful and surprisingly astute. Here, for example, is his take on the perpetually underestimated Mary Ann:<\/p>\n

The most fascinating and delicious twist of Schwartz\u2019s tale is the relative obscurity of its central character \u2014 Mary Ann. Her name is not in the title and as compared to the other characters, she is not often seen or heard. This lack of input is the very essence of the Mary Ann character. Some may think this kind, level-headed, lovable symbol of the heartland is insignificant to the story, but nothing could be further from the truth. In many ways Mary Ann is the story. More precisely, in times of critical decision making, Mary Ann\u2019s absence is the point.<\/p>\n

Mary Ann is easily the most well-adjusted of the characters. She exhibits a healthy sexuality, yet she is unquestionably moral and at the same time not hurtfully devout or judgmentally pious. She is the only truly competent individual on the island. She provides all that is necessary and essential for life. Full of blue-collar know-how, her rugged instincts move her to farm, cook and provide health care and other critical services.<\/p>\n

Her lack of self-confidence and doubt of self-worth coupled with an overly-inflated opinion of the others is all that keeps Mary Ann from asserting her rightful place as leader. This revolutionary theme of Mary Ann as most vital yet least compensated, most important yet least revered, most adept yet least trusted, is crucial to understanding the series. It is an attempt to show the common person the folly of their institutionalized reverence of traditional leadership and their legitimate legacy as masters of their own destiny.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost every American who owned a television from the late 1960s to the early 1980s has watched an episode of\u00a0Gilligan\u2019s Island. And if you were a child during that era\u2014in a time before cable and console video games\u2014you probably watched all 98 episodes more than once. It shames me to consider it now, but I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1213,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pop-culture","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nA Scholarly Critique of Gilligan\u2019s Island<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Almost every American who owned a television from the late 1960s to the early 1980s has watched an episode of\u00a0Gilligan\u2019s Island. 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