[EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally written by "SpongeTronXYZ" in the ToonZone forums. The original link is here. I don't really like to reproduce entire articles found on other sites, but I also don't like to link to forums since they often disappear.]
I have been a fan of SpongeBob Squarepants for years and think that the depth of the characters is one of the things that really makes this show work. Ever since I heard Mr. Lawrence say (in an audio commentary on the Season 1 DVD’s) that Stephen Hillenburg based the 7 main characters on the 7 Deadly Sins, I couldn’t help but be very fascinated. I think I’ve figured out which character is each one.
1. Sloth-Patrick
Sloth is the sin of laziness, or unwillingness to act. Obviously this is Patrick. He lays under a rock all the time and doesn’t really do anything. In fact in the episode “Big Pink Loser” he got an award for doing nothing the longest.
2. Wrath-Squidward
Wrath involves feelings of hatred and anger. Squidward hates his life, usually hates SpongeBob, and is pretty much angry most of the time.
3. Greed-Mr. Krabs
Obviously Mr. Krabs is greedy and desires money. How could Greed not be Krabs? He actually sang about the power of greed in “Selling Out”.
4. Envy-Plankton
Plankton is envious of Mr. Krabs because The Krusty Krab is a success while The Chum Bucket is a failure. His envy drives him to try to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula.
5. Gluttony-Gary
I actually think this one is pretty funny. Did you ever notice the running gag in Spongebob where they say “don’t forget to feed Gary” or Sponge says “I gotta go feed Gary”. Gary even ran away that time when SpongeBob forgot to feed him. Glutony usually refers to the overindulgence of food so I’m guessing this one fits him pretty well.
6. Pride-Sandy
Sandy takes a lot of pride in who she is and where she comes from. She takes pride in the fact that she is from Texas and likes to let everyone know it. She also takes pride in the fact that she is a mammal and a land creature, like in the episode “Pressure” where she tried to prove land critters were better than sea critters.
7. Lust-SpongeBob
OK, I know what your thinking. It does seem a little weird and curious at first but I have given it a lot of thought. Lust in one definition is “excessive love of others”. I think this one works best for Spongebob. He shows his love of others with his over eagerness to do good and help people. If anything is true about SpongeBob its that he loves everyone around him, even if they don’t exactly love him back.
spongebob is stupid and the analyzation is… weird. i doubt that there is really a connection between a now portrayed as homosexual kids show and the extremely edited bible that i still find it hard to comprehend that people can belive in
The Bible provides myriad archetypes storytellers from all walks of life will be using for ages to come. One need not believe in the subject in order to distill archetypical themes from it. And where do you get the “now-portrayed-as-homosexual-kids-show” from? Platonic friendships in cartoon shows do not automatically translate to closeted homosexuality. Seems more like wishful thinking from some.
Weird……. but makes sense. Can’t argue with that.
At the end, aren’t most cartoon archetypes, or anything that has a group of people is based on the deadly sins. Think about it
Weird. I’d actually had Squidward pinned as Pride. He IS a self proclaimed artist and musician and is frankly terrible at both, even though he himself sees everything he does as magnificent. I can see what you pointed out for Sandy but it wasn’t nearly as it is with Squidward. I would have thought Wrath would have fit Plankton myself.
Regardless, very interesting analysis.
At first, when I read the title, I thought I wouldn’t be convinced. But after reading this it makes sense. Very interesting analysis. Props!
Makes sense however, I’m not convinced that Spongebob is Lust. I have a hard time pinning him to any of the sins. Since he’s the main character I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t based off one at all. With that said I accuse “Pearl” (Mr.Krabs’s daughter) of being lust.
She was introduced early in the series. In her introductory episode she goes to the prom with Spongebob while there she attempts to hookup with a boy she has a crush on. In the “Bubble Buddy” episode she is completely entranced after shaking hands with a local celebrity. And in another episode it’s established that she has a crush on several members of a popular boy band.
An additional note about Gary being gluttony– there was an episode devoted to Gary’s newfound devotion to Patrick… because he wanted to get to the cookie in Patrick’s pocket.
nice analysis. enjoyed reading this. I just hope that kids would get this message as well. They are the ones who watch spongebob the most.
My personal guesses would
Sloth – Gary. He never does anything, and he’s slow by nature.
Anger – Plankton. He turned the “fun” song into fire, uranium, and no survivors. Need I say more?
Greed – Mr Krabbs. Agreed lol
Pride – Sandy. Agreed lol
But also a little bit of Larry, the muscle head lobster. He’s always flexing his muscles. So there must be some pride there lol
Gluttony – Patrick. He’s shown as the character who never gets fully satisfied.
Envy – Pearl. She’s constantly comparing her life to her friends’ lives. She hates that she can’t have all the things her friends get because her dad is too cheap. Etc. Lol
Lust – It does kind of suit spongebob. He chased after sandy, he flirted with pearl, and he’s always overly affectionet with everyone lol
Where exactly in the commentary can you find this supposed statement about the 7 deadly sins?
Going on the same theme (and please keep in mind this is based on the limited episodes I’ve seen), isn’t there a fisherman who sometimes randomly cuts in on the episodes? Could he be seen as God overseeing the “world” and the seven deadly sins? Like I said, I have only seen a few episodes and I know that he’s in the opening song, but I feel like I remember him popping into a few episodes as well…. could be completely wrong though.
First three are spot on, but you really had to stretch on those last four. Especially Spongebob. Everything you say about him is the exactly qualities called for by Christ in Christians. To love anyone and everyone regardless of whether or not they love you back. Love is, by far, the most important message of Christ, and his entire reason for coming and sacrificing himself.
Spongebob is a model Christian.
In my oppinion I thinkthat is a spot on analyzation, and that the ongoing debate about SpongeBob being lust is completly and totally correct. He really and truly does love everyone other than Flatts in the episode when he is threatened to be beaten up and then is accused of battering his pursuer when completly innocen, of course. That would be the only acception that I could possibly think of. Other than that the analalyzation is absolutley accurate. Bravo to the author.
@Harp-Model Christian? I think not… He cusses in one episode and he plays gay with Patrick.
what episode ?
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[...]SpongeBob and the 7 Deadly Sins « The Journal of Cartoon Overanalyzations[...]…
This is crazy! This is supposed to be a kids show.
Just like the people who said the words “sex” are written in the stars on The Lion King, or that the castle in Aladdin resembles a penis, or The Little Mermaid is… whatever they say. Its a far stretch to make these characters fit but if you try hard enough you can corrupt anything. Its just tv guys!!! If you are trying this hard to find something in EVERY innocent cartoon/ movie you should definitely find something more productive to do with your time. Just sayin.
I also listened to the commentary on “Plankton!” but I heartily disagree with Sandy as pride. Also, I think squidward fits the archetype of pride more than wrath since no one likes his clarinet playing except him (“mediocre?”) and he is constantly playing himself up as an artist (See: “Squidward the Friendly Ghost” and “Talent Show”). Your characterization of Gary makes some sense, comically at least, and he does burp frequently. Spongebob, however, is the collective antithesis to all of these sins; he possesses all of the 7 virtues.
Y’know, if your mother forgot to feed you, you’d feel pretty pissed off.
You have a nearly perfect analysis here but I believe you have Sandy and Squidward backwards. Squidward is most definitely Pride, he is only impressed by himself, seeing others as below him and even took a chance to live in a community of only other versions of himself in one episode. Whereas Sandy would be wrath in her karate enthusiasm and need to beat others when competition is sparked. The hibernation episode is a blatant reference to her ability to have an incredible temper.
Also, I agree with Soopa_Koopa on Pearl being Lust and Spongebob being the only ‘pure’ character.
Hey everyone,
I agree with most of what you have said. BUT, I think the interpretation towards Spongebob is simply wrong. Lust is not defined as being too much in love with others. It is “Luxuria” and is highly connected to a more sexual meaning. This is probably shown by Mr.Crabs daughter, Pearl, who acts like a teenager, dresses slutty, wants to become actress blabla…
Spongebob on the other hand is the one, who holds the wole group together. He is the one who keeps them from falling apart, shows them love when they don’t expect it, gives them shelter, visits them in prison, and serves them food every day in the most unconditional way (He would even work forever without loan)
That’s why I think Spongebob incorporates The Works of Mercy and makes up for all the wrong-doing from the people that surround him.
Best regards
Rohit
he even fires a clothe-cannon at mr crabs when he’s naked. i think it’s really obvious that spongebob incorporates the works of mercy. (here a list… maybe you find all of them)
1 To feed the hungry.
2 To give drink to the thirsty.
3 To shelter the homeless.
4 To clothe the naked.
5 To visit and ransom the captive, (prisoners).
6 To visit the sick.
7 To bury the dead.
I’m sorry that I didn’t read all of the answers before. Some stuff has already been said.
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[...]SpongeBob and the 7 Deadly Sins « The Journal of Cartoon Overanalyzations[...]…
Spongebob himself is gay just like stewie.
This is how I see it,
Spongebob= Lust (he is very loving and overwhelming)
Patrick= Gluttony (the star is more hungry than he is lazy)
Squidward= Pride (he doesn’t hate himself, he just feels he’s far, far too good for the situations he finds himself in, insinuating a sense of pride, it’s the pride that causes him to be angry)
Mr Krabs= Greed is obvious.
Plankton= Envy of Mr Krabs’ business and the other fishies’ tallness.
Sandy= Wrath (she’s always karate chopping with spongebob and remember the one where Sandy is hibernating. She was very angry when Patrick and Spongebob kept waking her up)
Gary= Sloth. He is slow, he lives in Spongebob’s house, even his ‘meow’ is slow and lazy-sounding.
Also I believe that Spongebob is not gay, but innocently asexual (relates to the scientifically asexual nature of REAL sea sponges), meaning that any vague homosexual connotations his actions have are purely coincidental. Essentially he’s still a child, so is unable to have any sexual preference. He wants to impress Sandy because Sandy impresses him, he wants to make Pearl happy because otherwise she throws a tantrum. And his relationship with Patrick, Squidward and Mr Krabs are family-like. Patrick his older brother, Squidward and Mr Krabs his parent-figures, Gary his pet (this stays the same) and Plankton the twisted, meglomaniac yet somehow loveable uncle.
The only episode that suggests he can be attracted to something is the one where he falls in love with a Krabby Patty.
I love me some spongebob, hence I am sad enough to debate his sexuality. In this respect I will, like Spongebob, forever be a child.