The Simpsons and Existentialism
The Simpsons: Laughing at Ourselves
Jessica French Professor Jean Graybeal The Existential Imagination 16 October, 2003
Comedy gives no better an answer to existential question than any other form of art or literature. It does however, give such a familiar yet ironical response, that the relief attained is often more satisfying than other medium. Jerry Rannow states, “humor is necessary to life.”1 The Simpsons is for many, the quintessence of comedy and offers a wonderful philosophical study and existential response. The beauty of The Simpsons is that every aspect of the show embodies an existential property. The Simpsons can be taken as light-hearted or as seriously as the viewer wishes; such is the nature of existence as well. Each character represents an extreme of someone we know in our
lives, or someone we see in ourselves. It is comforting to see them run into the same practical problems and existential issues as we do. Above all, each episode is over in half an hour, and its existence in relation to everything else in life is miniscule. Just as we must conclude each class period, each philosophical book, each existential question, and eventually each lifetime, The Simpsons ends before any of our questions are ever answered, and as abruptly as they began. There is an important relationship between the fiction and truth of The Simpsons. Because they are animations, we need not see them as realistically threatening; if we want them to go away, we have simply to turn the TV off. However, it is also important to see the characters as more than just fictional cartoons. In his essay, David Vessy asks, “What does it mean to talk about the beliefs, or possible beliefs, of a fictional character?”2 Should we consider the characters as if they were actual people or should we consider their words and actions as personal mere opinions of the writers and animators? Vessy says we should do neither; “we are not seeking hypothetical… conclusions, but a genuine
Jessica French Professor Jean Graybeal The Existential Imagination 16 October, 2003
Comedy gives no better an answer to existential question than any other form of art or literature. It does however, give such a familiar yet ironical response, that the relief attained is often more satisfying than other medium. Jerry Rannow states, “humor is necessary to life.”1 The Simpsons is for many, the quintessence of comedy and offers a wonderful philosophical study and existential response. The beauty of The Simpsons is that every aspect of the show embodies an existential property. The Simpsons can be taken as light-hearted or as seriously as the viewer wishes; such is the nature of existence as well. Each character represents an extreme of someone we know in our
lives, or someone we see in ourselves. It is comforting to see them run into the same practical problems and existential issues as we do. Above all, each episode is over in half an hour, and its existence in relation to everything else in life is miniscule. Just as we must conclude each class period, each philosophical book, each existential question, and eventually each lifetime, The Simpsons ends before any of our questions are ever answered, and as abruptly as they began. There is an important relationship between the fiction and truth of The Simpsons. Because they are animations, we need not see them as realistically threatening; if we want them to go away, we have simply to turn the TV off. However, it is also important to see the characters as more than just fictional cartoons. In his essay, David Vessy asks, “What does it mean to talk about the beliefs, or possible beliefs, of a fictional character?”2 Should we consider the characters as if they were actual people or should we consider their words and actions as personal mere opinions of the writers and animators? Vessy says we should do neither; “we are not seeking hypothetical… conclusions, but a genuine
Cited: Cater, Douglass, and Richard Adler, eds. Television as a Social Force: New Approaches to TV Criticism. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1975. Irwin, William, Conard, Mark T., and Aeon J. Skoble, eds. The Simpsons and Philosophy. Chicago: Open Court, 2001. Rannow, Jerry. Writing Television Comedy. New York: Allworth Press, 1999. http://www.snpp.com