Narrative Analysis of Breaking Bad Characters & Relationships

Break Bad General Plot: 

Breaking Bad's plot takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The show follows chemistry teacher Walter White, who barely makes ends it. His financial situation worsens with his wife's pregnancy, his son battling cerebral palsy, and finally, Walter is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Walter hopes to support his family by making as much money as he can before he dies by turning an old RV into a meth lab on wheels with the help of a former student, Jesse Pinkman, a drug dealer. The show goes on to examine the two men entering the drug trade and all the related consequences. 

 

Breaking Bad Characters: 

• Walter White 

  • Chemist turned teacher turned major narcotics distributor due to dire financial circumstances.

    • He started manufacturing the most chemically pure crystal methamphetamine to provide money upon his death for his family. 

    • White did not know anything about the drug trade, so he partnered with his former student Jesse Pinkman to sell the meth.

  • Emotional State:

    • White seems to be dealing with a mid-life (pre-death?) crisis, as he is frustrated, overwhelmed, and unfulfilled (Pruner, 2022). 

      • He feels like he is inadequately able to provide for his family compared to his more successful brother. 

    • Walt uses the concept of providing for and protecting his family as a justification for his actions and crimes. Still, his true motivations are gradually revealed to be personal satisfaction, pride, authority, and power (Pruner, 2022). 

      • Thus, he is willing to murder and scheme to protect his empire and family. 

    • Walt transforms to embrace his dark and ruthless side brought on by his drug empire to his everyday life. 

  • White & Theme:

    • Family: People will do almost anything to protect or avenge their biological and chosen family.

      • However, this gets overshadowed by his need for power. 

    • Power & its Corrupting Influence: Walt, by the series finale, reveals that he has continued the drug work for himself.

      • As Walt grew the meth business and became more successful, he did not want to lose control over his empire.

        • The power energized him and offered a sense of purpose to overcome his earlier mid-life crisis. 

      • The need for more power and wealth contributes to his moral corruption and losing focus on his family purpose. 

• Jesse Pinkman

  • Jesse was a former student of Walt's. 

  • Jesse was forced to leave his parent's house due to his drug use and moved in with his aunt, whom he took care of until she died of cancer. 

    • He fell deeper into the drug scene and started cooking and distributing meth during this time. 

  • Emotional State:

    • Jesse Pinkman is introduced as an impulsive and self-indulgent man but also personable and street-smart.

    • His time with Walt has transformed him from a laid-back jokester to a troubled, woeful, and sorrowful shadow of his former self as the series has progressed (Pruner, 2022). 

      • He has seen and committed more violence than he initially would have wanted.

  • Pinkman & Theme/Morals

    • Family: Jesse eventually views Walt and vice verse, and they look after the teacher, but it still is a strained and complex relationship. 

    • Choosing Better: Breaking Bad illustrates that anyone can improve if they apply themselves. 

      • Specifically, Jesse shows himself to be a talented and intuitive individual.   

Breaking Bad Relationships:

Walter and Jesse's relationship is unique in its conception and situation. There are understandable and thematic moments that offer a greater story arc and audience. 

 

Temporal Relationship or Causal Relationship? 

Walter and Jesse's relationship is temporal in its evolution through the series. It grows from a student/teacher connection to boss/employee to Father/son. There is a casual element to their relationship. Without Walter and Jesse’s relationship with one another, there would no drug empire, murder they commit, and Walt’s eventual death while Jesse escapes to Alaska. 

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• Student/Teacher (Pruner, 2022): 

  • Walter viewed Jesse as a student who could have accomplished much more if he would try harder.

  • Walt mentors Jesse in cooking meth, and he improves his skills.

    • Questionable if Walter is prouder of his ability to make someone a better student or of Jesse's progression as a chemist. 

• Boss/Employee (Pruner, 2022):

  • Walter and Jesse try to put off the facade that they are '50/50 partners', and in terms of their profits, they are; however, their relationship structure does not reflect that notion. 

    • Walter is the boss in the lab since he is an experienced chemist. Jesse accepts this and lets Walter dictate how they distribute and sell their product. 

      • Jesse lacks self-confidence despite being the one who has been dealing drugs longer. 

      • Jesse and Walter know this, too, and will do anything that is told of him. 

• Father/Son (Pruner, 2022):

  • This relationship archetype has the most symbolic meaning to the characters and audience. 

  • Walter has a son, but he is disabled and incapable of fulfilling Walter's image of himself, while Jesse's biological father disowned him. 

    • Thus, Walter desires a son who can define himself and others and carry his legacy as a chemist. Jesse fulfills both these ideas.

Relationships & Theme:

• These men teach us all about what we do to hurt the people we love and how fragile trust can become if deceit takes over for honesty.

  • It also illustrates how power prevents us from being reasonable or empathetic about the needs of others around us. Instead, we only support our selfish desires. 

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My Opinion on Narrative Criticism:

• First, Narrative Criticism is a valuable method to study the characters and their relationships with each other in Breaking Bad since it offers a deep analysis of the meaning and motives behind Walter and Jesse's relationships and what it entails to the greater arc of the series. 

• Second, the analysis for this speech would become an avid watcher and fan of the series. I have seen the series but am a very causal viewer who could only offer surface-level reasoning to understand Jesse's and Walter's relationship with one another. 

  • It would be beneficial to potentially perform a narrative analysis that examines the relationship from episode to episode or through an entire season to comprehend the evolution and intricacies of their relationship entirely. 

• Third, through the method, I gained a better understanding of the purpose of the show and morals that often get ignored in the intensity of the drugs and violence of the show's plot. 

• Ultimately, narrative analysis was necessary to understand the thematic elements of Breaking Bad, specifically the character and their relationships. I do not believe a different method would better suit a television show like Breaking Bad.