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![Time for some serious analysis
This article had some interesting things to say about the whole “American dream” aspect
of Breaking Bad. Through flashbacks, we see Walt looking forward to life he wants to build
with Skyler, but this dream (kids, good job, nice house) he and many other American men
try to live out crashes down around his ears. Walt is faced with the very real possibility
that he and his family might fall into poverty, and he desperately turns to cooking an illegal
substance to make sure this doesn’t happen. While he is “initially a sloppy, dangerous
novice…Walt enters the upcoming season having found his way to the top of a criminal
empire” (Rivlin-Nadler). This story arc is so appealing to so many fans because it embodies
some of middle class America’s secret desires. If so many people find the so-called
American dream unattainable or unfulfilling, Walt is a way for viewers to vicariously
escape into Walt’s life, where he has gained power over his life after being powerless in
the face of poverty and even death.
In Ashby’s chapter titled “Counterpoints to Consensus,” he discusses how “popular
culture [in the 1940s-1950s] provided outlets for feelings of uncertainty, doubt and
diminished personal power” and I think pop culture, and more specifically, Breaking Bad,
can still be outlets for those kinds of feeling among consumers of the show (303). The
American dream has let a lot of people down by generally being a big fat lie, and shows like
Breaking Bad can help people see how fictional middle class people deal with this giant let-
down. Walt has asked himself “If playing by the rules can only get you so far, why
bother?” and this is the heart of the show (Rivlin-Nadler). Walt has chosen to break away
from the status quo and in doing so has become an increasing amoral criminal—so is Walt
really any really better off having broken away from the myth of the American dream? I
don’t know!](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/breakingbad-130317165846-phpapp02/75/Breaking-bad-8-2048.jpg)
![Serious analysis continued
(American dream)
I came across a very interesting article about Breaking Bad’s handling of the American
dream dealing with a Walt Whitman reference made during the third season of the show.
For those that don’t know, Whitman was an American poet, most famous for “Song of
Myself,” which has been read as the intense celebration of the individual and the self but
the self as connected to every living being in the cosmos (it’s pretty awesome). Walter
picks up a book of Whitman’s poems and is seen reading them in different episodes, and
this is obviously not an accident on the part of the writers.
As Matt Orenstein points out in his article, “Whitman’s pithy humanism stands in stark
contrast to Walter White’s gradual indulgence of his own will-to-power and his
insouciance towards the lives of others,” but at the same time, “[w]atching Breaking Bad
in light of Whitman is to meditate on the American Dream through a glass, darkly.”
Walter’s “American Dream exists outside of the American legal system,” which isn’t
complicit with the proper American Dream—it should be achieved legally and honestly
(Orenstein). Walter’s “rugged individualism” isn’t enough to qualify him as a good old
American boy, like Whitman, because in the end, they are too different (Orenstein).
Ultimately, Whitman’s “America…was one of altruism: his poems professed a love of
everyone,” but Walter, “lives for and believes only in himself” (Orenstein). Having Walter
read the poems of someone who wrote about his connection to and love for his fellow
humans all while being an intensely rugged individual is a clear way of pointing out
Walter’s contrasting dehumanization and his grasping for some semblance of the
American Dream in an illegal, immoral way.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/breakingbad-130317165846-phpapp02/75/Breaking-bad-9-2048.jpg)
![More analysis: Skyler and gender
Like I mentioned in a previous slide, almost everyone hates Skyler White’s
character and most people reason that because Walt is set up as our (anti)
hero, Skyler is his natural foil. She’s set up from the first episode to be seen as
the nagging wife who undervalues her quiet, intelligent, troubled husband, but
as the show progresses and Walt become more and more frightening, Skyler is
still seen as this unreasonable, hateful woman, even though she must deal with
the fact that her husband is placing their family in very real danger and is
possibly becoming a sociopathic murderer.
In her article, Alyssa Rosenberg explores Skyler’s character from a feminist
perspective. Rosenberg describes Skyler as “one of many TV wives…fans turn
on rather than visiting moral judgment on the anti-hero men themselves.”
Skyler’s relationship with her husband grows more and more complex and
more dangerous with each season—Walt becomes abusive and “Skyler sees
Walt as we’re [viewers] meant to see him: a self-deluding, pathetic man, but a
dangerous one” (Rosenberg). Her character has been criticized for not leaving
Walt, not realizing how difficult it might for Skyler to leave, with a teenage son
and infant child, a man who has been known to kill when threatened. Though
Rosenberg does point out that perhaps “Skyler has a moral clarity that those
of us who want to identify with Walt as a badass would like to deny,” she also
says that “it’s hard enough for women who aren’t married to evil geniuses to
leave abusive relationships” and that Skyler shouldn’t be villainized for trying
to work out a solution to the complex problem that is her life.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/breakingbad-130317165846-phpapp02/75/Breaking-bad-10-2048.jpg)
![Crime and Punishment: Greed, Pride, and Guilt in 'Breaking Bad' [DRAFT]](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/crimeandpunishment-131213025048-phpapp01-thumbnail.jpg?width=640&height=640&fit=bounds)
Breaking bad
- 1. What I Learnedfrom Breaking Bad By Stephanie “Heisenberg” Giluk
- 2. First, some context BreakingBad is a TV show created by Vince Gilligan about Walter White, a middle class white American man with a wife, a son, and a baby on the way who learns he has cancer that is already in the advanced stages He’s super smart, but he teaches high school chemistry So naturally he decides to pay for cancer treatment and make sure there’s enough money saved to support his family after he’s gone by cooking meth and then selling it This was me watching Go watch it on Netflix right now Breaking Bad
- 3. Anti-heroes are theway to go Neither of the show’s main characters, Jesse (on the right) or Walt (on the left) are very likeable or moral They can both be cowardly, violent, and manipulative The dynamic between the two of them, however (Walt is the cook, Jesse is the dealer), is compelling and they have an odd man kind of partnership Plus it’s funny to watch them try to be big time criminals because they suck at it early in the series
- 4. The American dreamis a lie (surprise) Walt could have made it big with his chemistry buddies from school but instead they got rich without him and Walt resents their wealth and success compared to his His job as a teacher, his wife, his nice house, aren’t enough—he’s not happy He makes meth for a noble (?) cause at first, but then learns that he loves the thrill and danger of it not to mention the insane amount of money he makes This is Walt quitting his after- school job
- 5. Science is waycooler than anyone could have guessed Walt defeats other rival drug dealers with science! Well, explosions caused by science Walt cooks the best meth ever because of his expertise in chemistry Big time dealers pay big bucks for Walt’s blue meth Learn to be a chemist so you too can make meth
- 6. The voice ofreason is lame In a show all about the anti- heroes and the horrible/entertaining things they do, it’s hard to like anyone reasonable Case in point, Walt’s wife, Skyler Fans almost universally hate Skyler, even though she’s done nothing wrong—how would you feel if your dying husband started cooking Hey everyone this is my first meth behind your back? meme! I made it myself!
- 7. Morality isn’t assimple as good or bad There’s a whole lot of grey area between good and bad and Walter lives in that grey area What makes you a good man? A good father? A good mother? A good wife? I felt like this gif really said “moral complexity” Moral complexity is the way to go
- 8. Time for someserious analysis This article had some interesting things to say about the whole “American dream” aspect of Breaking Bad. Through flashbacks, we see Walt looking forward to life he wants to build with Skyler, but this dream (kids, good job, nice house) he and many other American men try to live out crashes down around his ears. Walt is faced with the very real possibility that he and his family might fall into poverty, and he desperately turns to cooking an illegal substance to make sure this doesn’t happen. While he is “initially a sloppy, dangerous novice…Walt enters the upcoming season having found his way to the top of a criminal empire” (Rivlin-Nadler). This story arc is so appealing to so many fans because it embodies some of middle class America’s secret desires. If so many people find the so-called American dream unattainable or unfulfilling, Walt is a way for viewers to vicariously escape into Walt’s life, where he has gained power over his life after being powerless in the face of poverty and even death. In Ashby’s chapter titled “Counterpoints to Consensus,” he discusses how “popular culture [in the 1940s-1950s] provided outlets for feelings of uncertainty, doubt and diminished personal power” and I think pop culture, and more specifically, Breaking Bad, can still be outlets for those kinds of feeling among consumers of the show (303). The American dream has let a lot of people down by generally being a big fat lie, and shows like Breaking Bad can help people see how fictional middle class people deal with this giant let- down. Walt has asked himself “If playing by the rules can only get you so far, why bother?” and this is the heart of the show (Rivlin-Nadler). Walt has chosen to break away from the status quo and in doing so has become an increasing amoral criminal—so is Walt really any really better off having broken away from the myth of the American dream? I don’t know!
- 9. Serious analysis continued (American dream) I came across a very interesting article about Breaking Bad’s handling of the American dream dealing with a Walt Whitman reference made during the third season of the show. For those that don’t know, Whitman was an American poet, most famous for “Song of Myself,” which has been read as the intense celebration of the individual and the self but the self as connected to every living being in the cosmos (it’s pretty awesome). Walter picks up a book of Whitman’s poems and is seen reading them in different episodes, and this is obviously not an accident on the part of the writers. As Matt Orenstein points out in his article, “Whitman’s pithy humanism stands in stark contrast to Walter White’s gradual indulgence of his own will-to-power and his insouciance towards the lives of others,” but at the same time, “[w]atching Breaking Bad in light of Whitman is to meditate on the American Dream through a glass, darkly.” Walter’s “American Dream exists outside of the American legal system,” which isn’t complicit with the proper American Dream—it should be achieved legally and honestly (Orenstein). Walter’s “rugged individualism” isn’t enough to qualify him as a good old American boy, like Whitman, because in the end, they are too different (Orenstein). Ultimately, Whitman’s “America…was one of altruism: his poems professed a love of everyone,” but Walter, “lives for and believes only in himself” (Orenstein). Having Walter read the poems of someone who wrote about his connection to and love for his fellow humans all while being an intensely rugged individual is a clear way of pointing out Walter’s contrasting dehumanization and his grasping for some semblance of the American Dream in an illegal, immoral way.
- 10. More analysis: Skylerand gender Like I mentioned in a previous slide, almost everyone hates Skyler White’s character and most people reason that because Walt is set up as our (anti) hero, Skyler is his natural foil. She’s set up from the first episode to be seen as the nagging wife who undervalues her quiet, intelligent, troubled husband, but as the show progresses and Walt become more and more frightening, Skyler is still seen as this unreasonable, hateful woman, even though she must deal with the fact that her husband is placing their family in very real danger and is possibly becoming a sociopathic murderer. In her article, Alyssa Rosenberg explores Skyler’s character from a feminist perspective. Rosenberg describes Skyler as “one of many TV wives…fans turn on rather than visiting moral judgment on the anti-hero men themselves.” Skyler’s relationship with her husband grows more and more complex and more dangerous with each season—Walt becomes abusive and “Skyler sees Walt as we’re [viewers] meant to see him: a self-deluding, pathetic man, but a dangerous one” (Rosenberg). Her character has been criticized for not leaving Walt, not realizing how difficult it might for Skyler to leave, with a teenage son and infant child, a man who has been known to kill when threatened. Though Rosenberg does point out that perhaps “Skyler has a moral clarity that those of us who want to identify with Walt as a badass would like to deny,” she also says that “it’s hard enough for women who aren’t married to evil geniuses to leave abusive relationships” and that Skyler shouldn’t be villainized for trying to work out a solution to the complex problem that is her life.
- 11. Works Cited Ashby, LeRoy.“Counterpoints to Consensus.” With Amusement for All: A History of American Popular Culture Since 1830. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2006. 302-347. Print. Orenstein, Matt. “I See You Face to Face: Walt Whitman and Walter White.” Full Stop. Full Stop, 19 September 2012. Web. 14 March 2013. Rivlin-Nadler, Max. “Breaking Bad’s Failed American Dream.” The Nation. The Nation, 11 July 2012. Web. 14 March 2013. Rosenberg, Alyssa. “Stop Hating the Wives: In Praise of Breaking Bad’s Skyler White.” Slate. The Slate Group, 16 July 2012. Web. 14 March 2013.