'The Simpsons' is a humorous show about the average American family, yet it manages to portray social and moral issues through the unusual medium if cartoon. How is this achieved?

Frances Duffy 10J – GCSE Media Coursework

‘The Simpsons’ is a humorous show about the average American family,

yet it manages to portray social and moral issues

through the unusual medium if cartoon. How is this achieved?

‘The Simpsons’ is a comedy cartoon, created originally over ten years ago. The cartoon idea for adults lampoons everything Americans hold dear, and is now more popular worldwide than ever before. It focuses mainly on one family, the Simpsons of Springfield. They are dysfunctional in the extreme, a family of unwitting victims who have no idea why life keeps knocking them around. The Simpson family has five members: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie. Each character has their own bizarrely normal, stereotypical unique personality. Homer works in the local nuclear plant, a safety inspector who sleeps on the job. As the stereotypical American man, he is lazy, overweight and careless, and is usually to be found sprawled on the sofa, drinking Duff beer, eating unhealthy food and watching his soul mate – the television. Despite being the patriarch of the Simpson family, it is unlikely that he has ever done an honest days’ work in his entire life. His response to practically any crisis is to mutter unintelligibly and slap himself on the forehead. This is not your standard cartoon hero. Marge is his blue-haired wife and the ever-patient model mother. The stereotypical housewife role played by Marge sees her waiting upon the every need of her family, rarely complaining. This role is also slightly sexist, as Marge is the homely wife and mother who cooks, cleans and keeps the house tidy daily, while the bread winning husband works. Bart, the eldest Simpson child, is cheeky, mischievous and rude. He isn’t a bright student, his grades are low, but most of the time he doesn’t seem to care. Life for Bart is one long holiday, he takes it as it comes, and it is quite clear that Homers’ lazy ways were hereditary for Bart. Lisa is younger than Bart is, but much wiser. She is presented as the swotty, goody-two-shoes all-rounder schoolgirl, and at first glance seems a stereotype. Yet fans of the show know that she breaks free of her stereotype mould on a regular basis, by busting her father for stealing cable, going vegetarian, fighting for animal rights and creating her very own feminist doll. “Lisa is the moral conscience of the show’s creators, and wages a one-girl revolution against cartoonland patriarchy.” (Christopher Borrelli, Blade magazine, March 2001.) Last but by no means least is Maggie, the youngest of the mad Simpson clan. As are all the other characters, she is timeless, and will always be a baby. Despite her seemingly small and inconsequential role, Maggie plays a much larger, deeper part than most people first think.

Animation used in ‘The Simpsons’ is bold, colourful and clear. The mainly primary colours used are bright and cheery, which appeals to and attracts a younger audience. Children tend to like bright colours, and the clear, simple drawings make it easy for young children to see and understand the slapstick humour, as they will not understand the dialogue. Colour if occasionally used in unusual circumstances, such as Marge’s bright blue, tall hair, and the yellow colour of everyone’s skin (except Apu’s). This can be amusing for the younger audience. The clarity of the simple drawings is a relief, as they don’t go into great detail, yet the picture is not too vague.

The starting sequence of the cartoon is interesting and intriguing, yet another unusual aspect of ‘The Simpsons’. The opening montage that begins every Simpsons episode shows frenetic scenes where we see family members Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie careening toward home, a collection of accidents waiting to happen. They bolt out of doorways, and screech around corners, averting potential disaster at every turn. It's a miracle that any of them make it alive, but every week they somehow manage to emerge from the chaos, just in time for the start of the show. In the few minutes it lasts, it tells the audience a startling amount about each family member and their typical day. The introduction to the sequence has “The Simpsons” being sung in angelic voices while the text floats up out of clouds. This suggests that the Simpson family is the perfect, heavenly family, whereas ironically they aren’t. Following this, Bart is shown scribbling his lines on the blackboard while in after school detention. Each episode has a different line being written by Bart, which is usually witty and comical. Part of the excitement of watching the show is tuning in to see what Bart will write this time. Likewise, the end of the sequence presents the whole family running inside the house, racing to get to the television set. Again, each episode shows something different happening to the couch as they attempt to sit down; for example it once turned into a rollercoaster. A deeper analysis of this shows maybe a slight shallowness to the family. As they all return from their daily activities, instead of sitting down and chatting, or maybe doing homework, they all gather round the television set, thus proving that television plays an important, maybe too important, role in their lives.

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Critics and fans alike acclaim ‘The Simpsons’ as one of television’s truest and most hilarious portraits of the American family. It is totally unlike any other cartoon ever created. Cartoons previous to ‘The Simpsons’ all targeted children and the thought of it appealing to adults wasn’t even considered before. Its fresh approach to cartooning has gone down a storm, and as a result the show appeals to literally all ages. It is acknowledged and accepted by all members of society, and even the more obscure storylines rarely cause upset – everybody can relate to it in one way or another. “The Simpsons may be hip and ironic but unlike, say South Park or Ren & Stimpy, it has never been cynical.” (Slate magazine, April 1999.) ‘The Simpsons’ is definitely ironic, but by no means cynical, as this quote states. Cynicism puts a negative spin on things, but ‘The Simpsons’ is upbeat, friendly and cheerful.

The characters in ‘The Simpsons’ are not just simply characters. They are deeper than that, and they stretch further than the personalities allocated to them. Gender roles are strongly presented in the show. There are very few female characters, the only ones being Marge, Lisa, Maggie, Mrs Krabappel and the male characters’ inconsequential wives. But the few female characters are intelligent and meaningful, ones to take note of, unlike many of the male characters who are often stupid and thoughtless, for example Lenny and Stu, Homers’ drinking buddies from Moes’ Bar. Marge is clever and thoughtful, but often she gives in to Homer and Bart’s stupidity because she isn’t very strong. Her sexist housewife role is rarely played in this day and age by the typical woman, who today works as hard or harder than the husband does. Marge is a mom who has learned to disguise her intelligence so as not to embarrass her huffily insecure husband. This simple quote: “Dad works, Mom doesn’t,” (Demon magazine 1998) proves what I have just said. Lisa, on the other hand, is extremely intelligent for her age of eight. As I have already stated, she shows amazing capabilities in all areas, especially morals and ethics. She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right, even if she is standing alone. None of the male characters have ever, or would ever do anything like this. Lisa is described as the mouthpiece of the show, whose personal knowledge, beliefs and ideas let the writers bring up issues both social and moral and present them in an inspiring way. She strongly believes in feminism and equal rights, as Christopher Borrelli of Blade magazine once said: “Lisa could be the first cartoon intellectual. Has there been a more visible or accessible feminist in the past twenty years then Lisa Simpson?” Lisa, Marge and Maggie all play a part in the main family of the show, and contribute strongly to one of the most unusual and unique family scenarios ever presented in a cartoon.

What’s especially admirable about ‘The Simpsons’ is the way satiric asides are tucked into every corner. The show keeps outdoing itself with wry sarcasm, topical themes and superb scripting which puts other comedies to shame. It continues to emphasise that there’s a big world out there which television barely touches upon, and being the most realistically surreal cartoon series ever is continually striving to be funnier, tighter and more precise with it’s sarcasm. To achieve this, the show uses many different techniques of humour, which attract many different age groups. The nature of the humour used is mainly adult, but not in an inappropriate or crude way. ‘The Simpsons’ remains one of the funniest, freshest comedies on television.

One of the largest used techniques must be stereotyping. Almost every character is a stereotype, and grossly exaggerated in many ways, small personality traits taken and blown out of all proportion in every way. Examples of stereotypes are Willie the Groundskeeper, the stereotype of a Scotsman, with his flaming ginger hair, fierce temper and tartan clothes, the traditional Scottish attire. Principal Skinner is another stereotype, of an odd school principal who still lives with his mother, and has a secret affair with Mrs Krabappel. Patty and Selma, twins, are Marge’s older, ugly sisters. They are the stereotypes of desperate, single women who, in their thirties, prove that they will do anything for a man. In the ‘Cartridge Family’ episode, Marge finds them trapping a television repairman in their flat, in the hopes of finding love.

Other widely used techniques used in the show include irony, satire and sarcasm. Irony is frequently used in dialogue, and many jokes have an ironic twist to them. For example, when Homer asked for the deadliest gun, the shopkeeper replied, “Aisle six, next to the sympathy cards.” (‘The Cartridge Family’ twentieth century fox videos 1999.) This is ironic because it is a juxtaposition that jars. The two things, the deadliest gun and the sympathy cards contrast with each other and shouldn’t really be put together, but they are which is ironic. The writers are linking together death and sympathy, because guns kill people and the cards sympathise with deaths. It suggests to the audience a sense of irony because joking about death can be seen as slightly sick. Visual irony is also used, such as when Homer is waiting for his gun. He complains bitterly about having to wait five long, tortuous days for a gun, and wonders how he is possibly going to last five days without shooting anything? During his waiting period, he sits outside on a chair to pass the time. The sun sets and rises five times, and each day a set of tempting targets dance past him. One day it is shooting targets, another day it is rabbits, then ducks, then Patty and Selma and finally Ned Flanders (complete with annoying sayings). This creates visual irony because Homer really wants to shoot something, and lots of targets pass him. Satire is also used, but in a quieter, subtler way. The soccer match is satirised as the ball is passed monotonously between three players for a long time. This is America’s send up on Britain’s national sport, suggesting it is boring and lacks excitement of any kind. It also manages to make a parody of the soccer riots that occurred in Britain in the seventies and eighties. The British riots happened because of team loyalty and tension between supporters, but the parody of the riots shown on The Cartridge Family episode began because they were fighting to get out of the stadium, to get away from the boring game. It implies that all soccer fans must be maniac hooligans, and although the riots in Britain were dangerous and often tragic, the parody of them makes them seem humorous. Sarcasm is so casually used it is almost overlooked, weaved into the dialogue with ease. A sardonic streak occasionally mixes with the sarcasm, but usually it is just good clean fun. Homer uses sarcasm in a childish way, often mimicking a child’s voice. The Cartridge Family episode uses visual puns, for example the flashing sign saying ‘Sleepeazy’ over a motel flickers, and the only letters left spell out ‘Sleazy’.

It says a lot about television when characters from a cartoon are the most real people on television. “Far from representing all that is dysfunctional about family life, the Simpsons are exactly the sort of warm-hearted, two-parent family any lonely broken-homes upper-class Wasp has been yearning for.” (Demon magazine 1998.) The dysfunctional ‘family from hell’ work in the show, and because of this it is easy for the script writers to present the humour. And present the humour they do, in more ways than one. The unusual medium of cartoon makes it a lot easier for the humour to be presented, because of the fantastical and unrealistic situations. Movements are exaggerated, as are facial expressions, such things that cannot be justified by real actors. Several different levels of humour appear in the show, to cater for the wide audience span they have acquired. The childish, slapstick humour of Homer strangling Bart, and Ned Flanders cheery yet annoying phrases and sayings. These appeal to the younger part of the audience, because they don’t fully understand the adult humour. The older audience can appreciate the subtle humour, the mature yet hilariously witty one-liners, the carefully prepared irony and the gentle satire.

Viewers seem to love the unattractive Simpsons because they are so flawed. Most television families are perfect, and the Simpson family present a welcome break from the monotony. It is remarkable that such crudely drawn characters – and inhabiting a family so roundly dysfunctional – have struck such a chord. Most people describe the family as dysfunctional, but there are many aspects which suggests they are also ideal and maybe just plain average. As an idealistic family, they love and protect one another, go to church every Sunday and sing around the piano. They participate in family events together. Despite all that the family go through, Homer and Marge are still married against the odds and statistics; two in three USA marriages end in divorce. Bart and Lisa obey their parents most of the time, very rarely going against their will. Lisa is a loving daughter and sister, she is helpful, loving and a model straight A student. But despite these plentiful signs, the Simpson family are also very normal and average. They have 2.4 children – the national average. Homer is overweight, as are one in three of all Americans. They live in a suburban detached house, they don’t eat particularly healthy food and their lives revolve around television. As M.S. Mason said, “The opening credits find the family rushing home from the day’s activities to leap on the couch together and watch TV – the only television family to gather in front of the tube on a regular basis.” (M.S. Mason, “Why we still love ‘The Simpsons’”.) Contradictorily, the Simpson family are definitely dysfunctional. Homer drinks heavily when he frequents Moe’s Bar. He dislikes taking responsibility for anything; his job, his children, his home, his wife. He eats incessantly, and cannot seem to stop. He is always cramming unhealthy fast food into his mouth. Grandpa, Abe Simpson (Homers’ father) has been thoughtlessly shoved in a home for the elderly, and nobody in the family likes him much. No one visits him unless they want something. Nevertheless, the Simpsons are a normal family who make mistakes, do things wrong and definitely aren’t perfect.

Despite the comic affluence’s of ‘The Simpsons’, it successfully manages to portray social and moral issues over a widely varied array of topics. The messages presented are subtle, yet noticeable. Issues are discreetly shown to the public, yet there is no doubt that awareness is raised from this in the audiences’ mind. To the younger audience, it is presented almost subliminally.

‘The Cartridge Family’ episode focuses on Homer’s possession of a gun he bought to protect his family during the football riots. Marge is upset about the gun, and when she realises the only way to take Homer’s gun would be to pry it from his lifeless hand, she moves herself and the children into a nearby motel.

The moral gun issue is about the dangers, excitement and morbid addiction guns can bring. The National Rifle Association (NRA) promotes a somewhat trigger happy notion, which encourages Homer further. The usage of the offending gun shown in the episode is careless, dangerous and above all unnecessary, and the shop owners’ portrayal of American lax gun laws accentuates that. These important issues are subtly raised in the show, and the topical, moral story lurches back and forth across the line between witty satire and heavy-handed preaching. Although both sides of the gun debate are mocked, this episode brings about awareness and stirs up thoughts in peoples’ heads that they would maybe not have thought about otherwise. Not only does it preach about guns, but about crime in general, such as Snake, Springfield’s’ local criminal and petty thief.

One issue leads to another, as Homer’s continual misuse of his firearm leaves Marge with no choice but to offer him an ultimatum: either the gun leaves the house, or she does. Marge takes all three children to stay at the ‘Sleazy’ motel, recommended by Patty and Selma, who claim to have woken up there once and had the number on a matchbox. The motel really is disgustingly sleazy, the stereotypical American motel. Prostitutes approach Bart and a dead body can be seen floating in the pool when Bart asks if he can go for a swim. The general seedy nature of the motel is mocked satirically, yet it is also a social issue, a hidden warning about motels in America. Also to be found at the motel is Mayor Quimby, complete with blonde bimbo hanging from his arm. He is looking for a room at the motel, and disturbs Marge in her room. As he leaves he manages to shout “Vote Quimby!” before leaving. This shows how corrupt the government politicians can be, as we assume Mayor Quimby is married and he is constantly having marital affairs. He only seems to care about staying Mayor, and always manages to shout for people to vote Quimby.

A smaller yet still important issue raised is that of the Simpson family breakdown, which occurred after Homer’s idiocy surrounding the gun. Divorce in America is not uncommon, and thousands of children go through it every year. This issue can really connect with some children who are suffering as a result of divorce or separation, and can give them a tiny insight into the way ‘grown-ups’ work and how to deal with similar situations.

Back in December 1989, when the show first debuted on ‘The Tracy Ullman Show,’ nobody thought an adult cartoon would take the first the nation and then the world by storm. But it went against the odds and proved everybody wrong. The programme has varied quality-wise through the years, yet it still offers up brilliantly subversive takes on American culture and our imperfect human nature. For all it’s satire, ‘The Simpsons’ holds a message of redemption and forgiveness, of the importance of family and community despite all its imperfections.

Though the show is ‘only’ a cartoon, ‘The Simpsons’ has it’s own satirical take on life, and even after eleven years of comic wit and animated genius it remains the worlds’ most popular and well-loved animation. It still holds the prime-time slot in America, and it is unlikely that there are many people who do not know who the Simpsons are.

In the beginning, the show set out to be different. It didn’t just want to be thirty minutes of wise crack jokes, but more of a sitcom. Eleven years later and this has well and truly been achieved. The way that it works on several levels is amazing, something which not many other programmes have accomplished. The refreshingly normal family works in a cartoon, and I think that if it was used with real actors it wouldn’t work as well.

In my opinion, the cartoon is brilliant. I watch it when it is on, and I can always find something to relate to and find amusing. As Demon magazine stated in 1998, “The Simpsons is not just Americas’ longest running prime-time cartoon show; it’s a way of life.” (Demon magazine 1998).

Frances Duffy 10J