POKEOLOGY

POKEMON POKEOLOGICAL MEANING

PIKACHU

 Pikachu has been sociolized into the culture of trained Pokemon, and thus cannot re-enter the society of wild Pikachu. This is because Pikachu's functional pre-requisites (as defined by Talcott Parsons) can only be met by Ash and Misty. Who present a safe enviroment of a stage three family, even though they skinnydip with digletts. Though he may enjoy fleeting contact with his own kind, he follows the deterministic path of returning back to an institution where he has less independance but to which he is more familiar and therefore more integrated.

JIGGLYPUFF

 Represents the frustrated artist in all of us. Like all pokemon it has a childlike view of the world and its actions reflect this. At a bad audience reception Jigglypuff's anger takes control and it vents it's frustration through it's impromtu facial art. Like all of us it just wants an audience and to project its message of peace without it falling on the deaf ears of the slumbering.

TOGEPI

RAICHU

 Raichu has the appearence of a infant pokemon, yet can pass 40,000 volts of electricity through his body. This conflict means that though externally he is constrained only by the voice of his master, internally he is inescapably constrained by the voice of his inner Pikachu. Though  he has physical control of his vast powers, they are ultimatley controlled by his master, and so Raichu is never in control of his own destiny. Like all Pokemon, his need to fight is great, yet his need to be accepted by the human trainers is greater, which explains the psychological bond between all Pokemon and their masters.

PSYDUCK

 Is a product of labelling theory. Misty classes Psyduck as unfit to function in society, even in a cartoon fantasy one. Because of this detrimental label Psyduck cannot interact normally with other pokemon in its peer group and the label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Psyduck itself believes that it is not capable of conforming to the norms expected by the pokemon trainers and is a classic example of the looking glass self as defined by C. Wright Mills, though while writing on the subject, mills may not have had a small yellow cartoon duck in mind.