People rarely look at television dramas from a literary perspective. Things such as symbolism, foreshadowing, dynamic character change, and contrasting characters are all literary concepts that are prevalent in modern television drama. When looking at the critically acclaimed drama “Breaking Bad”, it is not difficult to see why the show has such a cult-like following. The writer and director Vince Gilligan was clearly extraordinary gifted when it came to the literary aspects of creating a show. “Breaking Bad” made use of many excellent settings and characters throughout its time. However, the story centers around Walter White, and quite a few literary tools are used to highlight his chaotic journey. “Breaking Bad” is a drama series that uses …show more content…
The first stage of Walter White's dynamic character change is when he transforms from a mild-mannered chemistry teacher into someone who enjoys the thrills of his new criminal lifestyle. In his original life, he is an overqualified chemistry teacher and also a manager at a car wash. Furthermore, he is constantly looked down upon by others. However, regardless he is still kind to others and seems to genuinely desire to see success from his students. Throughout the story, he tries to convince himself that he is forced to become a drug dealer due to his need to pay for his cancer treatments and leave money behind for his family. This shows that while Walter’s morality is taking a significant dip he still views himself as a good person. In season 2 episode 10 Walter decides to quit his life of crime and go back to his old one. However, while buying paint from a supply store he sees an individual purchasing the equipment required to cook crystal meth. He follows him outside and confronts him and his partner and says, “Stay out of my territory” (Walter White). This showed that deep down Walter enjoyed manufacturing meth and could never quit. The second step in Walter White’s character change is when his desire is revealed to no longer be money for his family, but rather a lust for power. During season 5 Walter has the opportunity to cash in for 5 million dollars and walk away from the dangerous life of crime, but he chooses not to. When Jessie presents him with the opportunity to sell their methylamine and cash out, he refuses saying, “ I’m not in the money business Jessie, I’m in the empire business” (Walter White). This is truly when the viewer can begin to see Walter as an antagonist rather than the protagonist of his story. Many of the viewers who were rooting for him to win are not clamoring for his defeat