Crime In Breaking Bad

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Crime in Breaking Bad
Crime is defined as an action in opposition to the Law; when analyzing the text Breaking Bad the theme of crime is prevalent. In the pilot episode, it opens to a chaotic scene of what looks like a madman flying through the desert driving an R.V in his underwear, with glass bottles and people sliding in the back. The episode is reversed making to appear more intriguing, and viewers are presented with the buildup to find out what happened. As the episode progresses, that "madman" is named Walter "Walt" White. Walt has a strong identity in the show and is a hard-working, well-mannered loving husband to his wife Skyler, and father to son Walter Jr. who has cerebral palsy. Walter works hard and is a chemistry teacher at the …show more content…

This scene is interesting because it shows sound diegesis. Walt and Skyler are sitting with a doctor, there is a faint buzzing noise blocking out the doctor's voice. This noise connects Walt's emotions of shock, irritability, and lack of concentration. Walt's prognosis caused a dramatic change in his usually mild-mannered identity and reveals his true 'inner self'. Feeling like a failure as both a father and a husband is the driving force behind his criminal behavior. Walt decided he must take extreme measures to provide for his family's long-term financial security. Walt's life represents the living image of failure. Misfortunes appear to have accompanied him through his entire life; his son was born with cerebral palsy; he was left out of the undeniable professional success as a chemist, he has two jobs both well below his capacities; and moreover, he can't even ensure the financial stability of his family now that lung cancer is threatening to take his life away from him. Walt's diagnoses act as the force that drives him into this new version of himself. When Jesse approaches Walt about why he wants to cook meth, asking if there is something he should be aware of, or if Walt has gone crazy. Walt's response "I am awake!" (1.1). Literature has shown that many cancer …show more content…

Once Walt starts producing methamphetamine, its criminality starts to wear down to viewers because Walt is still that loving family man who is trying to support his family. The way crime is viewed in Breaking Bad is like a paradigm shift of ideology. All of Walter's actions are justified because of the emotional attachment and sympathy from viewers. Walt knows he is going to die from cancer and wants to ensure his family financial stability even if that means going to the extremes of engaging in illegal actives. Breaking Bad has been labeled as one of the best shows of its time (Forbes 2016, Rolling Stone 2016). Breaking Bad allows individuals access to a world frame they would not normally be aware of. A world of methamphetamine manufacturing, drug empires, and using methamphetamine. When Hank's drug bust appears on the news showing how much money is in the manufacturing business, Walt is intrigued. Walt asks Hank how much money was recovered at the crime scene to which Hank replies "$700,000. Not a bad haul" (1.1). It is than that Walt decides to start cooking methamphetamine to earning easy money and also allowing him to demonstrate his professional capacity showing that he is the best at something. (1.1) Following, Breaking Bad takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which the context of the text is known; desert terrain, Spanish is heavily fluent, and it borders