Lisa Simpson Character Analysis
Who is Lisa Marie Simpson? Airing in December of 1989, the Simpsons are starting their 25th season as of this year. This longevity has been thanks to the five main characters; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. Representing the all-American household; each of these characters plays an important part in not just Springfield, but society all around. But the most humanistic and “normal” person living in Springfield is no other than Lisa Marie Simpson. Lisa is a tough nut to crack, but just like any other young girls out there, she has fallen in and out of love, faced defeat and tasted victory. She is an overachiever, a feminist, an activist, the “voice of reason” in a town full of “Homer’s,” and a youth with more common sense than most of the adults.
From the opening scene, one can grasp the idea that Lisa is different from the other eight year old girls. She plays a saxophone that is as big as her, wears just a plain red dress and has hair that does not even look like hair! She first plays with her school band, but quickly gets up and plays her own tune. This reveals her intelligent, overachieving nature. She has been mentioned several times by her Principal that she is the top student of her class and is always asked to write poems and make speeches.
Lisa’s creativity is shown through her love of writing poetry and playing her saxophone. Her attachment to the saxophone represents her stand on feminism. The saxophone is not an instrument that many young girls would be playing, it is big and heavy, and looks very masculine. But Lisa defies this stereotype by expressing her heart and soul through it. Her love for writing poetry brings to light a feminist side of Lisa. The poems hold a sort of personal and emotional attachment to them. For example, in a celebration of the famous Geyser Rock in Springfield being added as a national monument, Lisa depicts the Rock as a sort of close personal friend (“Fraudcast”). She could have portrayed the rock to be
From the opening scene, one can grasp the idea that Lisa is different from the other eight year old girls. She plays a saxophone that is as big as her, wears just a plain red dress and has hair that does not even look like hair! She first plays with her school band, but quickly gets up and plays her own tune. This reveals her intelligent, overachieving nature. She has been mentioned several times by her Principal that she is the top student of her class and is always asked to write poems and make speeches.
Lisa’s creativity is shown through her love of writing poetry and playing her saxophone. Her attachment to the saxophone represents her stand on feminism. The saxophone is not an instrument that many young girls would be playing, it is big and heavy, and looks very masculine. But Lisa defies this stereotype by expressing her heart and soul through it. Her love for writing poetry brings to light a feminist side of Lisa. The poems hold a sort of personal and emotional attachment to them. For example, in a celebration of the famous Geyser Rock in Springfield being added as a national monument, Lisa depicts the Rock as a sort of close personal friend (“Fraudcast”). She could have portrayed the rock to be
Cited: Berger, Kathleen Stassen. Invitation to the Life Span. New York: Worth, 2010. Print. “Children of a Lesser Clod.” The Simpsons. Fox Television, 2001. “Fraudcast News.” The Simpsons. Fox Television, 2004. “Lisa the Skeptic.” The Simpsons. Fox Television, 1997. “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacey.” The Simpsons. Fox Television, 1994. “Summer of 4 ft. 2” The Simpsons. Fox Television, 1996. “The Springfield Connection.” The Simpsons. Fox Television, 1995. Wolinetz , Geoff, Nick Jezarian, and Josh Abraham. “Lisa Simpson.” Underrated, the Yankee Pot Roast Book of Awesome Underappreciated Stuff. 2008. Yankee Pot Roast. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.