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Walter White Antihero Drama Analysis

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Walter White vs. The World of Antihero Dramas The article “The Best Antiheros Aren’t Vicarious Thrill Rides. They’re Morality Plays in Reverse,” by Todd VanDerWerff argues that a successful antihero drama thrives on portraying a character who not only slowly loses his or her morals, but also one that has something tangible to lose like family. The article calls into question the use of antiheroes on television and whether or not they are held to this standard of quality. By explaining the difference between a superior and subpar antihero through multiple examples of antihero dramas, VanDerWerff successful analyzes and describes the keys to a quality antihero that an audience adores. VanDerWerff starts off the article in a sarcastically annoyed tone discussing how there are too many antihero-based shows trying to recreate Breaking Bad and The Sopranos, so he then strategically brings in shows to discuss, such as House of Cards and Ozark. It is a clever strategy because he presents the reader with a variety of shows and then compares them to the shows networks are attempting to recreate. In regards to the mediocre shows, VanDerWerff says, “They invite viewers to revel in the bad choices made by their protagonists, but also think those bad choices are the only interesting things about the characters” …show more content…

There is never something valuable the character loses from his bad choices. Which is why I view Breaking Bad as the best antihero show produced due to its brilliant plot and story. The way the show portrays Walter and the choices he has to make, allow the viewers to feel connected to the show. Throughout the whole series, Walter slowly digs himself into a bigger hole and changes into a badass respected antihero, compared to the beginning of the show where he was a disrespected and lame high school chemistry

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In the book Bad Boy Walter is a called a bad boy. This is true because he hits a lot of other students when he is in school. This is mentioned when it says, “Manuel stopped the ‘dabba-dabba-dabba’ when I hit him in the face” (18). While Manuel had made fun of Walter using violence is much worse than insults.

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As Walter life goes on he is formed by his childhood events. At first he is a rebel. He gets into many fight and lots of trouble.

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In the article, “Against Antiheroes”, Laura Bennett demonstrates the characterizations of an antihero, while providing information that allows the antihero to be depicted as prevalent. An antihero is defined as a person that does not possess heroic attributes, and may be seen as selfish, corrupt, or sullen. Antiheroes usually tend to acquire the sympathy of another individual, causing them to become relatable, as seen as Bennett writes, “‘Antihero’ implies that a character encourages a conflicted sympathy; Walt forfeited our sympathy long ago” (472). Bennett’s characterization of an antihero demonstrates a sense of an internal struggle on behalf of the audience and the hero. An antihero may appear to be haunted by a tragic past, encounters

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In the beginning Walter is basically perceived as a jerk-he doesn’t seem to get along with anyone, not even his own family. His character likes to turn discussions into fights, make rude comments to his wife, and act all around immature. A part that accurately shows the way Walter conducts himself is when he is arguing with Ruth and says “Man say: I got to change my life , I'm choking to death, baby! And his woman say- Your eggs is getting cold!”

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In Laura Bennett’s essay, “Against Antiheroes” Bennett exemplifies the common trend of anti heroism, in popular mainstream TV shows and movies. She states that an anti hero is a protagonist that we all love, but is lacking heroic qualities. An anti hero, however, is a typical person all people are, with each one having skeletons hidden in their closets. The most quintessential character cannot exist, due to the abstract of different personalities and various life situations and that is how we see so many antiheroes every time we watch something new. The anti hero character is overused in modern TV shows and films.

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Walter white was a guy who has qualities of an anti hero and an antagonist. At the age of 50 Walter works as a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque,New Mexico teaching disrespectful students. The job isnt enough for Walter so he has to take up another job at a car wash to increase his money gain which is humiliating to him when he has to clean the cars of his own students. Walter and his wife Skyler have a kid named Walter Jr. who has cerebral palsy.on his 50th birthday Walter and his family watch a news report about a methamphetamine drug bust and is impressed by the amount of money recovered from the dealers.

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Lastly, the character of Prior Walter, who can be seen as the play’s protagonist and the main victim, is the one who goes through the greatest change from the plays’ opening to its end. At the beginning of the play, he is portrayed as an abandoned AIDS-stricken gay man with no one to help him but his friend Belize. Later on in the play, his ex-boyfriend Louis tells him how he saw him: “I think, maybe [you were] just too much a victim, finally. Passive. Dependent” (Kushner 2011: 216).

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Though emotion is a strong factor in how readers and people make decisions, ethics and logic can arguably be more convincing. Readers can admire Walter, a minor character, but vital to the story for his commitment to saving his friend, Max’s life, “‘... people have been watching me…’ He left a small bag filled with bread, fat and three small carrots” (140). Although Walter can be seen here as selfish for his quickness to leave Max, Walter relies on his logic and ethics. He relays to his ethics when he knows that what his current leader, Adolf Hitler is saying is wrong and his logic for feeding Max as much as he can and his discreteness.

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Although Breaking Bad’s spotlight shines upon Walter White’s thrilling odyssey of operating a meth lab, it also investigates the transformational process in which White’s morality evolves as his desire for power and wealth far exceeds the future needs and financial expectations for their financial security of his family. Trying to recognize and identify the exact pivotal moment that marks Walter’s transition from a protagonist into an “antagonist” becomes problematic. Vince Gilligan’s portrayal of the protagonist, Walter White, takes on the role of being an “antagonist,” which in any narrative is the character or force that is perceived as an opposing force to the protagonist, and White gets corrupted by unchecked greed; however, Gilligan throws in phrases like “I

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The only thing that Walter is trying to do is live up to these fake perceptions, and there is nothing wrong with

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He believes he is “..see[ing] life like it is” (141) in order to rightfully take his place as the head of the family by making this decision for them, regardless of the hope this house brought them all. The rest of the Younger family is disconcerted by this new business deal, and asks Walter if this is what he truly wants and believes is right, to which he responds that he’s “Going to feel fine…[like] a man…” (144). Due to internally knowing he still had prove himself but not physically doing so, Walter’s delicate, false pride in being a man doesn’t allow him to consider how his actions affect

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1664 Words | 7 Pages

Walter often storms off after an argument or a conversation that did not go this way, and it is in this time that he hurts the most over the family’s financial situation and over the way that nobody else understands his position and his reasoning behind his actions. The segregation during the 1950s

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Walter was introduced as a man who cared about nothing other than his business. He had sacrificed his sister’s dream of becoming a doctor, and held the power to wipe out Mama’s dream for a better home. Walter sees the gender roles as boundaries keeping him from loosening up to his family. He is given the insight that men must be powerful, wealthy, and demanding for them to truly be the head of the household. However, Walter sees past these gender roles, and not only challenges these rigid roles, but he also regains his family’s trust along the

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1278 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout time, people have been using their imagination as a way of refuge, where they can run away from the problems that come with being in the real world. This issue is well developed throughout the short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, written by James Thurber. The short story follows a middle aged man, Walter Mitty, as he goes through fantasies which involve him in situation that are far from his reality. People use imagination to put themselves in situation where they posses certain qualities or a lifestyle which they lack in the real world. Throughout the short story, Walter escapes into event-triggered fantasies in which he can do or be anything he wants to be.

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Everyone feels sympathetic for Walter because he has a drinking problem. Lena trusts him with sixty-five hundred dollars and he gives it away trying to do a deal that goes wrong. The antagonist of this story is Karl Lindner. Karl is the bearer of bad news. He is apart of the greeting committee of Clybourne Park which is known as a "white" neighborhood.

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