Spongebob and The Deadly Sins

SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most iconic recognizable cartoon shows aired on Nickelodeon. Majority of the world’s population has seen one episode or at least heard about this popular hit show. Sponge Bob is a kid-friendly and an entertaining show that has been playing on TV's near you since May 1st, 1999. Most viewers watch this show for pure entertainment, but some viewers took it to another level and analyzed the show. What they concluded was that each character represents one of the seven deadly sins from the bible. Patrick is Sloth, Plankton is Envy, Mr. Krabs is Greed, Gary is Gluttony, Squidward is Wrath, Sandy is Pride, and SpongeBob is Lust.

Sloth is defined as “Excessive laziness or the failure to act and utilize one's talents'. If you have ever watched SpongeBob SquarePants, then you know that Patrick Star fits this description perfectly. In nearly every episode, he seems slow and not interested in doing anything productive. Patrick Star, however, is incredibly strong. In Episode 5 of Season 1, we see Patrick Star lifting his entire home (a large bolder) and slamming it continuously on Sponge Bob, all while being completely unconscious. This is a perfect example of why he can be considered a sloth. While conscious he does not use these talents to his benefit himself in anyway.

Envy is defined as “Intense desire to have an item that someone else possesses'. Plankton is seen throughout the entire series of being jealous of Mr. Krabs, not for his money, but for the secret crabby patty formula. There is not one episode out there, where when Plankton is featured in the show, where he is not trying to steal the formula. In Season 1 Episode 3, we are introduced to Plankton for the first time. In this episode, Plankton pretends to befriend SpongeBob on a jelly-fishing trip and tries to use SpongeBob as a source to acquire the secret crabby patty formula. This is exactly the reason Plankton is seen as envy from the seven deadly sins.

Greed is defined as “Excessive pursuit of material goods'. Mr. Krabs is by far the biggest penny-pinching cartoon character in the history of cartoon characters. He loves, and I mean loves his money. He pays his employees at the Krusty Krab well below the minimum wage, which is ridiculous because he only has two employees. Mr. Krabs is obsessed with money and that is clearly displayed throughout the series. Season 6 Episode 5 we see Mr. Krabs take extreme measures throughout the entire episode to obtain one singular shiny penny. Mr. Krabs also keeps his money under his mattress and away from the banks. He takes the definition of greed to another level.

Gluttony is defined as “Excessive and ongoing eating of food or drink”. Gary the snail, SpongeBob’s pet, is a well-known character in the series. He is featured in almost every episode. Although, his character does not play a major role, all Gary does is eat. This makes the case that every character represents one of the seven deadly sins even stronger, because there is no reason for his character. The sole purpose of Gary is to have gluttony in the show. Season 4 Episode 3, we get a special episode all about Gary and if you haven't guessed already it is all about him eating.

Wrath is defined as “Strong anger and hate towards another person'. Squidward Tentacles falls under the wrath category of the seven deadly sins. Squidward showcases direct and blunt hate regularly towards SpongeBob throughout the series. Not only does Squidward work at the same place of employment, but he is SpongeBob’s neighbor. I assume it was written this way to help display his anger more frequently. This helps make a strong case as to why Squidward represents one of the seven deadly sins. Episode 2 of Season 1, Squidward showcases his hate towards SpongeBob whenever he is building his bubble stand. Squidward unsuccessfully tries to shut SpongeBob’s operations down. He then proceeds to yell censored language into the bubble in an attempt to show his hatefulness towards SpongeBob.

Pride is defined as “An excessive view of one's self without regard for others'. Sandy Cheeks is a squirrel from Texas that lives in Bikini Bottom. She lives in an underwater dome which provides her the appropriate living conditions for a land creature. Sandy decides one day to invite SpongeBob into her dome for some tea. At first, it seems like an innocent gesture for a good time, but as soon as SpongeBob enters the dome, he instantly starts to dry out. As this engagement continues SpongeBob continues to get worse and worse. While SpongeBob was in obvious pain and probably on the brink of death, Sandy had no care in the world for SpongeBob’s wellbeing, she only cared about showing off her underwater dome. Therefore, her character is considered to be pride.

Lust is defined as “strong passion or longing, especially for sexual desires'. At first look, most people would not assume SpongeBob would fit this description because there are no sexual desires present in the show. If they are, it was very well hidden. Although, another definition of lust is excessive love for others, and this hits SpongeBob’s character on the nail. SpongeBob loves everyone and everything. SpongeBob even loves Squidward the one person who makes it obvious that he hates SpongeBob. If we look back to the episode where Squidward used the bubbles to make an obvious statement to SpongeBob that he hated him, we see that SpongeBob is not fazed by this and keeps loving Squidward despite the negativity.

SpongeBob SquarePants is a show for kids, but has some subtle adult jokes implemented into it, that as a young fan, I easily overlooked. Once I matured, and watched the episodes again, I began to see all the hidden humor that I missed as a child. After doing extensive research on if each character represents one of the seven deadly sins, I realized that this show is way more than a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Each character accurately corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins. Was this done on purpose? Or was it just a coincidence? I guess we will never know.