Source: SpongeBob and The 7 Deadly Sins – ToonZone Forums
No, I’m not making this post up.
A friend and I were having a discussion over lunch. Somehow we ended up on the topic of Spongebob. I think we had both heard somewhere that the author based each of the major characters on one of the traditional seven deadly sins. From the perspective of the writer, this builds conflict into every character relationship with a minimum of effort so it’s a great technique. I am attempting to do something similar in my writings, so I was curious about the concept.
However, we struggled with matching the characters to the sins. We bounced around a few ideas and came up with a match for every character except one – Spongebob himself. And we couldn’t remember which sin we had left out so off to the interweb we went. And wouldn’t you know it, someone else already had a dandy list put together with the same matchups that we had including Spongebob. Here’s the list from the ToonZone Forums user SpongeTronXYZ:
SpongeBob and The 7 Deadly Sins
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. Gluttony 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 overeagerness to do good and help people. If anything is true about SpongeBob it’s that he loves everyone around him, even if they don’t exactly love him back.
So this is what I came up with. I don’t know what anybody else thinks. Oh by the way try not to analyze cartoons too much, especially SpongeBob. I actually think the people on the show try to be inconsistent on purpose. Just to be funny.
Pretty good matchup, don’t you think? And here’s my addition for Mrs. Puff:
8. Despair-Ms. Puff
The list of deadly sins traditionally included Despair (a.k.a. Depression, Sadness, or Acedia) which was later replaced with one of the current seven. However you define it, this is Ms. Puff. She’s always unhappy and especially around SpongeBob. The only time she is ever happy is when she’s in jail or SpongeBob is cut out of her life. One definition of this sin is a mental instability and in one episode Ms. Puff started seeing things while in jail.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins
Heya i got to your site by mistake when i was searching bing for something off topic here but i do have say your site is really helpful, like the theme and the content on here…so thanks for me procrastinating from my previous task, lol
this is one of the coolest things i’ve ever read.
as much as I would like to agree to your analogy..
I think it is flawed at some parts.. the last 3 characters to be specific.. (not including Mrs. Puff)
I don’t see Gary as a Glutton.. for one, he is not fat.. secondly, how often do you really see Gary eating..? I mean REALLY, HOW OFTEN..? maybe once..? where he was the star of the episode..? yeah.. that’s it.. which brings me to my last point.. when you said, “have you ever noticed the running gag..”, you say “running gag” as if it was said every episode.. well let me clear it up.. you have seen that episode, a million times.. and you THINK it is a running gag, because Spongebob Squarepants haven’t aired new episodes for quite a while.. so your “running gag” is actually re-runs.. which doesn’t make it a “running gag” now does it..?
I would think Larry the Lobster would be the better choice for Pride rather than Sandy Cheeks.. have you seen the way Larry the Lobster has shown off his muscled body..? how he competes with everyone and boasts that he’s the most popular body in Bikini Bottom Beach..? clearly he would be a better candidate..
with regards to Sandy.. have you been out of the country..? out of state..? are you proud of where you’re from..? where you’re born and raised..? are you proud of your country..? yeah..? that’s called Patriotism.. and not Pride..! take note, Sandy moved from Texas to Bikini Bottom.. and she’s trying to fit in with sea creatures.. you mentioned an episode where Sandy tried to proved land creatures are better than sea creatures.. if she was proud, why do you think she would waste her time underwater..? why would she befriend sea creatures if land creatures were superior..? where’s her pride there..?
have you ever watched the episode where Sandy was missing Texas so much, she decided to go back home..? but in the end Spongebob and the others made her a surprise so she would stay..? then she realized that home isn’t in Texas, it’s where all her friends are.. it’s underwater, where she’s been all along.. what’s Prideful in that..? if she is prideful, then she wouldn’t have stayed..!
and as for lust.. REALLY..? SPONGEBOB = LUST..? excessive love of others..? yeah..? what kind of Spongebob Squarepants have you been watching..?
it might be that Spongebob is in excessive love, but it’s not for others, IT’S FOR A KRABBY PATTY (and not for everyone else)..! or one could say he’s responsible for keeping the formula of the Krabby Patty safe from Plankton.. or he’s diligent in his work, coming to work at 3am just to count the sesame seeds in the buns.. you could say he’s heroic, venturing to Shell City on a quest to save Bikini Bottom (in the movie)..
if that’s what you call LUST.. I think you’re a little cuckoo..
Spongebob epitomizes what goodness everyone should emulate.. he has the 7 virtues..! as opposed to your 7 deadly sins..
Spongebob has:
1. Chastity = he abstain from sexual conduct (as opposed to Lust — your flawed analogy), he refrains from being influenced by temptation and corruption.
2. Temperance = he is just with his actions at a given time, his interest are moderated between self-interest and public-interest (in layman’s term, he has time for work and play).
3. Charity = willingness to give away wealth and time (by working overtime w/o pay from Mr. Krabs).
4. Diligence = very industrious, steadfast in his work (even if Squidward slacks, he doesn’t), has good work ethics.
5. Patience = he puts up with Patrick’s, err, lackluster intelligence, even when he gets yelled at by everyone, he still does what he’s told.
6. Kindness = in every episode, he always forgives those who have hurt him. Haven’t you heard him laughing almost at every ending?
7. Humility = he is selfless and modest. Though he is being treated poorly by Mr. Krabs, he still does his duty. He has the courage to do difficult tasks and accept the sacrifices involved (journey to Shell City).
that’s that..
point and made..
Re: mr.pekkle
Most of this post is a quote from a different author, so I’ll be brief in my response.
* Who ever said gluttons had to be fat? I think that’s a stereotype and not a requirement so Gary is fair game to be the glutton.
* Larry would have to be a main character to be one of the seven sinners and I don’t think he is. Who the seven are is up for debate, but I don’t think he’s in the running. Sandy is in far more episodes and only the main characters were based on the sins.
* Patriotism is related to Pride but they’re not the same thing. There is a good kind of Pride and Patriotism fits there, but Sandy really does seem to always want to be better than the other characters. In the earlier episodes she was always challenging SpongeBob to something. And that can be Pride, the bad kind.
* And just because a character is proud in general doesn’t mean they can’t show some emotion at other points.
* SpongeBob shows an excessive amount of love. Nobody ever said it had to be for another person. An inanimate object, a food item, or a group are perfectly allowable. In the ancient Greek story of Narcissus, the guy falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.
* About SpongeBob being Lust: Again, I’m re-posting what someone else said. I think they’ve got a valid point or I wouldn’t have spent the time doing so. If the author really did based all the characters on the seven deadly sins then somebody has to be lust so who is it if not SpongeBob?
And lastly, BRAVO, for showing how SpongeBob epitomizes the seven virtues! They were great! (I really like this post.
)
Well, they don’t have to TOTALLY portray the 7 sins, do they? dsmith77 did mention at the beginning of the post that they’ve heard rumors about the author basing the major characters on the deadly sins so as to “build conflict into every character relationship with a minimum of effort.” So i.m.o. it’s exactly that, just a basis. They don’t exactly have to be total personifications of the sins – just a smidge.
Although mr. pekkle does have a point with the 7 virtues. Both works anyway. Just that, if Spongebob is the 7 virtues, who’s gonna be Lust? lol.
Also – I got too curious about this so I searched about it some more – some people think that Patrick’s Gluttony and Gary’s Sloth, you know, since he all he does is sleep and eat.
Then again they both just sleep and eat. Hahaha.
Thanks for explaining. I learned of the seven things a few agos, and I couldn’t understand Gary’s & Spongebob’s. Thanks for the clarification – Excellent job
this is really good… i never thought of this show this way… but it makes a lot of sense…
w/ regards to gary, i agree to the analogy of the author.
he may not be seen earing too much, but as you see, spongebob IS doing it for him. i mean, he feeds gary too much. or something like that.
anyway, i still love spongebob sqaurepants and will still continue watching it..
i love this analogy of spongebob.. really interesting, but to those who does not agree with gary being gluttony well they havent watched the episode where spongebob left bikini bottom and went to shell city.(or whatever its called) spongebob left gary 1 yr supply of food and in a day gary ate it all.. SO isnt that GLUTTONY?
hehhehhe i agree with the authors analogy.. great, very interesting but it kinda takes away the cartoon in the cartoon.. if yah knw what i mean..:D
Thank you for posting this! I love spongebob! i don’t care if people think he’s gay. he’s the epitome of a true optimist! i actually wanna be like him!
very nice!. i luv sp0ngeb0b s000 much.
u r right! i myself am a fan of spongebob n just realised that too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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This was somewhat a waste of time. But are they REALLY cancelling the show because of this ?
I don’t know anything about canceling the show, but I do know that most shows last for several years and then are simply ended. The writers and other professionals who work on these shows decide they want to move on and do other things. This is simply how it is for a television series. Note that the Simpsons is an exception to this rule. Seven years is normally considered a good run. More than this is just icing on the cake.
when my friend told me that i became curious and start thinking the analogy…i thought vanity is one of the seven deadly sins.. and i think Pearl( daughter of Mr. Krab ) is suited to be the character who is portraying vanity..
Re: chupul
Vanity is basically an old name for pride so it would refer to the squirrel. Apparently, the author only used the sins for the major recurring characters. Pearl is recurring but not in many episodes.
This is actually not just a rumor (the reference of 7 Deadly Sins to the main characters), it was announced in audio commentary. I’ve watched Spongebob for all of its running 11 years, and I am sad to hear it’s being discontinued in 2011. My point, though, for everyone debating Spongebob as the character representing Lust, is as we’ve all gotten older….have you not begun to finally get the dirty hidden jokes???? Now that I’ve matured and I watch this show, I listen closely and think to myself, “….This is a kid’s show????” I discuss with my friends how dirty it can get, and yes, Spongebob has made certain remarks such as “Bye Squidward! Bye, Mr. Krabs!….Bye, Squidward.” “You said ‘Bye, Squidward’ twice.” “I like Squidward.” Spongebob does obviously reflect on one element of Lust which would be the “excessive love of others”, being that he loves everyone around him, and he’s obsessed with Krabby Patties, whatever you prefer. But watch a few episodes closer, and there are some hidden messages that tell you that Spongebob can display other meanings of Lust….
this is so true and some of us don’t take it 2 seriously like it should be we think ooo its just a tv show whatever and we don’t see beyond in the meaning of things
SpongeBob is the best! Answers.com says it will be on for another 4 years(hopefully)!
If this not true Nickelodeon is dead!
And I mean it!
HA HA HA Mr. Smith. This was great. I had my little brother convinced Sponge-bob doesn’t have a soul!!! We’ll now none of the other characters do either!!!
You’re welcome.
Thank you so much for this post. I have just used it to give a history lesson (in the Medieval Religion topic) on the 7 Deadly sons. This was a great way of engaging the kids.
You are very welcome.
coincidence? the same thought was already published way back 2007 on wikipedia about spongebob and relevance to the 7 deadly sins xD
lol i was just talking about this with my friend
(shea). these are so true. hahaha
i think spongebob could represent both lust and the 7 virtues. nobody is perfect. whoever said if he represents the virtues he cant be lust, and then noone would fill lust. i say that he is actually both.
and squidward… no matter how much he may hate spongebob, deep down he actually cares about him. there are a few episodes where he has shown love for spongebob. but hey, thats just how im lookin at things xD
well this is getting kind of wierd spongebob is gay and we all no that because remember that episode when spongebob and patrick went to the abyss and sold those krabby patties in the beggining he says that he likes squidward so he wants to have sexual intercorse with him you never know
wait squidward is envy to squilyum fancysom how do u spell tht but im right
If you really think about it this all makes sense. Going by what mr, pekkle said, Gary can represent gluttony. In one episode (i believe it was when they went to Atlantis) Gary had eaten half of the couch. I’ve heard a lot in episodes when SpongeBob said, “I have to get home & feed Gary” & in one episode Gary ignored SpongeBob for 2 or 3 days because Patrick had a cookie in his pocket. So I think Gary is the perfect example for gluttony.
With SpongeBob you have to think outside the box a little. Most people would think that lust had to do with sexual desire but if you look in the dictionary it says, “a strong desire or drive” & SpongeBob has a strong desire for his job. My friend was the one who actually interested me with this topic & I found this for my sisters. My friend told me that in the dictionary it says, “a strong love for people or things” so you can see how that works it’s way in with SpongeBob.
As for Sandy I can see the confusion there. But if you think about it in one episode she was planning on running away because she couldn’t come up with a good science project, showing how prideful she is of her science & feeling like a failure when she gets something wrong. Also, remember karate island, when SpongeBob got to go & not Sandy? Remember how she kept saying she was better yet never was invited & got mad & didn’t wanna waste her karate to help SpongeBob until he said he needed help? Sound prideful to you? It does to me. Anyways that’s how I see it. Everyone has there own opinion. I’m not trying to seem like I’m correcting you, & sorry if that’s how you end up taking it.
i love spongbob hes funny
spongbob is funny with patrike:)
squidward – vanity..
it’s evident^^
I can see Squidward as vain too but vanity is not one of the seven deadly sins. It’s a vice related to pride but then how do you categorize Sandy if Squidward is pride? Squidward is angrier than her.