Two supporting characters known for their extreme personalities are Squidward Tentacles and Sandy Cheeks. They most noticeably reflect their respective representative sin more than any other character.
Squidward Tentacles, Spongebob’s neighbor and co-worker, represents the sin of Wrath. Squidward personifies Wrath’s definition perfectly by spurning the love of his friends and opting for negativity instead. His pessimistic attitude is the drive for a countless number of plots. While Spongebob and Patrick Star attempt to include Squidward in a various array of activities, he never lets himself enjoy the fun he could be having with Spongebob and company. The shows creator, Stephen Hillenburg, lets Squidward shine through as a vindictive wit in an effort show that people can become too uptight and worried about their day to day issues. He is a passionate individual who strives for success in audible and visual art; unfortunately, his passion turns to obsession and eventually leads to his anger.
Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas, personifies the deadly sin of pride. Sandy is shown to be extremely smart and very passionate about areas ranging from robotics to biology. Hillenburg not only shows her at times as a pompous scientist but as a boastful Texan. The greatest example of her love of Texas comes in the episode “Texas”. Spongebob and Patrick are able to change Sandy’s decision to move back home by stalling her through the mockery of her Texan heritage. Sandy’s entire life is altered by her decision to beat up Spongebob and Patrick because they are mocking her home state. Even though she is extremely smart, Sandy Cheeks cannot stop herself from making rash decisions based on her pride. She shows the audience that while one can be intelligent, that does not mean one is completely immune to pride or any other sin.
Squidward and Sandy blatantly allow their emotions to control their words and sometimes their actions. In order to show the audience what can happen when someone doesn’t control emotions like anger or pride, Stephen Hillenburg created Squidward Tentacles and Sandy Cheeks.
American Cultural Icons 