GRANDPA SIMPSON & BART

Since its creation, The Simpsons has been a mirror for American society. Among its many criticisms, we find a (pessimistic) message about how each generation has been tricked into believing in certain ideals. Two characters who perfectly embody these generational differences are siblings Bart and Lisa, and their grandfather, Abraham Simpson. 

Abraham was born and lived in a tough time, being a Welsh immigrant who enlisted to fight in World War II, living in a time of austerity in which the American values ​​were those of effort. However, none of his sacrifices were of any use to him: he married Homer's mother, who became an activist during the counterculture movement. Partly because of this, his own son always took the path of nonconformity with the established order, although not from an intellectual and active perspective. Homer always chose as his tastes and personality those that society most criticized during the 70s and 80s: rock & roll, long hair, alcohol, drugs, and having fun instead of hard work. This changed when he had his first son, Bart, but more out of obligation than personal choice. But returning to Abraham, all the choices he made to serve his country and follow the traditional American model were for nothing. When he ceased to be useful to society, Abe, like many other veterans, was forgotten and relegated to living in a nursing home.

Ironically, Bart follows the same pattern with Homer that Homer followed with his father: he is a lazy and rebellious son who rejects his father's lifestyle and beliefs. This makes him more like Homer than Bart himself imagines. However, Bart's frustration with the system is more than justified, as he has his sister Lisa as a reflection of what he will never be. Always within the context of satire and humor, Lisa is a much more tragic character than she appears. She is determined to break away from her family's intellectual standards and get a job where she can change the world. However, in her determination, she has fallen prey to the same social deception as the rest of the characters. She works harder than anyone else and is aware of her intelligence, which makes her frustrated when she sees someone achieve something she has worked for. Her value system, although opposed to her grandfather's, is also based on the infamous "culture of effort”. In fact, the very plot of the series reminds her time and again that there are forces beyond her that she cannot fight (student snobbery, misogyny , social status...).

We could say that, despite his weariness with his lifestyle, Homer is the character who has passively remained most faithful to his values ​​and those of his generation. Abe, Lisa, and Bart are the product of a society that has instilled in them what success is, only to remind them that they never achieved it and never will. 

We could conclude by saying that many simpsons characters,  as well as bart and abe, suffer the consequences of being abandoned by the system, in many different aspects.

This interactive presentation can be interesting to find out additional information, in a ludic format, about the topic of this blog .

Jana Robles