Dissertation - Gavin Jon Watson 224665

Department of Film and Media Production
School of Humanities and Cultural Industries
BA (Hons) Media Communications
MC6001 Dissertation
How is Hegemonic masculinity seen to be in crisis with the contemporary
American crime drama Breaking Bad?
Gavin Jon Watson
224665
11th
of April 2014
A Dissertation submitted in part fulfillment of the requirements of the award of
the BA Degree with Honours in Media Communications (and other subject if
applicable)
1

Abstract
This dissertation explores’ the representation of masculinity in the media;
especially the idea that hegemonic masculinity is in crisis. The modern American
crime drama Breaking Bad (2008-2013) has been chosen to illustrate the
argument. Since second wave feminism, masculinity and especially hegemonic
masculinity has been seen to be in crisis, this is demonstrated in both scholastic
writing and popular media such as film and television. This dissertation argues
that hegemonic masculinity is in crisis through a textual and ideological analysis
of key scenes in Breaking Bad. This research notes that, rather than biological
fathers, surrogate fathers serve as role models and father figures and how far a
father will go to provide for his family is also discussed.
2

Acknowledgements
The only person I want to acknowledge for this dissertation is my dissertation
tutor Dr Claire Jenkins. Claire has been my teacher, tutor and friend though out
my degree and I want to thank her for everything she has done for me.
3

Contents
Introduction 6
Literature Review - Introduction 8
Literature Review - Masculinity and Family Studies 9
Literature Review - Masculinity within Film and Television Studies 13
Research - How Far will the male go to provide for their family 18
The Surrogate Father is still needed 24
Conclusion 29
References 31
4

Figures
Figures 1: Walter White losing all control 22
Figures 2: Walter and Jesse watching the sunset after a long day 27
Introduction
5

Breaking Bad (2008-2013) is becoming one of the most successful crime dramas
of modern television. The show has dominated and won a number of awards
including The Emmys (Emmys: 2014) and The Golden Globes (Huffington Post:
2014). By examining the text with the approach of textual and ideological
analysis this dissertation will analysis the male figures and masculinity in the
show, focusing on fathers and role models. How the show Breaking Bad fits into
contemporary notions of a crisis in masculinity will be examined through textual
and ideological analysis. Since second-wave feminism males within the media
have seen to be in crisis. Gyori states that ‘by the 1970s, the rise of
counterculture and second wave feminism challenged patriarchal
commonplaces’ (Gyori: 2012). Gyori continues her research to explain that
modern day men in the media and fathers, such as Homer Simpson from the
popular show The Simpsons (1989-), have ‘become TV’s buffoon’ (Gyori: 2012).
Feasey agrees with Gyori statement but uses the text Family Guy (1999-) to
illustrate her point. She states:
The show depicts the mundane day to day existence of the Griffin
Family, with 42-year-old Peter Griffin, an overweight, routinely
unemployed, obnoxious and irresponsible father-of-three who seems to
do little but watch television, avoid work and reserve his Sundays for
browsing internet porn (Feasey: 2008: 41).
This dissertation will use the text Breaking Bad to examine, how masculinity and
the family man are still in discussion of being in crisis. The main argument of this
research will examine the rise of the hegemonic male Walter White (Bryan
Cranston) from a normal boring family man to the drug lord and a hegemonic
male. I will explain that the hegemonic male is in crisis and not a suitable role
model for his children or young people in general. This gives rise to discussion of
the role of surrogate fathers; I will be highlighting this in my research.
The American crime drama Breaking Bad, a TV show created by Vince Gilligan
came to American screens in 2008, and was shown on AMC (American Movie
Classics). The show became popular worldwide when all series were released on
6

the online streaming site Netflix and it won a number of awards, as mentioned
above. The show follows the relationship between the two main characters
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Walter White being ‘as bland as
boiled celery’ (Gyori: 2012) is a normal family man, before getting diagnosed
with cancer when something snaps in him. The show follows the process of
Walter White turning into his alter ego ‘Heisenberg’ the drug lord of the South
West of America.
The text Breaking Bad is seen as a contemporary example of quality television.
Quality television has been explored by some of scholars but this area of
research is not that extensive. Jancovich and Lyons (2003) discuss the new
category of quality pop television in America and look into the reasons for its
emergence. McCabe and Akass edited book Quality TV (2007) uses different
scholar’s writing on the area of Quality TV. This book is split into three sections;
critical judgments and debate, industrial policy and competitive markets and,
finally, the aesthetics of form and content. In the journal of communication
inquiry Deborah Jaramillo looks at the American network AMC as a case study.
The article explores ‘AMC’s contribution to the twenty-first-century television
canon by examining its financial constraints, industrial misfortunes, and
leadership changes’ (Jaramillo: 2012: 168). Quality television is defined by
Thompson as ‘hour-long dramas … high artistic achievement in the medium’
(Thompson: 2007: 1). This text Breaking Bad we see the main character Walter
White changing from the normal American family to the hegemonic male as the
drug lord and this is a good example of how the hegemonic male is in crisis as it
turns Walter White into a soulless drug lord.
The literature review of this dissertation looks at various scholars’ work this
area. I will continue with my own research examining two areas: ‘how far will
the male go to provide for their family’ and ‘The surrogate father is still needed’
these discussions will help me answer the overall question of “is the hegemonic
male is in crisis’ in the text Breaking Bad.
Literature Review
7

Within the academic field of media studies there has been a lack of research and
writing on masculinity. How the male has been understood in media has been
over-shadowed;
‘the representation of gender in the mass media tends to focus on an
examination of feminism and women’s role in film, advertising and the
magazine sector’ (Feasey: 2008: 1).
The academic writing in the area of masculinity centers on Hollywood Film, as in
Bruzzi (2008, 2013), Tasker (1993), Gill (2007). This literature review will be
split into two sections masculinity and family studies and masculinity within film
and television.
This research will be exploring masculinity within the medium of television,
which has been touched upon by few scholars. Rebecca Feasey has covered how
masculinities have been constructed and interrogated in a range of different
American and British programs. She splits her research into different genres, as
she understands the common sense model of the hegemonic male. Other scholars
have touched upon this topic, such as Lynne Joyrich (1996) whose study looks at
how gender affects the reception of television by examining U.S. television of the
1980s. Butsch (1995) studies the representation of the white male working class
as the buffoon. Butsch uses American examples to show this for example; I love
Lucy (1951-1957) and The Simpsons (1989-). This is also touched upon in
Feasey’s chapter ‘Animation: masculinity in the nuclear family’ in her book
Masculinity and Popular Television (2008) she also uses The Simpsons as an
examples but looks at other animation examples such as Family Guy (1999-) and
King of the Hill (1997-2010). Burton’s work on television Talking Television
(2000) is a starting point for television studies, giving an in-depth history and he
examines all parts of studying television. A journal article that relates to my area
of study of television is from Media Culture and Society. Avila-Saavedra examines
how ‘queer television’ is a construction of gay masculinities using the main
character Will Truman from NBC’s Will and Grace.
Masculinity and Family Studies
8

The earlier work of David Gauntlett’s textual analysis in Media, Gender and
Identity (1976) offers a starting point of gender studies. As in many libraries the
section on women or feminism is greater than that on men or masculinity
studies. Stephen Whitehead explains the study of masculinity in his book The
Masculinities Readers (2001); he says with the growing study of men and
masculinities in USA, Australasia and Europe is because ‘a similar surge in
feminist-inspired writings on men and masculinities has occurred’ (Whitehead:
2001: 1). Steve Craig agrees with Whitehead that men and masculinity has come
out of feminist analyses. Craig explains that ‘men’s studies has only just begun to
have an impact on media research’ (Craig: 1992: 1) in his book Men, Masculinity,
and the Media (1992).
Craig’s research examines men and how there presented in a range of different
mediums such as music, commercials, television and film. Kenneth MacKinnon’s
book Representing Men (2003) shows a similar format to Craig’s book. The first
part of the book explains masculinity and key points of masculinity such as:
hegemonic masculinity, masculinity’s relation with violence and the movement
of the new man also known as ‘soft masculinity.’ The second section of this book
examines masculinity in movies, television, advertising and mediated sport. One
key argument within the section on masculinity on television is that in the ‘1980s
has been a decade of particular appeal to television critics talking about gender ‘
(MacKinnon: 2003: 85). MacKinnon understands that changing US politics in the
1980’s meant that men could no longer expect a job for life. Another factor
adding to this change in masculinity was the defeat in the war in Vietnam;
MacKinnon explains ‘that all these reasons were used for masculinities being
represented in the way they where in the 1980s on American television’
(MacKinnon: 2003: 69) as defected weak males.
MacKinnon’s work on American television Susan Jeffords book Hard Bodies
(1994) explains films and television during the Reagan ere. He encouraged the
recovery of the nation’s morale by ‘links to one of the most pervasive and
influential features of American culture, the Hollywood film industry’ (Jeffords:
9

1994: 3). Jeffords draws from one of the leaders of the men’s movement in the
1980’s Robert Bly he argues that ‘America has relocated a father as a model or
source of guideline, they turn to women for help’ (Bly cited Jeffords: 1994: 9).
Both MacKinnon (2003) and Jeffords (1994) shows of the representation of
males was shown in this point of history with America, and both scholars give
reason to why it was shown like it was.
John Beynon agrees with MacKinnon in his chapter on ‘Masculinities and the
notion of crisis’ in Masculinities and Culture (2002); he explains the concurrent
change in masculinity in Britain with MacKinnon’s explanation of the change in
American men. Beynon explains that ‘millions of men in the advanced economies
lost their jobs and economic authority in the succession of recessions throughout
the 1980’s and early 1990s’ (Beynon: 2002: 107). Another reason for the decline
of male jobs in Britain, was the rise of women working; Faludi explains this as
‘equal opportunities in the UK and more government monitoring bodies’ (Faludi:
1992: 6). Beynon gives evidence that masculinity is in crisis within the family.
He points out that ‘at least 50 per cent of marriages in the UK now end in divorce
and men are mostly responsible for marital breakdown’ (Beynon: 2002: 78).
Another scholar that has given reasons for masculinity in crisis is Anthony Clare;
‘seeing their empire crumble … in the European union 20 per cent more girls
outperforming boys … in Germany between 1991 and 1995 more than 210,000
men lost their jobs and women gained more than 400,000’ (Clare: 2000: 4). It is
important to understand the political standpoint of these texts, and that most of
them seem to be right wing or conservative. This is an essential factor when
examining literature.
Clare agrees with Beynon but gives different reasons for the crisis in his book on
Men Masculinity in Crisis (2000) as he explores the roots of contemporary male
insecurity. Beynon draws from the work of Mangan to explain that crisis is just ‘a
condition of masculinity itself … masculine gender identity is never stable’
(Mangan cited in Beynon: 2002: 90). This text is useful when exploring why men
are represented as they are in the media. Beynon also explains that ‘violence is a
major vehicle for establishing, retaining and asserting masculinity by placing
10

other men on the defensive’ (Beynon: 2002:82). MacKinnon comments on
masculinity and violence that ‘aggressive male behavior is accepted as a normal
part of everyday life’ (MacKinnon: 2002: 11). The focus on violence and
masculinity is an important factor in my dissertation and in the case study of
Breaking Bad. These themes intertwine in the program’s exploration of
masculinity and the hierarchies within the law and drug world. As with crime
dramas there is a hierarchical system in the police force and also in the drug
world. Beynon and MacKinnon’s texts explain and discuss violence within
masculinity but it is hard to find examples of masculinity examples of hierarchies
systems shown within the police and drug communities as seen in Breaking Bad.
Stephanie Coontz’s historical study of America families, The Way We Never Were
(1992), gives a good introduction to masculinity and family studies. She gives a
thorough account of the history of the American family and why it is in crisis.
This account back dates to the 1830s when Coontz explains children were
‘working twelve hours a day in Northern factories’ (1992: 11) and even in the
1900 when ‘120,000 children worked in Pennsylvanian mines and factories’
(1992: 13). Coontz gives an account as to why the modern American family
might be in crisis now. The most relevant chapter of Coontz’s book for my
research is ‘Toxic Parents, Supermoms and Absent Fathers’. The chapter ‘What is
a Normal Family and Childhood?’ explores different cultures, concluding that ‘it
is hard to find a natural parent-child relationship’ (1992: 212). Coontz explains
why the modern American family is in crisis by understanding childcare and the
relationship a child has with their parents. Women returning to work whilst
their babies are under one year old, and children entering daycare at such a
young age may cause insecure attachment to their mothers with long term
effects. Coontz explains that a study in Dallas shows ‘that the children of mothers
who returned to work during their child’s first year scored more poorly than did
other children in social and academic functioning’ (Coontz: 1992: 220). This is
just one reason as to how Coontz shows that the modern American family is in
crisis. This book has a good point of view into family studies, but explaining
family life prior to the 1990s dates most of the work.
11

Coontz has continued her research in The Way We Really Are (1997) this book
gives recent research into family studies. She explains how the modern family is
not the 1950s family which was ‘the best time for children to grow up’ (Coontz:
1997: 33) and gives reasons for the different styles of families and finds that
economic change is a big factor. She states that ‘homes are larger than ever …
every household has a phone and television; and the number of college graduates
has quadrupled since 1945’ (Coontz: 1997: 123). However her book is dated,
being 15 years old, but useful to understand the factors contributing towards
family breakups.
After Coontz’s work on the American family and fatherhood, Chris Haywood and
Mairtin Mac An Ghaill write on ‘Men in the family way: Remaking Fatherhood’ in
Men and Masculinities (2003). This chapter explores fatherhood in two different
ways since gender roles have been broken down and changing family roles.
Haywood and Ghaill explain the father as ‘the reconstituted father’ (Haywood
and Ghaill: 2003: 23). They explain this in the context of post-World War Two in
the UK, and the social change happening in social class and gender structure. In
‘the modern family life: the reconstituted father II’ they discuss how the modern
family has been changed by non-married couples and gay fathers as well as
ethnic minority fathers.
Masculinity within Film and Television Studies
12

After examining the literature on masculinity, it is important to look at how
masculinity is now represented in forms of media such as film and television. My
research will be looking in detail at a contemporary American television show,
but within a literature review it is important to have a board range of texts to
examine. A key source for this literature review is one of my university lecturers
Rebecca Feasey; most of Feasey’s work is around gender studies, the book I am
examining is Masculinity and Popular Television (2008).
Although this book is now six years old, it is a good starting point from a scholar
who has written on the same area, I will be exploring - masculinity in television.
This book is split into 13 chapters; each chapter covers a different genre of
television such as animation or police crime drama and looks at masculinity
within it. Feasey gives important notes in the introduction to set up the rest of
the book. The key points are that ‘television studies is a new and growing
academic … television’s status as a domestic medium … was aimed at females’
(Feasey: 2008:2). She also states that existing work in masculinity is mainly
around Hollywood films but that MacKinnon and Moody have also written upon
television and masculinity. The two chapters that I will be reviewing and that
are most relevant to my research are: ‘Police and crime drama: investigating
male authority’ and ‘Animation: masculinity in the nuclear family.’
This research will be examining Breaking Bad, which is a modern day example of
a crime drama show, so Feasey’s chapter on crime drama is of value to my work.
The chapter starts by giving a brief history of this genre, including the how
women are represented and examines two key texts in relation to investigating
male authority: 24 (2001-2010) and Spooks (2002-2011). Feasey’s key argument
about 24 is that Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) the main character is always trying to
find time to spend with his family but the public good seems to require him at
work instead. This argument carries on to the next section ‘Finding time for the
family’ where we see Jack showing that he loves his family ‘revealing his love,
respect and devotion to her before explaining that he will not be coming home’
(Feasey: 2008: 86) because work is more important then spending time at home.
13

Another key argument from this example is that Jack has professional secrets
that he cannot share at home. The reasons for this always seems to be national
security, but ‘Jack makes it perfectly clear that a field agent cannot hold down a
relationship or commit to a family’ (Feasey: 2008: 88) He is deciding between
work and family and he always chooses work. Feasey uses the British show
Spooks to illustrate a relationship within a spy drama; she uses the key
characters Ellie (Esther Halls) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) to show how Tom
hides his identity from her. Feasey understands the frustration this brings in
their relationship ‘When Ellie becomes frustrated by Tom’s quiet phone calls and
urgent meetings’ (Feasey: 2008: 91). These examples show that relationships are
seen as hard to have within the police and spy world because of deception and
also having to spend so much time at work and not at home. This chapter is a
starting point for looking at police crime dramas in terms of family life and
masculinity; however, this research is dated being six years old and also short.
Feasey covers a lot of different issues and genres in this book, which gives a wide
range but not as in-depth research as my research, which will cover two issues
and use one example.
Within my research of the text Breaking Bad I will be examining family life and
the issues around fatherhood. Feasey’s chapter on masculinity in the nuclear
family is a useful reference point for my research even though animation is not
the genre I am studying; the key concepts stay the same. Feasey sees that the
audience for animation and cartoon were originally aimed at a much younger
audience with shows like Top Cat (1961-1974) and The Jetsons (1962-1963).
This changed over time from The Flintstones (1960-1966), a family based show
set in the stone ages, to The Simpsons, a modern American family show. Feasey
uses a range of different animations to illustrate that the nuclear family is in
crisis. Some examples are ‘Homer’s lack of understanding or appreciation for his
wife and his deep failings as a father’ (Feasey: 2008: 36) in The Simpsons. Other
examples Feasey uses the example Family Guy this comedy is aimed at an older
audience, she indicates that the family is in crisis when Peter is ‘in charge of his
infant son, he leaves him sweating like an animal in the family car while he
entertains exotic dancers in a sleazy strip club’ (Feasey: 2008: 42). There are
14

many similar examples. When writing about absent fathers in Family Guy Feasey
makes references to Anthony Clare’s work On Men Masculinity In Crisis (2000).
Clare explains that ‘nine out of ten fathers involved in divorce leave the family
home to become non-resident’ (Clare: 2000: 135) these issues are shown in my
example of Breaking Bad. Clare is giving reasons as to why popular modern
shows like Feasey’s examples might present the white father in this way.
Carrying on from scholars examining fatherhood I move on to discuss Stella
Bruzzi’s book Bring up Daddy (2005). This work differs from Feasey’s work as it
is about film and not television. The work of Bruzzi examines American fathers in
film, which is particularly relevant to my research since Breaking Bad is an
American text. Bruzzi breaks this book into decades from the 1950s to 2000s.
The chapter most pertinent to my work is looking at ‘Men in Crisis and the
Pluralisation of Fatherhood in the 1990s and 2000s’, which looks at post-war
Hollywood. One reason for the crisis is that ‘the fathers are violent’ (Bruzzi:
2005: 180) and can be ‘neglectful and incestuous, abandoning and destroying
their children’ (Bruzzi: 2005: 180). Bruzzi uses Hollywood films showing at that
time such as American Beauty (1999) and Magnolia (1999). To illustrate these
points Bruzzi explains the narrative of Magnolia and how this is linked to the
sections headed ‘They Fuck You Up, Your Dads.’ Both scholars’ work examines
the family and fatherhood in crisis using different media texts. Their work is
useful when researching into how fathers and family figures are being presented
to the audience.
There seems to be a much larger amount of research on film studies and
masculinity; mostly looking at Hollywood films. The male genre has been
dominated both the film and television industry, and television has historically
been considered a more feminine medium. In terms of males in American
popular culture this is an important time to study; Bruzzi explains that ‘the study
of men in film has assumed increasing importance since the 1990s’ (Bruzzi:
2013: 6). Bruzzi’s newer work on Hollywood examines Masculinity and mise en
scene in Hollywood in her book Men’s Cinema (2013). The first chapter of this
book examines a range of different film styles and mise en scene used in the
15

cinema to tell the man’s story and the second section of the book looks at
masculine aesthetic in more recent Hollywood films. Bruzzi’s argument within
the first section of looking at mise en scene is that the classical Hollywood mise
en scene ‘upholds the hegemony of white, middle-class, heterosexual
masculinity’ (Bruzzi: 2013: 32). This chapter continues to look at ‘How classical
Hollywood cinema made use of non-narrative ways of framing’ and ‘expressing
hegemonic masculinity.’ This book gives my research depth in a medium looking
at how the mise en scene has changed over time with hegemonic males being
challenged in the way films are being presented.
The work of Yvonne Tasker in her book Spectacular Bodies (1993) gives an
account of how males were being represented in the 1980s and 1990s action
movies. This book looks at gender in the genre of action cinema. The chapter,
which is most interesting for my research, is ‘Tough Guys and Wise-Guys.’ When
introducing this section Tasker explains ‘through the 1980s, whilst other male
stars began to build their bodies, …offers a site through which to explore the
changing articulation of masculinities in the contemporary action cinema’
(Tasker: 1993: 73). This chapter centers around three different case studies;
Bodybuilders, The Body and the voice and the wise guy persona in action films.
First she examines the muscle culture in reference to the Rambo series of films.
The next section of this chapter explores Arnold Schwarzenegger in terms of
heroism and health and the last looks at the wise guy within action movies.
Tasker uses Bruce Wills role in the Die Hard (1988) movies to illustrate this. She
explains that Wills still upholds the hegemonic male action hero who saves the
day just wearing his now blood stained vest with his ‘wise-cracking persona’
(Tasker: 1993: 87). Tasker explains that his voice is a key characteristic of his
character within these films. This research is important in a historical context
but seems to be dated and not as useful as modern cinema research.
It was stated that there is a lack of research in the area of masculinity in modern
popular television and the male figure of the family is often seen as the joke of
the text. The white male working buffoon is commented by a range of scholars
(Butsch: 1995, Feasey: 2008, Gyori: 2012). When discussing this, the first section
16

on masculinity and family studies examines American family life in 1980/1990;
this was a difficult time for Americans with ‘the Vietnam defect, and lack of jobs’
(MacKinnon: 2003: 85). Jeffords relates to this with his writing on president
Nixon and Hollywood films showing men as strong hegemonic males, in
response. Beynon's work moves away from American and focuses on British
males, he states that there were similar difficulties in Britain with lack of jobs
after the end of the industrial era. One example of British cinema that shows this
is The Full Monty (1997) a story of six former steel workers who decide to strip
to support their families. Coontz work mainly focuses on the American family
and children. Feasey’s work on masculinity within television is a key text for my
research, her arguments include that fathers don’t seem to have time for their
families and work is more important. She also shows that fathers need to have
secrets from their family to protect them and for the greater good, this makes an
unhealthy family life. In the chapter on ‘animation and the nuclear family’ she
describes how the main male father is seen to be in crisis as he is the joke of the
show as in The Simpsons and Family Guy. My research will be building on this
literature. I will be looking at the modern family/father figure that the
hegemonic male is in crisis and not a role model for his children or young people
in general.
How Far will the male go to provide for their family
17

This section of research will discuss Walter White’s actions as he tries to regain
his position as the hegemonic male but arguing that by doing so there is a shift in
how hegemonic masculinity is seen in the media in this example the television
show Breaking Bad. The hegemonic male was portrayed in 1980’s films as strong
men willing to fight for the rights of people and defect evil. Tasker (1993) uses
the examples of the male the heroes in movies like Die Hard (1988), Rambo
(1985) and The Terminator (1984); he shows that the hegemonic males are
represented in these texts as those who save the day and deflect evil forces.
‘Hegemonic Masculinity was first coined by Connell in 1987 … provides
a definition of what it means to be a man… not coincidentally appears to
ensure the dominance of some men with the gender system’
(MacKinnon: 2003: 9).
The male is seen as the dominant gender within the hegemonic system and they
are seen to provide their family with food, shelter and protection.
The example of Walter White in Breaking Bad is being represented as a normal
American father, who is working two jobs to try and support his son and
pregnant wife. Gyori describes Walter as ‘a middle-of-the-road, middle class
father figure’ (Grori: 2012). The typical middle class male will go through
education to gain more qualifications in doing such gain a higher income but,
even though Walter has a PHD, he still has to work at the car wash part-time.
§Franklin describes this type of male as ‘working class men were imprisoned by
dysfunctional social roles’ (Franklin: 1984: 4) in his section under ‘traditional
meaning of masculinity in the United States.’ Franklin explains that with the rise
of second wave feminism in the 1980s this was the male’s response to the
movement. Applying this statement to the example of Walter White in Breaking
Bad. When he is told he has lung cancer something inside Walter snaps and he is
broken from his ‘dysfunctional social role’ (Franklin: 1984: 4). Walter sees this as
a time to push himself to make money for his family before his death. Walter is
always justifying breaking the law to provide for his family but what he is really
doing is putting his family in danger and breaking them up.
18

The phrase ‘males or hegemonic males in crisis’ is a popular term used by
academics in their work, it normally relates to the reaction males have had post
WW2 and also since second wave feminism. Haywood and Ghaill studied British
employment patterns; their work argues ‘men’s and women’s employment has
changed over time’ (Haywood and Ghaill: 2003: 57). These tables (Haywood and
Ghaill: 2003: 57) help the point that hegemonic male is in crisis with women
gaining more jobs in fields that used to be dominated by males. Men’s full time
employment has severely declined; more men are out of work or staying at
home. With changing genders at the workplace, the gender balance starts to shift.
When applying this framework to the text Breaking Bad, we see the male of the
family Walter White not being able to support this family with two jobs, so he
moves into the work of a drug cook to provide for his family and pay his medical
bills. Both main females in the show Breaking Bad are portrayed as working
women as well. Skylar White (Anna Gunn), Walter’s Wife returns to work as a
bookkeeper soon after having her second child to try and help Walter provide for
their family. The other significant women in the show is Marie Schrader (Betsy
Brandt), Skylar’s sister, who works as a radiologic technologist. Both women in
the show have careers – along with Walter’s having two jobs - to try and support
his family shows how the changing gender roles in the workplace are seen within
Breaking Bad.
The hegemonic male is seen to protect his family. A main reason for the break up
of the White family are the lies he must tell his wife Skylar and their family. This
becomes one of the key reasons for Skylar asking him to move out of the family
home, leading to the break up of their family. Walter is always telling himself that
he must lie to keep them away from what he is doing; cooking drugs to provide
for his family. The idea of lying for the greater good is shown in Feasey’s book
Masculinity and Popular Television (2008). Feasey discusses this point in
reference to the text of 24 (2001-2010) with the main character Jack Bauer
(Kiefer Sutherland), she states
‘the point here is that we are being asked to overlook man’s motives, his
recklessness, his disregard for his family and his inability to face up to
19

his personal responsibilities in favour of positioning him as a hard-
boiled hero’ (Feasey: 2008: 89).
Jack’s job as a Counter Terrorist Unit leads him to have to lie to his family for the
greater good and also for national security. Feasey shows another example of
how the male must lie. She uses the text Spooks (2002-2011) and the character
Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen), Feasey explains that Tom must lie to his
girlfriend about his work and job as a British spy in MI5. Feasey states ‘his work
is clearly putting tremendous pressure on his personal life’ (Feasey: 2008: 91)
the lies he must feed to his girlfriend are seen as part of his job but leading a
normal life becomes very difficult. When applying this framework to the text
Breaking Bad and Walter White, he is shown to be lying to his family and keeping
secrets in order to keep providing for his family with his drug money.
Gyori states
‘remember when TV dads were strong, intelligent and wise? Programs
such as Father Knows Best (1954-1960) and The Donna Reed Show
(1958-1966) featured father figures that elicited the admiration,
identification and emulation of young male viewers. These squeaky
clean, all-knowing patriarchs were whitewashed caricatures of paternal
poise’
(Gyori: 2012).
Bruzzi agrees with Gyori and comments ‘fatherhood had, in the 1970s, been an
important battleground: women successfully demanded that men did more of
the childcare and more around the house’ (Bruzzi: 2005: 115) she is explaining
that fathers became more family men with the second wave of feminism. This
was shown on television, as Gyori states, with shows like ‘Make Room for
Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show (1953-1965) and The Andy Griffith Show (1960-
1968)’ (Gyori: 2012). These 1950s and 1960s programmer show fathers in a
very different light from how they look on television now.
Feasey uses Jack Bauer as one example in the crime drama 24, she argues that
Jack has no time for his family due to his work, she states ‘Jack is in the middle of
a dangerous and treacherous mission so he cannot be by her side’ (Feasey: 2008:
86) when his daughter is wrongfully charged with murder. Within my text
20

Breaking Bad one example, which shows Walter as a bad father not making time
for his family, is choosing to go to a drug deal rather than attending his
daughter’s birth. Because his partner is too high to do the drug deal, Walter
breaks into his house to find the drugs and deliver them himself. He is rushing
because the deal only lasts a set amount of time and when on his hands and
knees finding the drugs under the sink, his phone rings. It’s his sister-in-law
explaining Skylar is going into labour and he chooses to go to the drug drop and
make $1.3 million rather than rush to the hospital to see his daughter being born.
When he finally arrivals at the hospital he walks in to see Ted (Skylar’s Boss)
there having done all the things Walter should have done as her husband. This is
a key example of how the text shows the father not being there for his family, and
trying to provide for his family.
One key point when the lying becomes too much for the family and Skylar is,
after Walt’s cancer treatment, he is falling asleep from this treatment, he explains
that he has two cell phones, suggesting that he is leading two different lives. His
treatment is successful and when returning to the family house, Skylar explains
that she is going away for the weekend to give Walter time to pack up his stuff
and move out of the family house. Walter is playing dumb and keeping the lies
going when Skylar explains that ‘cause you’re a liar.’ Walter is still trying to keep
up his lies and his front of being the normal good family man. This is fine until
Skylar explains everything she knows, and finally has done her own research
into Walter lies. She has worked out, that all the money for Walt’s treatment
$100,000 has been paid ‘out of the blue, out of the air’, Skylar explains. She has
worked out all his lies, and by doing so has realised that Walter is leading a
second life and is a liar. These are the reasons Skylar wants Walter to leave the
family house. Walter has keep up his stories and lies much like Jack in 24 and
Tom in Spooks for the greater good; in Walt’s case it was for the greater good of
his family. But in both Walt’s and Jack’s case this leads to the break up of the
family, and it almost seems as though it was all for nothing.
21

With Walter being present within the drug world as the show goes on, the more
he is putting his family in danger. He starts as the behind the scenes chemist or
cook , just making the meth, but as the show goes on he slowly becomes the drug
lord of the South West of America. One key scene is in the episode ‘Crawl Space’
(S04E11) when Gustavo Fring (Giancario Esposito) meets Walter in the dessert
to explain the end of their partnership in the drug world. Gus threatens Walter
by saying ‘I will kill your wife. I will kill your son. I will kill your infant daughter.’
Walter is on his knees listening to Gus with his hands restrained behind his back,
his face is beaten up from a fight earlier. Gus is calm and is being portrayed as
very in control of the situation, the strong drug lord telling Walter that his family
is in much danger and he will kill them all if he does not do as he is told. When
Walter is cut free, he rushes back to his family home. He burst into the house
with a panic, coughing into his hands and goes into the crawl space under the
house to try and find his drug money. When searching under the floorboards in
his Skylar’s dresses where he has been hiding his money he found only a small
amount of what he has made. He looks up at Skylar who is standing over him and
screams at her ‘the money! Skylar Where is the rest?’ She answers by saying she
22
Fig.1 – Walter White losing all control

has given it to Ted the person she has had an affair with. This leads Walter is lose
control and start screaming and laughing like a crazy person on the dirty ground
under the house. (Fig.1.) The camera is looking right down on Walter from a high
angle; this conveys him as being looked down upon and as a weak man who has
just lost control.
This scenes was chosen to show how not only how far Walter will go to provide
for his family but also that he has lost all control of money, his family and his
place in the drug world. This is a key point and one of the last times Walter is
seen as weak and weedy before he turns into the drug lord after killing Gustavo.
At this point he has put his family though so much danger, he has broken the law,
committed murder and now Gustavo wants his whole family dead. It all seems to
have been for nothing as Skylar has given all his money away. Walter is also
trying to regain his position as the hegemonic male who is providing for his
family. But these examples illustrate a shift in how the hegemonic male is being
seen. The fact that Walter has put his family in so much danger and it seems it
was all for nothing represents the hegemonic male being in crisis.
The Surrogate Father is still needed
23

This research looks at two cases of surrogate fathers. In both cases the surrogate
father is a figure in the child’s life who is trying to teach the boy whose own
father is both weak and a bad role model. In this section the key argument will be
that one way the hegemonic male is in crisis is because surrogate fathers are
needed because fathers are seen as weak. The two examples I will be using are
Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and Walter Jr White (RJ Mitte) and the other
example Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Walter Jr. is looking for a father figure,
as his own father is absent from his life since he started working in the drug
world, he looks at the alpha male in the show; DEA agent and also his uncle Hank.
His father Walter is seen as a poor father to him as he is always away, which
leads Hank to step in as his surrogate father. In the other example, Walter and
Jesse are first seen as business partners in the drug world but their relationship
become much more than this. Jesse is disowned by his family and unwanted, he
looks to Walter, his former teacher, as a surrogate father. Bruzzi explains that
Hollywood films in the 1990s used surrogate fathers when fathers where absent
or not seen. One example Bruzzi uses is the Star Wars series with Luke
Skywalker looking up to Yoda as his surrogate father because his own father was
the evil leader Darth Vader.
In Anthony Clare’s chapter ‘Man the father’ he says that ‘everyone needs a caring
and involved father’ (Clare: 2000: 161). His views on fathers are that they are
‘presented in the media as heroes or villains with little serious debate about
fatherhood’ (Clare: 2000: 166). In relation to my research it is clear that fathers
need to be around for their children as role models. With both of my examples
showing absent or weak fathers it is important that there are surrogate fathers.
Clare explains that it is important to have a father around to ‘express their
feelings for their families, how they promote the development of their children
varies considerably’ (Clare: 2000: 166). Clare is confirming that it is important
for children to have fathers and role models as part of their development.
Bruzzi’s chapter ‘Back to the Future: Nostalgia, Tradition and Masculinity in the
1980’s’ in her book Bring up Daddy (2005) is a useful chapter for this research.
24

When explaining how the role of a surrogate father is used within the film Top
Gun (1986) she states
‘the father (Maverick’s father) is dead and the son’s relationship with
him remains unresolved until, through a surrogate figure, he comes to
understand and identify with the paternal ideal he has constructed’
(Bruzzi: 2005: 117).
Bruzzi explains that Maverick’s relationship with his dead father is unresolved
until the role of a surrogate father helps him find himself. Bruzzi continues to
point out that films in the 1980s also showed a ‘yearning for a strong father’
(Bruzzi: 2005: 117) as in Back to the Future (1985). From Bruzzi’s work it is
clear that strong father figures were lacking in Hollywood during the 1980s.
Bruzzi’s work on the surrogate father is a good reference point for researching
Breaking Bad. Bruzzi states ‘this intertwining of the father’s traditionalism with
longevity is illustrated in the series of trilogies the 1980s spawned: Indiana Jones
(1981, 1984, 1989) and Star Wars (1977-)’ (Bruzzi: 2005: 119). The role of a
surrogate father is evident in Star Wars where we see a young Skywalker being
lead and guided by the older wiser Yoda why keeps him away from his evil father
Darth Vader.
In my example, Walter is portrayed to never be around the family but always
away cooking meth with Jesse or doing business related activities; he has
become an absent father. This leads his son Walter Jr to look for a surrogate
father; he seeks his uncle Hank, a strong, masculine DEA agent. One example of
Hank being his surrogate father is when the family thinks Walter Jr is smoking
weed. Hank steps in to teach him a lesson, something a father should be doing.
Similarly, when Walt Jr is arrested for trying to buy beer, he calls Hank and not
his father to pick him up. ‘Not cool, not cool ringing me and not your father. How
do you think that makes him feel?’ Hank explains to Walt Jr. Hank is not mad at
him getting arrested but more upset that he cannot turn to his father to help him
out but feels he has to turn to him. This is depicting Walter as an unpardonable
father and also a bad father as he is not around to teach his son important
lessons. The audience prefers seeing Hank as Walter Jr ‘s surrogate father
because, as the show goes on, Walter is seen as an evil man and not someone that
25

Walter Jr should be around. When Walt wants his son to think he is a good father
and cool, he does this by buying him a new car, trying to connect with his son
again. Two different forms of hegemonic males are being shown here. Hank is the
strong DEA agent protecting the public from drugs, and Walter is the rich feared
drug lord. Hank is always seen as the good guy within Breaking Bad and is
favored over the two hegemonic males. As the favored male he is seen as the
right surrogate father for Walter Jr to look up as a role model.
While absent from his family life Walt is cooking drugs or being involved in the
drug world, which leads to him spending a lot of time with his business partner
Jesse. The ideology of the show implies that Jesse is in need of a surrogate father;
he is an unwanted drug user with no real purpose of life. The idea behind the
show is that he is in need of a life-changing event and a strong role model. He
sees this in Walter, as his surrogate father. Their relationship starts with Walt
being his chemistry teacher at High School. Walter is always represented as an
older, wiser intelligent scholar; he looks at people as students needing his help.
The whole show is build around the relationship Walter and Jesse have, the
audience feels sorry for Jesse and sees Walter taking advantage of their
relationships as the show goes on. Silverstein and Auerbach comment that it is
important for children to have a role model as ‘fathers are seen as essential role
models for boys, relationships models for girls, and protectors of their families’
(Silverstein and Auerbach: 1999: 12). There is a case that Walter is looking for a
more masculine son as his son has cerebral palsy and being a smart student,
Walter is looking for a person he can really help. Jesse is a person that needs to
be helped and really needs a role model in his life. The ideology of the show
suggests that Jesse’s family have turned their back on him and the only person
Jesse has in his life who cares about him is Walter. Throughout the show Walter
is also seen to be protecting and helping Jesse.
One key example within Breaking Bad of this surrogate relationship is when
Walter lies to his family about visiting his mother but Jesse and he go out into the
desert to cook drugs for 4 days in the episode ‘4 days out.’ When driving out to
the spot cook site, the music is upbeat and fun like the two are going out on a
26

camping trip or weekend away, just father and son. When parked and looking at
what Jesse bought for the weekend to eat, he is annoyed with him for only bring
snack foods and no ‘real food, with a source of protein or anything green and
how are you even alive?’ he asks Jesse looking at him as a child with no
understanding of a good diet. The conversation continues to talk about women
and whom Jesse is dating. As the days go on they do a big cook of meth goes well
as Jesse is learning and becoming better at chemistry because of Walt. The whole
time away seems like a weekend father/son camping trip with them both
sleeping on camp beds in the RV and watching the sunset after a long day of
cooking. It all seems to be going so well, with successful cooking and a lot of
product to sell, before Jesse finally lets Walt down by leaving the keys in the RV
so it runs the battery out. Now they find themselves stuck out in the desert. This
again leads them to another father/son activity to do together. Walt comes up
with the idea of make a battery to charge the on in the RV as there go about
finding materials and items needed for the battery this seems like a school
science project there are working on together. When finishing the battery they
work together to connect the battery to the car and sit and pray that the battery
has worked so there can get out of the dessert, which it does.
27
Fig. 2 – Walter and Jesse watching the sunset after a long day

This whole scene is a key scene for the surrogate relationship that develops
throughout the show. Jesse learns and looks up to Walter as a role model, he
wants to be loved and wanted by Walter, as he is the only person in his life. The
same with Walter, he wants to help Jesse, and protect him. From the start the
couple are only business partners in the drug game but their relationships saves
each others lives.
In conclusion, this section has examined the suggestion that the hegemonic male
is in crisis with many examples of television and movies having surrogate fathers
in them. Fathers and family men have changed since Gyori's (2012) examples of
the family man shown in 1950s and 1960s television shows. Gyori continues to
explain one reason for this could be ‘as familiar gender roles continue to turn
upside down, the American patriarch has good reason to identify with his
bumbling television counterpart’ (Gyori: 2012) using Breaking Bad as an
example Walter is failing to support his family and chooses the dark side of
money making which leads to the break up of his family and his relationship with
his son. His son Walt Jr now looks up to his uncle Hank as a surrogate father. Also
within the show, the business partners Jesse and Walter have no one else they
can talk to about their work; this leads to them having a close relationship. With
Jesse being unwanted by his family he looks to Walter as his surrogate father and
wants to be loved by him. Walter also has the need for a surrogate son, someone
who really needs him to take care of and teach him. The hegemonic family male
does not exist in this modern text.
28

Conclusion
This dissertation set out to examine the idea that hegemonic masculinity is in
crisis. Following up on the work of scholars who have referenced television
shows to present the idea of the father or male figure seen to be in crisis. This
dissertation has done this by using the approach of textual and ideological
analysis of Breaking Bad. In Feasey’s conclusion of this area of study she states:
‘the depiction of dysfunctional family life in general and fatherhood in
particular were once considered satirical and even occasionally shocking
in such prime-time animated sitcoms such as The Simpsons’
(Feasey: 2008: 44).
Feasey is stating animated shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy and King of the
Hill show fathers in a very bad light and that they are being shown this way in
prime-time TV. The father is seen as the buffoon of the family not the ‘strong,
intelligent and wise’ father of 1950/1960s television (Gyori: 2012). Feasey
continues to explain that key agents within police dramas such as Jack Bauer 24
and Adam Carter Spooks (2002-2011) are seen as ‘the epitome of hegemonic
masculinity’ where they work for the greater good of the county or national
security, but in doing this they have to negotiate with their personal life
including spending time and lying to their families. This dissertation has been
following on from this work examining similar ways in which the male image is
in crisis.
The research into the text Breaking Bad was broken down into two sections
‘How far will the male go to provide for their family’ and ‘The Surrogate Father is
still needed.’ The first section examined the main character of Breaking Bad,
Walter White. With medical bills and cancer to deal with he leads a second life as
a drug cook to provide for his family. As Feasey shows in 24 and Spooks Walter
tells himself that he is doing this for the good of his family. He is trying to pay for
his medical bills but at the same time leaving money for his family when he dies.
In Walter’s mind he is doing the right thing for his family. This research has
suggested that by doing this he is actually damaging his family and the strong
hegemonic male is seen to be in crisis. He is trying to be the provider for his
29

family and be the hegemonic male breaking away from the normal boring life he
lived before, as a high school teacher. He is breaking from his ‘dysfunctional
social role’ (Franklin: 1984: 4) as a male and father in a normal American family.
By doing this and by trying to be the hegemonic male he is actually breaking this
family apart.
The second section of the research examined surrogate fathers. Stella Bruzzi’s
research into this area examines Hollywood films during the period of
1980/1990s where surrogate fathers were key figures. Jeffords also gives the
example of Star Wars with the young Luke Skywalker having Yoda as his
surrogate father to keep him away from the evil force of Darth Vader (Jeffords:
1994: 65). My research explored if surrogate fathers were still present in
Breaking Bad indicating that hegemonic males are in crisis as their children are
looking up to different people than their fathers. This research looked at two
examples of surrogate fathers in Breaking Bad, Walter Jr and his uncle Hank and
Walter White and his business partner Jesse. Both have highlighted ways that
surrogate fathers appear within the show. In Walters and Jesse relationship it is
also that Jesse is seen as a surrogate child to Walter; someone he wants to look
after and care for, like his own child. This has been shown before in Hollywood
cinema; Jeffords states that ‘many films of the 1980s came down to this often
hidden father/son relationship’ (Jeffords: 1994: 64)
This research into Breaking Bad is a current and modern follow-on from the
work of Jeffords (1994) and Bruzzi (2005). In both of the examples, this work
has presented, there are illustrations of key characters and scenes to suggest that
hegemonic masculinity is seen to be in crisis.
This dissertation has looked at a range of different research in the fields of
masculinity in family studies and masculinity in film and television studies. This
has followed onto current research into the field of masculinity and being more
refined and presents evidence that hegemonic masculinity is still in crisis.
Work Count: 9717
30

References
Avila-Saavedra, G. (2009) ‘Nothing queer about queer television: televised
construction of gay masculinities.’ Media Culture & Society, 31. 290-309.
Berger, M & Wallis, B & Watson, S, (1995) Constructing Masculinity. New York:
Routledge.
Beyon, J. (2002) Masculinities and Culture. Open University Press: Buckingham.
Bruzzi, S. (2005) Bring up Daddy Fatherhood and Masculinity in Post-War
Hollywood. London: British Film Institute.
Bruzzi, S. (2013) Men’s Cinema: Masculinity and mise en scene in Hollywood.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Burton, G. (2000) Talking Television. Arnold: London.
Butsch, R. (1995) ‘Ralph, Fred, Archie and Homer: Why Television keeps
Recreating the White Male Working-Class Buffoon’ in Dines, G & Humez J.
Gender, Race and Class in Media. Saga: London.
Clare, A. (2001) On Men: Masculinity in crisis. Chatto & Windus: London.
Coontz, S. (1992) In Way We Never Were. HarperCollins: New York.
Craig, S. (1992) Men, Masculinity, and the media. Saga: London.
Dyer, R. (2014) ‘Don’t Look Now.’ Sexualities. 17 (1): 61-73.
Emmys. (2013) Breaking Bad [Online] Available from:
http://www.emmys.com/shows/breaking-bad [Accessed 31 March 2014].
31

Faludi, S. (1992) Backlash. London: Vintage.
Feasey, R. (2008) In Masculinity and Popular Television. Edinburgh University
Press: Edinburgh.
Franklin, C. (1984) The Changing Definition of Masculinity. New York: Plenum.
Gill, R. (2007) Gender and the media. Polity Press: Cambridge.
Gyori, B. (2012) ‘Breaking Dad.’ Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, 17 (4).
Huffington (2014) Breaking Bad Best Drama TV Golden Globes 2014 [Online]
Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/12/breaking-bad-
best-drama-tv-golden-globes_n_4568693.html [Accessed 31 March 2014].
Haywood, C & Mac An Ghaill, M. (2003) Men and Masculinities. Open University
Press: Buckingham.
Jeffords, S. (1994) Hard Bodies Hollywood Masculinity In The Reagan Era.
Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
Joyrich, L. (1996) Re-Viewing Reception. Indiana University Press: Bloomington.
MacKinnon, K. (2003) Representing Men. Oxford University Press: New York.
Mccabe, J & Akass, K. (2007) Quality TV. I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd: New York
Nelson, R. (2006) ‘Quality Television: The Sopranos is the best television drama
ever? In my humble opinion.’ Critical Studies in Television, 1 (1): 58-72.
Skeggs, B & Wood, H. (2011) ‘Turning it on is a class act: Immediated object
relations with television.’ Media Culture & Society, 33. 170-194.
32

Silverstein, L. & Auerbach, C. (1999) ‘Deconstructing the Essential father.’ In
American Psychologist. 54 (6). Available from:
http://www.canadiancrc.com/PDFs/American_Psychologist_silver99.pdf
[Accessed on: 17/02/14].
Stibbe, A. (2004) ‘Health and the Social Construction of Masculinity in Men’s
Health Magazine.’ In Men and Masculinities. Available
from:http://people.stfx.ca/accamero/gender%20and%20health/gender%20as
%20a%20determinant%20of%20health/Health%20and%20the%20social
%20construction%20of%20masculinity.pdf [Accessed on: 15/02/14].
Tasker, Y. (1993) Spectacular Bodies. London: Routledge.
Trujillo, N. (1991) ‘Hegemonic Masculinity on the Mound: Media Representations
of Nolan Ryan and American Sports Culture’ in Critical Studies in Mass
Communication. (8) Available from:
http://www.uky.edu/~addesa01/documents/Trujillo_Baseball.pdf [Accessed
on: 15/02/2014].
Whitehead, S & Barrett, F. (2001) The Masculinities Reader. Polity Press:
Cambridge.
33

Dissertation - Gavin Jon Watson 224665

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (18)

Similar to Dissertation - Gavin Jon Watson 224665

Similar to Dissertation - Gavin Jon Watson 224665 (16)

Dissertation - Gavin Jon Watson 224665