By: Cassie Whyte, 2023 Summer Intern
One way to gain a better understanding of a particular era is by analyzing the prevalent archetypes and tropes in the media of that time. In the late 90s to mid-2000s, prestige television dominated as the most culturally influential medium.
Three of the defining series of this era – The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men – all featured an archetype that is simultaneously ancient and esoteric, as well as postmodern and transgressive: The American Male Anti-Hero.
So, who is the American Male Anti-Hero, and why are we so fascinated by him and sympathetic to his myriad of problems? Let’s delve into the context surrounding this complex character and his resonance with society.
Context on the Anti-Hero:
Before we explore who the Anti-Hero is and why he is idolized by many, it’s important to understand the circumstances that led to his rise in socio-cultural prominence. Since the sexual revolution and earlier progressive movements, men have felt increasingly marginalized and their traditional roles have been questioned.
Historically, masculinity has been defined by a paternalistic protectorship towards women, resulting in a disposable outlook towards men. While this archetypal formation assigned value to manhood, modern society has transitioned away from the need for men to physically protect women.
Boys are raised with images of superheroes and saviors, but in reality, men are not needed as protectors as much as they were in the past. This shift has led to a crisis of identity and purpose for many men.
As ‘Fight Club’s’ Tyler Durden puts it:
“We’re the middle children of history man, with no purpose or place, we have no Great War, no Great Depression, our great war is a spiritual war, and our great depression is our lives, we’ve been all raised by television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won’t and we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very very pissed off.”
“Fight Club” addresses the crisis men are experiencing and articulates it fairly accurately. The media’s portrayal of masculinity has shifted, and the Anti-Hero character has emerged as a response to this changing dynamic.
The Sopranos’
The character of Tony Soprano embodies the old world in the new, grappling with the loss of meaning that comes with societal transitions. Post-‘Sopranos’, the Anti-Hero takes the form of reclusive, spiritual Don Draper (Mad Men) and cunning, egocentric Walter White (Breaking Bad).
These characters resonate deeply, especially with young men, as they navigate and challenge societal ideals of masculinity. The allure of the Anti-Hero lies in his adherence to these ideals, while simultaneously finding them contradictory and absurd.
The Anti-Hero’s morally ambiguous nature has always been appealing, but it has been further amplified by the changing socio-cultural dynamics that predominantly concern men, posing questions that young men are grappling with in today’s society.
Works Cited
Brad Grey Television production in association with HBO original programming. The Sopranos. [New York, N.Y.] :HBO Home Video, 1999-2007.
Fincher, D. (1999). Fight Club. Twentieth Century Fox.
It Cuts Both Ways: Fight Club, Masculinity, and Abject Hegemony.
Street fighting: Placing the crisis of masculinity in David Fincher’s Fight Club.
Ungoverned Masculinities: Gendered Discourses of Neoliberalism in The Sopranos and Breaking Bad.
“You Talkin’ to Me?”: De Niro’s Interrogative Fidelity and Subversion of Masculine Norms.
