Language and Filial Relationships in The Simpsons

by Julie Wroblewski

Homer = Platonic Pater = Speech

Think of The Simpsons, particularly the Homer/Bart relationship. In this relationship the father "does not know how to write, but that ignorance or incapacity only testifies to his sovereign independence. He has no need to write. He speaks, he says, he dictates, his word suffices" (Derrida, Dissemination, 70).

Homer holds the father role traditionally valued superior. He functions as chief opinion maker and disciplinarian. It is Homer who decides whether or not the family will illegally hook up cable in their home, whether or not they will keep Santa's Little Helper, and whether to put his employee bonus into savings or spend it on beer. It is Homer who must address Bart's involvement with the local Mafia, his inability to get along with Lisa, and general attitude problems.

Furthermore, Homer limits himself almost entirely to speech as his way of expressing thoughts (when he has them) and persuading others. His "D'oh!" communicates an instantly understood message in a simple and straightforward manner. Homer's response to Bart's impudence is often to strangle him.

Bart = Bad Son = Writing

Bart is the trouble maker of the family, and often concentrates this role in rebelling against the wishes of his father and the rest of society. He constantly makes prank phone calls to Moe's tavern and refuses to do his homework. At the same time, he needs Homer to keep an eye on him, lest he get himself stuck in Knoxville indefinitely or "booted" by the Australian parliament.

Bart begins every episode by writing out his prescriptive lesson for the day: "I do not have power of attorney over first graders" or "I must remember to be cheerful and obedient." He also displays an impressive ability to forge absence and homework excuse notes. He has even forged a series of love notes Mrs. Crabapple.

He desires to be on his own, to shake off the holds of his father's rules. Homer takes an opposing role to Bart, reminding himself on one occasion to "Do the opposite of what the boy says!" Bart, and sometimes the other children, physically act out toward Homer. Maggie, after seeing Itchy and Scratchy, keeps trying to hit Homer with hammers. Bart, after meeting Milhouse's mother's American Gladiator boyfriend, breaks a chair over Homer's back.

But . . .

Remember that even in the Simpson family, roles get complicated. While Homer is technically the father, he must often turn to his children for answers and advice. How many fathers do you know who would ask an elementary school child how to save their marriages? Bart also toys with the power positions associated with the father/son roles by refusing to call Homer "dad." Bart's first word as a baby was, in fact, "Homer." Homer too manages to be irresponsible and disobediant; he consistantly neglects his safety inspector responsiblilities. On one memorable occasion, he skips work and runs into Bart who is skipping school. Homer also has a role to fulfill as a bad son. It is by Homer's insistance that Grandpa Simpson is kept in a senior citizen's home, ignored when he speaks, and constantly left behind on trips.

While Bart uses writing as a mode of action, he also exerts power over speech, through his prank calls and frequent smart aleck remarks. We rarely actually see Homer writing, but we do see the results of his efforts at it. He signs failure slips for Bart, labels his treats so that no one will take them, and even has written reminders that he carries around. In the episode where we learn the story of how he and Marge got married, he has written out his proposal and a Dear John letter. We never actually see Homer write these, and in fact, Marge ends up reading them both aloud to herself. Later in the same episode, he sends Marge a love note in the mail, which we hear via a voice-over.

Homer and Bart create their relationship and their roles within the contexts of their actions towards each other. If these roles were exterior and absolute, Homer should technically be the father, the speaker, and the generator, while Bart should correspondingly be the son, the writer, and the engendered. By Derrida's way of thinking, Bart's role is not merely a product of Homer's but also a resource and shaper in and of itself. Likewise, Homer's role often changes in response to Bart's actions.

So . . .

In thinking of fathers and sons, and speech and writing, Derrida claims that while written words descend from their spoken predecessors, speech also needs writing to be understood. Writing can shape speech as well as vice versa. Both are simulataneously fathers and sons, creators and byproducts. Bart cannot be the bad son without Homer, nor can Homer be a father without Bart. Their roles are intertwined, each containing parts of the other.

D'oh!

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