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Kathleen Conley

Professor Granillo

English 103 Honors

20 October 2018

Breaking Bad Through the Marxist Lens

Philosopher Karl Marx once reflected, “The history of all previous societies has been the

history of class struggles.” Karl Marx continuously was an avid protester against the oppression

the aristocracy placed on classes that stood below them. In the middle of the nineteenth century,

he proposed what would be known as the Marxist struggle between the proletarians and the

bourgeoisie. Essentially, the proletarians are the workers while the bourgeoisie are individuals

who currently possess the most power. With this, Marx also stresses the significance

commodities have on society. Commodities are products that are produced by people from the

utilization of natural resources. From commodities comes the idea of commodity fetishism, which

is the monetary and business exchange-value individuals place on a product rather than the value

of the product itself. With the ideas of commodity fetishism and class struggle, Marx also

suggested that repressive ideologies such as classism, keep the bourgeoise in power. Classism is

the ideology that individuals have prejudices against or in favor of those belonging in different

social classes. Because the bourgeoise lay at the top of the social ladder, they have the power to

inflict repressive ideologies such as classism and brainwash the masses. These aspects of the

Marxist struggle are displayed and interwoven within many television shows. One television

show that showcases these aspects of Marxism is, Breaking Bad. Within the show, Breaking

Bad, Walter White’s character represents the proletariat who struggles against the bourgeois and

the repressive ideology of classism. Later, Walter White submits to commodity fetishism by
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utilizing capitalist driven solutions that produce more money, such as cooking meth to survive

economically. Breaking Bad ultimately shows how capitalist repressive ideologies are a rinse

and repeat issue through the multiple scenes where Walter White, a proletariat, becomes a

bourgeoise in order to survive in his society.

Within the, “Pilot,” of Breaking Bad, the audience is introduced to the character of

Walter White. Walter White is a high school teacher for chemistry and works at a car wash to

produce money that will stabilize his family’s finances. Given the context that White juggles

these two jobs, the audience is led to believe he resides within the lower middle class. Whilst

working at a car wash, Walter White faints on the job from shortness of breath. This then leads to

the revelation that he has lung cancer. Upon receiving this news, White begins to search for other

methods of achieving enough money to ensure his family is financially secure when his passing

finally comes. Out of desperation for a large amount of money in a short amount of time, White

turns to cooking meth and selling it with one of his former students. On the other hand, many

individuals would argue that capitalism is the only way to properly organize society despite its

many flaws. With this in mind, these individuals also state that Marxism is bound in idealistic

concepts not logic. Therefore, Walter White argument is not justified because he made the choice

to sell meth. Yet, this does not eliminate the significance and harmful impacts that capitalism has

on society through characters such as Walter White.

The carwash scene within the first episode of Breaking Bad reflects upon Walter White’s

struggle within a classist society. Lois Tyson describes the classist perspective as, “People at the

top of the social scale are naturally superior to those below them: those at the top are more

intelligent, more responsible, more trustworthy, more ethical, and so on. People at the bottom of

the social scale, it follows, are naturally shiftless lazy, and irresponsible…Classism thus
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inevitably promotes social, economic, and political discrimination against the poor” (Tyson 56-

57). In the carwash scene, the attitude’s Tyson describes are exhibited by those within the

bourgeoise. Walter White is also shown to be discriminated by both his employers and others

who know him, demonstrating Tyson’s description of the ideology classism promotes. For

instance, Walter White who is aged fifty, is forced by the car wash’s manager to scrub cars rather

than working the register as he normally does, “He’s not coming. He says he quits. I’m gonna

run the register…I’m short-handed Walter. What am I to do” (Gilligan). This exchange reflects a

proletariat engagement with the manager who possesses bourgeoisie position over Walter due to

his power. The conversation also reflects that the car wash is an independent business that

appears to be struggling, as noted by the manger’s comments about being short-handed. The

remark about being short-handed also may reflect the low amount of pay Walter is receiving if

the business is struggling. As the scene progresses forward, the audience then is shown Walter

struggling and coughing as he cleans a car. As this happens, two of Walter White’s students

approach him taking pictures while the boy, Chad remarks, “Hey Mr. White. Make those tires

shine, huh?” Then the girl beside Chad chuckles, “Oh my God. You will not believe who’s

cleaning Chad’s car. Mr. White from chemistry” (Gilligan). The students here represent the

bourgeoise while Mr. White still represents the proletariat social class. The student’s represent

prejudice classist ideologies through their mocking and jeering of Walter White’s occupation.

The woman with Chad then takes her phone and spreads gossip for the sole purpose of

humiliating her teacher outside of school. Looking closer, Mr. White could be seen as the

bourgeoise over his student’s in his teaching profession, yet, he is reduced in status outside the

classroom environment. This would mean the students are repeating classist ideology they have

picked up on within the schooling environment. The car Walter White is cleaning also belongs to
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Chad who is mocking him, further exhibiting the repressive control the bourgeoise has over the

proletariats.

The next scene in which classism is reflected upon is the scene in which Walter White

strikes up a business deal with one of his former students after witnessing one of his friends

perform a meth bust. During this bust, White discovers that his former student was in charge and

attempts to negotiate with him, “You got nothing. Square one. But you know the business and I

know the chemistry. I’m thinking maybe you and I could partner up…Either that or I turn you

in” (Gilligan). This exchange parallels a capitalist barter negotiation system that can be seen in

legal exchanges throughout the world. These exchanges are typically performed between a

bourgeoise individual and a proletariat individual. Here, Walter White appears to be the

bourgeoise over Jesse within this situation due to pointing out that he has, “Nothing,” after the

cops’ meth bust. Here, Walter White is engaging in a variation of classism ideology by using his

social class to drive Jesse into agreeing with him. He also uses his social class as a threat by

stating that he’ll turn Jesse in if he does not comply with him. Later within the scene, Jesse

eventually agrees to be White’s partner in order to retain his social status and possibly improve

it. These instances all reflect the exploitation of the proletariat class through capitalist business

exchanges. Furthermore, Jesse’s desperation for Walter’s aide parallels Karl Marx’s belief

pertaining to why he believes classism remains in place. He states that less civilized or barbaric

individuals become dependent on the bourgeoise in order to become more civilized, “Just as it

has made the country dependent on the towns, so it has made barbarian and semi-barbarian

countries dependent on the civilized ones, nations of peasants on nations of bourgeois, the East

on the West” (Marx). In this scene, Walter White represents the more civilized nation whilst

Jesse represents the more barbaric one. Again, this is shown by Walter White’s claim that Jesse
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possesses nothing after his meth lab was busted by the cops. Jesse must depend on Walter’s

knowledge, money, and higher civilized status to sustain or improve his social class. The class

divides between the characters is useful because it allows the audience to examine classism and

its impact on individuals within society.

Not only does the car wash scene within Breaking Bad display ideas of a classist

ideology, it also displays the Marxist idea of commodity fetishism. Marxist theorist, David

Harvey further explains why commodity fetishism continues to exist within modern society, “By

introducing the concept of fetishism, Marx shows how the naturalized value of classical political

economy dictates a norm; we foreclose on revolutionary possibilities if we blindly follow that

norm and replicate commodity fetishism. Our task is to question it” (Harvey). David Harvey

states that the main reason ideologies such as commodity fetishism stay in place because the

collective masses refuse to question it. While Walter White displays visible anger towards the

idea of washing cars rather then working the register, he quickly loses the argument and relents

soon after saying, “Bogdan no. We talked about this” (Gilligan). The car’s Walter White washes

within this scene represent the commodity that is being fetishized over. The store manager does

not exhibit much care towards Walter White’s health, only showing worry that his business may

fail because he’s short-handed in terms of workers. The students that chastise White replicate

this commodity fetishism because of their humor in White having to clean their car. This scene is

significant in pointing out the rinse and repeat cycle the concept of commodity fetish appears to

go through.

Looking back on the negotiation scene, one can find that Karl Marx’s idea of commodity

fetish is also displayed. In an article by D.R. Shumway, he further describes the Marxist idea of

commodity fetishism, “The objective character that seems to reside in the commodity is
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exchange-value, value that is in fact a function of the relations between those who sell their labor

and those who buy it in order to produce commodities” (Shumway). This relationship between

the exchange-value, labor, and the human individual Shumway states is what drives Walter

White and Jesse’s motivation within the negotiation scene. More specifically, White who comes

from the proletariat class starts showing major signs of possessing commodity fetishism. This

commodity fetishism ultimately drives him to begin the negotiation within this scene. This is

shown when he explains his reasoning for approaching Jesse, “I was curious. Honestly, I never

expected you to amount to much but methamphetamine? I didn’t picture that. There’s a lot of

money in it, huh” (Gilligan). When White mentions his student’s involvement within the

methamphetamine business, his expression displays a look of surprise and disgruntlement. By

this expression, the audience assumes Walter White views the meth business as a dirty and low

tactic. The stigmas that surround the meth business is why it is likely Walter White does not

think highly of it. Nonetheless, White still proceeds to press Jesse with the amount of money

there is to be made, completely disregarding the stigmas and what it takes from the natural world

to produce methamphetamine. Instead, White is purely interested in the exchange or monetary

value meth could potentially possess. Going on, Walter White’s commodity fetish is also shown

through the simple act of negotiation and threat to turn Jesse in if he does not comply to his

wishes (Gilligan). Individuals can also display commodity fetish in terms of human beings. In

this scene, Walter White is structuring his relations with his former student to promote himself

financially and socially within society. Here, Jesse represents a commodity that Walter White

wishes to use due to the skills he possesses in the meth business. Without the skills Jesse

possesses, White would not have found enough of a reason to approach him. This scene alone
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reflects a small increment of commodity fetishism exchanges which take place commonly

throughout the world.

This episode of Breaking Bad is useful in examining Marxist theory through a

proletariat’s perspective and point of view. Walter White’s proletariat position within society

allows the audience to witness the effects of commodity fetishism and classism in his shoes.

Because of this, the audience this would be appealing to are individuals who feel oppressed

under systems of the bourgeoisie. Audience members who belong to the bourgeoisie or upper

class may feel a disconnect to White’s position and have trouble relating their own situation to

his. Though, the show’s first episode may open their eyes to a different perspective pertaining to

those who are socially below them. The show lands within the category of drama, thus it depends

on trying to depict the characters as realistic human beings without the utilization of

exaggeration such as satire. Because this show utilizes aspects of Marxist theory from a realist

standpoint, audiences find it easier to witness business practices they have witnessed or

undergone in the real world, whether they are legal or not. Alternatively, the meth business is a

large problem within the real world, but the show explains to audiences why some individuals

may be driven into this market. That being, the illegal meth dealings are a result of poor

economic practices and the bourgeoisie’s repressing of those below them, which forces certain

individuals into the business because of commodity fetishism. Despite Marxism being an

idealistic idea to some, the class struggles within the show exist on a realistic level. The harmful

impacts on the characters within the show are displayed visibility in result of repetitive cycles

and behaviors many Marxist theories such as David Harvey and Marx himself have pointed out.

Walter White’s transition from proletariat to bourgeoise within the meth business

represents how repressive ideologies of capitalism cause a rinse and repeat cycle of class
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struggle. Throughout the first episode and the rest of the series, Walter White goes through many

transitions as he navigates different social settings. In this social settings, Walter White submits

to commodity fetishism due to his motivations for turning to the meth business. Walter White is

purely motivated to sell meth in order to financially support his family, thus showing his

contribution to the commodity fetish ideology. Moreover, Walter White also encounters classism

in the forms of prejudice and his own behaviors towards those below him. Breaking Bad aides’

audiences by bringing attention these issues of class struggle with Walter White’s relatable

nature. By beginning to question and raise awareness to the Marxist cause, individuals can help

better society and reduce the harmful impacts of a society driven by capitalistic behaviors.
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Works Cited

Gilligan, Vince. “Pilot.” Breaking Bad. Netflix, 1 Sept. 2011, www.netflix.com/title/70143836.

Harvey, David. A Companion to Marx's Capital. Verso, 2013.

Marx, Karl, 1818-1883. The Communist Manifesto. London ; Chicago, Ill. Pluto Press, 1996.
Print.

Shumway, D. R. (2000). “Fetishizing fetishism: Commodities, goods, and the meaning of

consumer culture.” Rethinking Marxism, 12(1), 1. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=https://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2457/docview/2
12149704?accountid=38295

Tyson, Lois. “Marxist Criticism.” Critical Theory Today: A user-friendly guide. Vol. 3, New
York, Routledge, 2015, pp. 56-57.