Good Vs. Evil In The TV Show: Walter White

ENGL106
4 October 2013
Breaking Good vs. Bad For anyone who has seen the series Breaking Bad, they know how difficult it can be to determine what side of the “Good vs. Evil” line that a character treads on. The main character Walter White treads that line like no other character on television ever has. In the show, Walter begins as a high school chemistry teacher and winds up a multi-millionaire, meth producer, and murderer, while still remaining a family man for a great majority of the series.
A key component in analyzing which side of the line Walter is on is the authority he possesses a different points in the series. By analyzing the following images, I will try to determine whether Walter’s increased authority turns him evil or if his scandalous acts give rise to
a more powerful character. As Walter gains and loses power in the series, it is directly connected to which side of the line he sits, but it can be unclear at times which causes the other.

In the beginning of the series, Walter was just a normal man who was diagnosed with lung cancer. The pictures at the bottom of the previous page are from the very first episode in the series. It takes knowledge of the episode to fully understand the analysis, but it is very clear that Walter is not in any position of authority in this image. The zoomed image of his facial expression show that he is in fear of the threat.
In the episode the man with the gun was introduced as a violent meth dealer, so that leaves Walt on the good side of the line. The contrast between meth dealer and chemistry teacher allows for the viewer to create the duality between good and evil from the very beginning of the series. Furthermore, the viewer makes a connection that when Walter is not in a position of power that he remains on the good side.

The next image does a wonderful job of using balance to symbolize how we see Walter in the third season.
Because this is not a scene from an episode, but rather fan art, it is full of visual devices. This image very clearly uses classification to separate the sides of good and evil. The people on the left are all involved with “Heisenberg”, Walter’s meth industry alter ego, while the right side is Walter’s family. Walter, or Heisenberg in this image, stands on the left to show that he is now on the evil side. Walt is also in front of everyone, showing how he has authority over everyone, including his employer, because of his ability to cook nearly pure methamphetamine. This authority ensures that the audience now views him on the evil side of the line. The placement of the bag of money also plays a key role in the image. It is clearly Walt’s as he is standing right next to it, but it is on the right half of the image. This works as a metaphor to show Walt’s connection back to his family and how he is doing it all to help them. This is not as obvious without really analyzing the image, which is why it is overpowered by the more obvious classification of the
characters.

In the final picture, Walt sits alone in an image depicting his situation in the beginning of the fifth season. To avoid spoiling any big plot points, I will just say that he is now working under his own control. There are no other characters in this image, which symbolizes Walter’s complete control over the meth industry. He has ultimate authority, and it is at this point in the series that he steps entirely onto the side of evil. In the fifth season Walt is able to manipulate Skyler into helping him by laundering his drug money. The money and tubs of meth represent just a portion of what Walt’s empire has come to, and they stress what Walt’s life is really about. It’s no longer for the family, it’s for the thrill. Like in the previous two pictures, the audience uses Walter’s authority to develop an opinion on Walter’s morality. The money and tubs are not the only thing that symbolize the power that Walter has. His facial features, including his hair and expression, are used to make him look like a man of authority. At this point in the series, most viewers have lost sympathy for Walter, and even though we root for him, we all know that he is the bad guy. The use of visual devices in this image captures this viewpoint perfectly as his increased authority lines up with his evil side. After taking an in depth look at each of these images, I have found that Walter loses his morals as he becomes more powerful. I believe that this plays a major role in the audience’s ability to sympathize and root for him throughout the entire series. Walt does not commit acts of treachery to gain more power, but rather he must take these actions in order to avoid being taken down.

Works Cited
Gilligan, Vince (Writer). Gilligan Vince (Director). (20 January 2008). Pilot [Television series episode]. Gilligan, Vince (Producer), Breaking Bad. Albuquerque, NM: AMC.
Knox, Randall J. “30 Things To Do Once Breaking Bad Ends.” Poster. Post Grad Problems. Grandex, 26 September 2013.
Kraska, BJ. “Breaking Bad: Season 3 Study Guide.” Fan Art. Character Grades. Character Grades, 15 July 2011. 1 October 2013.