Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher...
with stage 3 lung cancer.
with stage 3 lung cancer.
S1 E4. Cancer Man
Walter White is a character that everyone roots for. A high school teacher with a pregnant wife and a son with cerebral palsy. There is not one dry eye in the audience when he announces to his family, including his sister-in-law and her DEA husband, that he has cancer, and "it's bad." The episode Cancer Man shows Walt's family's reactions after the announcement of his stage 3 lung cancer, some heart-warming, some not so much.
|
His Words |
Walter White is a family man...
Sure, he is! That's what Americans want to see on TV, and that's why they incorporated it into Walter's character, according to David Wallace (p152). Even in fiction television, shows are putting stories on screen that we would like to live out ourselves. Who doesn't want to be surrounded by a supportive family in a time of need? Walter uses his loving words, in particular when he and Skyler first met, spoken to his family to depict his loving, fatherly nature. After Skyler has to leave the table, Walter is forced to tell his close family about his lung cancer. The audience sees Walter's hurt, as well as his worry for his very upset wife, and is therefore touched. Throughout this episode, he speaks as a father and husband that wants the best outcome for his family, especially if he passes away. Having no debt for his family is his top priority. Walter doesn't seem to worry about his own health, but for the aftermath that affects his wife and children. This very selflessness is the primary source for pathos. It also supports the idea that pathos entices the audience. Everyone likes to see themselves as selfless and humble while making a lot of money for themselves and their family. Breaking Bad lets them enter this very world and imagine that they are like Walter White. |
His Actions
|
Walter White is a family man...
Or so it seemed. Not only did this father and husband announce his awful news, but he also blew up someone's car, yet this action is forgivable in the audience's eyes. Perhaps this is because of it was the car of an admittedly annoying, obnoxious, and crude business man, but it was undoubtedly due to the harsh reality of his cancer. Walter, in these moments, is very relatable. The audience tends to think, "If I was going to die soon, I would do the same thing." This very relatability, Cardi says, of human condition and experience is what drives pathos and entices the audience to come back for more. |