Walter White Breaking Bad Sociology
Matthew Maciejowski
Sociology
May,1, 2014
Reflective Essay: Breaking Bad
Throughout the AMC series “Breaking Bad” the main character, Walter White, is face with many challenges nearly all life threatening. Although they are severe, the directors made sure many of them are common problems that anyone can face such as, cancer, poverty, drugs and death. However, during this series Walter takes a different approach then most of us would. Walt is a prime example of masculinity and its is continently expressed throughout the series.
Even though we as viewers start out as sympathetic to Walt, over the course of the show, we realize just how problematic Walt’s actions and motives are, and that although he tries to justify his actions …show more content…
It is no surprise then that Walter White would make a desperate if illegal final attempt at living up to this standard, given that he appears to be running out of time. In addition to these internalized self-identification as the provider of his family even beyond his grave –the social arrangements and gender relations in our society, and those within the White family more specifically, exert very real and material pressures on Walt to take steps to ensure the financial future of his wife and kids. The White family adheres to dominant social scripts about family life in the US, with Walt filling the role of the primary breadwinner, while his wife Skylar is a mother and homemaker first, working odd jobs and in later seasons being employed as an accountant. Clearly, due to these unequal gendered relations of production – and against the backdrop of a healthcare system that is failing Walt, and a social security system that would most likely fail the White family sans Walt – the possible death of Walter will put the family in deep financial problems, prompting him to find a solution for these economic
Sociology
May,1, 2014
Reflective Essay: Breaking Bad
Throughout the AMC series “Breaking Bad” the main character, Walter White, is face with many challenges nearly all life threatening. Although they are severe, the directors made sure many of them are common problems that anyone can face such as, cancer, poverty, drugs and death. However, during this series Walter takes a different approach then most of us would. Walt is a prime example of masculinity and its is continently expressed throughout the series.
Even though we as viewers start out as sympathetic to Walt, over the course of the show, we realize just how problematic Walt’s actions and motives are, and that although he tries to justify his actions …show more content…
It is no surprise then that Walter White would make a desperate if illegal final attempt at living up to this standard, given that he appears to be running out of time. In addition to these internalized self-identification as the provider of his family even beyond his grave –the social arrangements and gender relations in our society, and those within the White family more specifically, exert very real and material pressures on Walt to take steps to ensure the financial future of his wife and kids. The White family adheres to dominant social scripts about family life in the US, with Walt filling the role of the primary breadwinner, while his wife Skylar is a mother and homemaker first, working odd jobs and in later seasons being employed as an accountant. Clearly, due to these unequal gendered relations of production – and against the backdrop of a healthcare system that is failing Walt, and a social security system that would most likely fail the White family sans Walt – the possible death of Walter will put the family in deep financial problems, prompting him to find a solution for these economic