All Simpsons cartoon images belong to Fox Studios and Matt Groening.
The Simpsons: a cartoon reality
The Simpsons show has sometimes been described as depicting the most realistic family on television. This is a good starting point for analysing the show. This page will look at its main characters and how their depiction reflects both attitudes to males and females as well as the real insights provided by the cartoon, to how modern men and women live.
The Simpsons cartoon show first started as a short skit on the Tracy Ullman Show in the late 1980s and then became an autonomous big budget tv cartoon show. The Simpsons has now had a longer run than The Flintstones, and in some respects it is a more mature and critical cartoon dealing with family life in a modern context. This is because it is not simply humour, but rather provides a satire of a certain number of human types and depicts them at their worst.
It is worthwhile comparing The Simpsons family to the Huxtables, in which Bill Cosby, the black actor stars. A brief view of this black family shows it to be so clean that they squeek. They are pious, virtuous, well-intentioned, stable, and above all, socially functional. This is everything the Simpson family is not. By depicting the Simpsons family 'negatively' as a unit of social life, the makers of the show have created not only a more realistic image but one that rebels against the sugar-coated ideal often presented.
In some ways the candy floss families on television provide a model of a utopian ideal. People whose lives are chaotic actually dream of a better and more functional family life. Perhaps we can be more affluent. We can talk to each other without screaming and dad will be like Mr. Huxtable, wise and benevolent.
Given that black families on average suffer a far higher rate of poverty and broken family life, it is not surprising that a high ideal is appealing. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that The Simpsons could only gain acceptance at a particular historic point. The depiction of The Simpsons, with an alcoholic father and a son doomed to educational 'failure' suggests a far more comfortable outlook in its white audience. A white middle class can look on the Simpson family, with its petty tribulations and catastrophes, as something that happens to a limited number of other people. In a sense the alcoholism and incompetence of the father, Homer, is a warning to men, that these conditions in a modern male are the basis of ridicule: a negative ideal, an anti-heroic figure.
Are the Simpsons the universal family
So far there is a suggestion that The Simpsons are a realistic family but not typical. This should be qualified. Firstly the family is, in terms of its affluence, education and the employment of Homer, the father, a typical working class American family. (The fact that his wife Marge is a housewife is not indicative on its own, but we recognise that she is probably uneducated and does not have career ambitions.) The family is well off by world standards but their life reflects no particular intellectual pursuits or creativity. The only exception is that of the daughter Lisa, who practices the saxophone. The portrayal of the family is also not simply one to view through the lens of class. There is a very definite set of observations made about gender too.
Homer as male archetype
Homer Simpson is depicted as coming from a particular male background. He was an unexceptional teenager and ends up working in a nuclear power plant. His job provides a certain stability in his life but he is not very good at what he does. He is incompetent and lazy. However he is also aware of his own failures and could be described as having an inferiority complex with moments of lucidity and inspiration to go further. Homer's classic expression 'Doh!' has even entered the English language. It is frequently used, especially by males, whenever they have done something stupid, and where they realise their own mental failings.
Of central significance to the show is the mild alcoholism of Homer. This condition or habit is rarely portrayed in family-based programs and yet the reality is that alcoholism is a very common condition. Furthermore it is not limited to the working class and many 'good families' hide this condition to the world. The show therefore tackles a serious social problem, without necessarily providing answers.
The company of males and booze provides Homer with an escape. In addition, talking with his wife about his insecurities also gives him a form of emotional support.
Bart as male child archetype
Bart is the son of the family. Superficially he appears destined to follow in his father's footsteps. His depiction indicates that he is one of the poor performers of the school. However current statistics suggest that this follows a distinct pattern among school age boys. Rebellion, poor attention span and discipline allow such children to miss classes or avoid homework. Ironically Bart's dysfunctionality is a centrepiece of the show. His adventures and misdemeanors are one of the main interests in the program. Some critics of the show have been concerned about his portrayal, as they fear the possibility that other boys will seek to emulate Bart. He does represent an ideal male type that some may feel comfortable in mimicking. At the same time the Bart archetype represents an issue in the socialisation of the male. It is widely reported that poor educational achievements, seen more commonly among males, will lead to greater future delinquency and poorer employment prospects.
Marge as female adult archetype
Homer Simpson's wife, Marge, represents in some respects the complete opposite personality to the male. While he is dissatisfied, she is in tune with her station in life. His emotional chaos is matched by her stability. His risk-taking is matched by her conservative attitude. As housewife, she also provides an anchor to the family. The home is the place where stability tends to return from the mayhem of the external world. She is at the centre of family life.
Her portrayal does however provide an enigma. Because she is all of the above she tends to become a character that has no distinctive features. In respect of this woman the show has nothing critical or satirical to say, except perhaps in terms of her weird beehive hairdo. Have the creators of the show simply forgotten to give the female lead character a fuller consideration in their plot development or is there another explanation? It may be because they are mainly men or because they have an idealised view of their own mothers or even perhaps because tackling female foibles might actually meet with a degree of social outrage. Marge has to be described as a bastion of stability, sensible ideas and long suffering virtue. She is not satirised as a social type, even though there might have been scope for such a project. It suggests that our society treats females with mostly such a degree of deference and delicacy that there is little scope for a critical view of human female nature.
Lisa as female archetype
Like mother like daughter? Lisa the female child, in contrast to her brother, is a model of sensible virtue. She is talented and studious. In these respects she has a mixed resemblance not only to her mother but also to the broad modern female archetype in general. In terms of her conservative and domesticated side she is more like females in general. However her talent and its pursuit may suggest the possibility that she can transcend the family background. She may even have class mobility. Once again her portrayal follws to some extent that of the mother. As a virtuous child, and perhaps as a female her life is more stable and focused on personal development, rather than adventure and mayhem, which are the staple of the show's plot each week.
