Johnston - Edward Scissorhands

Green lawns, brightly colored houses, blue skies. The perfect disguise for the not so perfect neighborhood. When we first meet Edward we see him as a misunderstood creation, separated from society. We look at him sort of as a child, naïve and unaware of the hatred the world has to offer. Edward and the neighborhood are exactly the opposite. From his clothing one could make the assumption that Edward is a dark and gloomy person, but on the inside he is kind and full of nothing but good intention. The neighborhood on the other hand seems like the ideal neighborhood, but all that lies with in is people full of judgment and hatred. In the beginning it seems as though Peg is rescuing the damsel, or in this case the gentleman, in distress. She seems to have saved Edward from his life of isolation and misery. She brings Edward into her home and before we know it the neighborhood loves him. He is creating art out of peoples shrubbery, pets, and even their own hair. It seems as though Edward’s happily ever after is finally coming true. But what really happens after the happily ever after? Is that really the end or is there more to the story that we aren’t told? Does Snow White’s forest burn down? Does Cinderella’s Prince Charming leave her? 
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For Edward his “after happily ever after” is filled with animosity and misunderstanding. How did Edward turn from the naïve, child-like character into the character that the people of the neighborhood want dead? Society. Society has taken Edward, someone who has the kindest heart in the world and has turned him into a monster, or at least that’s what the people of the neighborhood start to see him as. Jim uses Edward in order to steal from his own father, but in the end Edward is the one who takes the fall for the crime. Like in the story Frankenstein, Edward is not a monster he is simply misunderstood. For instance, when Edward saves Kevin from being killed by Jim and his drunk-driving friend. Instead of realizing that Edward has prevented any harm that would have been done to Kevin, the people of the neighborhood think that Edward is attacking Kevin and begin to attack Edward. In the end of the movie, the mob of people from the neighborhood chases Edward back to his mansion. This can be interpreted as society chasing away or destroying everything that is pure and wholesome. So, in the end, did Peg really save Edward?