EPTWell, clearly the drive to collect coins while wearing plumber overalls and climbing through pipes is a metaphor for the general drudgery we must all go through on a daily basis in order to make our loved ones happy. After all, what is a day job if not a symbolic scramble through sewer pipes in order to collect coins? That is what I love about SMB. It's not afraid to ask the tough questions like "Can a loving relationship endure all, or does it need some kind of financial stability in order to be secure?" It's also incredibly forward thinking in its acceptance of more bohemian lifestyles. Mario, after all, has to consume mushrooms and go through psychedelic effects in order to progress through the game. He is a modern day Dali, or perhaps even a Byron, searching for his muse in the middle of the contrast between psychedelia and general everyday boredom.
Perhaps the question the game asks isn't whether one has to accept a life of drudgery in order to find happiness, but whether it is possible to balance a life of work with more hedonistic tendencies? To which I would posit the answer is a resounding yes. After all, Mario is not only able to still collect coins while riding the effects of mushrooms, he is able to do so more effectively. Perhaps the game is our American Beauty, daring us to inject the monotony of day-to-day living with something radical, and to see if we don't become better people for it. We can't all stomp on Goombas all day, but perhaps by taking mushrooms at work, we'll all find out something about ourselves, and maybe even each other.
(Copied from the Escapist forums http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.827928-The-Greatest-Story-Ever-Told)
thought it was hilarious and decided to repost it.
