In Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton sets up the film where a grandmother is telling her granddaughter a bedtime story. This allows the story of Edward to be told in a fairy tale type fashion because that is exactly what it is to Kim, a fairy tale, even though the story might be slightly twisted to the listener. The fact that she has such strong ties to both the story and Edward in her old age shows how much she loved and loves Edward. The film begins and ends with this "after the fact" view and helps set up and further explain the plot.
Although Edward is different in terms of appearance and social skills, he is arguably the purest and kindest character in the movie. This seems to be a common theme for Burton because in both of the Batman films, Beetlejuice, and now Edward Scissorhands, the character that Burton wants the viewer to view as "good" comes from a dark place or embraces the "dark" lifestyle. Similarly, the brighter and more robust characters are naturally evil. This further proves Burton's cynical view of the world. Batman comes from a very dark and sad childhood, but utilizes the cards he was dealt to make something of himself and become a force for good in a community that desperately needed it, similar to Tim Burton. On the contrary, Batman's opposition is a bright, in your face character who attempts to manipulate his way to glory. He has a very bright white face and is dressed in very bright, festive attire. In Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder's character starts the movie as a very dark, misunderstood girl who feels disconnected from her family. It isn't until the end where she finds a family that she truly loves and is loved by, that she loses her dark and mysterious appearance and starts to look like a "normal girl." Whatever that is. Edward is dark and different but he is a pure, lost soul attempting to find a normal life and a family that was taken from him. In the suburban town the story takes place in, the houses are all colorful pastels, but the people who fill them are selfish gossiping housewives and the poor saps that married them. Burton is trying to convey the message that books should be based on the content of the story, not the cover. Burton himself feels out of place and misunderstood and it is blatantly obvious in most of his films.
I never even realized that the Grandmother sets up the beginning as a fairytale. I guess you can say that the "good" character is an archetype that Burton uses in all of his films. I like how Winona Ryder switches places. Like sometimes she can be the main character or she can just be a backing character but she still provides a crucial element to the story. I feel as though Edward should not have been taken out of his home and put into such a hostile environment. Edward was pure before he went to suburbia then when he was introduced to the selfish housewives, his life and character became tainted in a way. I feel as if Edward lost his innocence. Especially when cougar lady jumped on him. _Nick arceneaux
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