Homer's Alcoholic Odyssey

The Simpsons is regularly voted "Favorite Sitcom" by American audiences for its portrayal of the typical, modern, American family. In this family, there is the happily married husband and wife, Homer and Marge Simpson, their two-point-five children, ten-year-old Bart, eight-year-old Lisa, and baby Maggie, plus their cat, Snowball, and dog, Santa's Little Helper. Homer works, Marge takes care of the home, and the children do what children of their respective ages should. What has gone overlooked by viewers, however, is Homer's alcoholism and its effect on the family. Each member of the family takes on psychologically confirmed roles that are necessary for coping with an alcoholic parent. Homer is the alcoholic, Marge is the caretaker, Bart is the scapegoat, Lisa is the hero, and Maggie is the lost child.

Homer's addiction to alcohol and its negative affects are shown in many ways in many episodes of The Simpsons. He states his motto clearly: "Alcohol is my way of life and I plan to keep it" (Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment, 818, Season 8). When Santa's Little Helper becomes ill, Homer tries to come up with an alternative to giving up beer in order to afford the dog's surgery (Dog of Death, 319, Season Three). In another instance, the effect of his alcoholism on his children is depicted. Homer is at home drinking and watching television, and he forgets to pick up Bart from soccer practice (Brother from the Same Planet, 414, Season 4). Sometimes his alcoholism leads him to make grave mistakes that could have dire consequences, such as getting drunk at a bachelor party and dancing with a belly dancer.

Bart then catches Homer on film and the picture is widely distributed. In addition to Homer's embarrassment, he has to face Marge, who sees the picture. His marriage is nearly ruined. (Homer's Night Out, 110, Season 1). Homer's alcoholism also affects his job as he is often seen falling asleep at his desk. This leads to a nearly catastrophic situation when Homer's sector of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant malfunctions while he is asleep at his console (Homer Defined, 305, Season 3). The effects of Homer's alcoholism extend beyond the obvious. It embeds itself deeply within the psyche of each member of his family.

Marge is a loyal wife. She has made a great deal of sacrifice for the sake of her family. In many episodes that review her younger years, she is depicted as a highly intelligent and beautiful young woman with a great deal of potential (The Way We Was, 212, Season 2). When she became pregnant with Bart, she and Homer married at Shotgun Pete's (I Married Marge, 312, Season 3), and this is when she relinquished her career potential and became the family's caretaker. In a family with an alcoholic parent, the role of caretaker is usually played by the other parent or guardian who is not an alcoholic. The purpose of the caretaker is to make the family appear ordinary to outsiders. The consequence of being the caretaker is that the person has no time to attend to personal needs. This is clearly seen in Marge's character. Marge rarely takes a vacation for herself, and when she does, the family falls apart. This was illustrated when Marge became frustrated with the demands placed on her and had a nervous breakdown.

She takes a brief vacation, Bart and Lisa are left with their aunts Selma and Patty, and baby Maggie is left with Homer. Under Homer's care, Maggie runs away. She is recovered by the Springfield police shortly before Marge returns (Homer Alone, 315, Season 3). Aside from this brief vacation, Marge is usually shown taking care of the children, cleaning the house, cooking, and tending to the needs of the family. She becomes the main support system for the family. She advocates against negative influences in order to protect her children, such as protesting the violent cartoon Itchy and Scratchy and forbidding her children to watch it (Itchy and Scratchy Marge, 209, Season Two). She also reinforces positive family values and gives her children, especially Lisa, a healthy view of what marriage should be by describing to them her love for Homer (Lisa's Substitute, 219, Season Two). Marge also extends her goodwill to the community, offering wholesome advice and guidance to those in need (In Marge We Trust, 822, Season Eight). In spite of the difficulty Marge faces in coping with Homer's alcoholism, she maintains a positive attitude and a smile. She does occasionally break down and cry, such as when Homer is placed in a mental institution (Stark Raving Dad, 301, Season Three), but turns her back to her children so that they will not see her emotion. Although Marge's efforts are valiant, her children are still affected by Homer's drinking and play their individual roles in the family.

In the case of ten-year-old Bart, the role of scapegoat is exemplified. Scapegoats are characterized by a flamboyant desire for attention. A child usually plays this role. The child wishes to alleviate the seriousness of the alcoholism by providing a source of distraction. The unfortunate side effect of being the scapegoat is that the child is often blamed for the parent's behavior. At one point, Bart angers the family on Thanksgiving by destroying Lisa's centerpiece and is sent to his room without dinner. He runs away, and upon returning, as he debates going inside, images run through his head of all of the different things that he could be blamed for. Bart knows he is the scapegoat and fears being blamed for things that are out of his control, such as Maggie's inability to speak (Bart vs. Thanksgiving, 207, Season Two). In order to survive his fear, Bart turns to comedy. Inspired by Homer, Bart creates a comic called Angry Dad and it becomes popular throughout Springfield (I Am Furious Yellow, 1318, Season Thirteen). Even in Bart's dreams, he acts out. On the last day of school, Bart dreams about inciting a riot that destroys Springfield Elementary (Kamp Krusty, 401, Season Four).

Everyone sees Bart's behavior but nobody takes the time to find out what is truly troubling him. Instead of talking with Bart's parents about his behavior, Millhouse's mother deems Bart a bad influence and forbids Millhouse to be friends with Bart, even though they are best friends (Homer Defined, 305, Season Three). The relationship between Homer and Bart is especially estranged. Bart is seen as a frustration for Homer, often turning into scenes where Homer chokes Bart and chases him around the house. When Homer is sent to a mental institution and is shown inkblots that look like Bart. Due to Homer's aversion to the inkblots, the doctors are convinced that Bart must be a figment of Homer's imagination (Stark Raving Dad, 301, Season Three). When Homer forgets to pick up Bart from soccer practice, Bart hires a "Bigger Brother", Tom from the "Bigger Brother Society". Homer gets into a fight with Tom, and is injured. Bart turns himself into the scapegoat, and blames himself for Homer's injuries, even though the incident would never have occurred if Homer had not been drinking. At the end of the episode, Bart even asks Homer if he can bring him a beer (Brother from the Same Planet, 414, Season Four). Even in the sanctity of the home, Bart still maintains his role as scapegoat, eliciting from Homer anger and aversion. This role contradicts the more placid roles played by his sisters.

In the Simpson family, Lisa plays the role of the hero. Heroes are usually children and use their intelligence to cope with having an alcoholic parent. They become almost obsessed with learning, books, and achievement. The purpose behind this behavior is to prevent the family from being defined by the parent's alcoholism. Lisa, who is only eight years old, is often shown using convoluted phrases that baffle the minds of even the most educated viewer. She also struggles for achievement in school. When she's sick, she has homework sent home to her (Moaning Lisa, 106, Season One). She is devastated by any grade lower than an A, and argues with her teacher about her grade of a B+ in conduct (Kamp Krusty, 401, Season Four). Lisa also acts as an advocate for many causes and takes a stand for what she believes in. This is similar to Marge taking a stand against Itchy and Scratchy, but Lisa's purpose seems to draw further attention to her intelligence. When Marge prepares genetically modified vegetables, Lisa argues that organic vegetables are healthier (Weekend at Burnsie's, 1316, Season Thirteen). At an elementary school political speech convention, Lisa witnesses a senator taking a bribe. She turns her positive speech into a persuasive one and takes a stand against the unethical action (Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington, 302, Season Three).

She also takes a stand against Homer's stealing cable by refusing to watch television. Eventually the rest of the family follows her lead, including Homer (Homer vs. Lisa and the Eighth Commandment, 213, Season Two). She also relates better to college-age girls than she does girls her own age, and pretends to be older in order to be accepted (Little Girl in the Big Ten, 1320, Season Thirteen). Another result of Lisa's intelligence is her attraction to a substitute teacher. He charms her because he is not only handsome but also intelligent and loves children (Lisa's Substitute, 219, Season Two). Her need for success is very clearly shown when she receives her results on the career aptitude test. The test reveals that she is destined to be a homemaker, and suddenly everyone starts treating her as though they expect less. She is devastated by this and gives up hope, letting herself fall into a "bad girl" persona (Separate Vocations, 318, Season Three). Her relationship with Homer is also estranged. Homer rarely takes an interest in Lisa's activities because he does not understand them. His lack of attention, in addition to his alcoholism, is hurtful to Lisa. Homer reacts negatively to Lisa's "father-daughter day" request to go to a museum, but he goes anyway. Lisa sees her substitute teacher at the museum and reveals to him that her father rarely takes an active interest in her life (Lisa's Substitute, 219, Season Two). When Lisa becomes ill, however, Homer goes with her to a homeopathy shop to purchase herbal medicine and the two share a temporary bond (Make Room for Lisa, 1016, Season Ten). While Bart and Lisa's demonstrate a need for attention and acceptance, Maggie's role takes on a more somber dimension.

Baby Maggie is the lost child. The most symbolism is depicted through her, since she does not speak. Lost children are usually absent from the family picture. They stay out of the way and do not speak unless necessary. The desire of the lost child is to avoid placing additional burden on the family. The consequences of this behavior are the most severe of all roles, since the lost child will see what is happening, internalize it, but never speak of it. Maggie, of course, does not talk. She tries to talk but is either overlooked or unable to speak. The first instance of Maggie being overlooked altogether is seen right after her birth, when Marge and Homer kiss. Homer is holding Maggie, and she attempts to kiss her father but instead is handed a pacifier. She does not vocalize, but her attempt at drawing attention to herself fails (...And Maggie Makes Three, 613, Season Six). While it is obvious that Homer loves his youngest daughter from the start, he continues to overlook her attempts at communication.

This is depicted well in an episode where she attempts to remind Homer that he was supposed to pick up Bart after soccer practice. Homer is sitting on the sofa, drinking a beer, and is trying to remember something he was supposed to do. A series of subliminal cues are given to Homer, one of which is Maggie removing her pacifier and burping "Bart" at Homer. Homer, who has been drinking and watching television all night, does not notice her cue, and continues watching television, until something else triggers his memory and he dashes out the door. The only exception to Maggie's communication being overlooked is when she says her first word, "Daddy", which is the word that Homer has been waiting to hear (Lisa's First Word, 410, Season Four). This shows that Maggie values the love and affection of her father, but she is sadly ignored in all other instances where she tries to communicate.

While American audiences often identify with The Simpsons, they often miss the main issue being shown in the family. Homer's alcoholism has an extreme effect on everyone, casting them into roles to help them cope. Marge, the caretaker, holds the family together. Bart, the scapegoat, demands hoards of attention in order to take attention away from the alcoholism. Lisa, the hero, binds herself to her books and strives for achievement in order to redefine the family. Maggie is lost, uncommunicative, and avoids being a cumbersome addition to the trouble already being experienced by the family.

Works Cited

"Episode Guide". 16 October 2003.http://www.thesimpsons.com>.

Walker, Laurie. "Alcoholism in the Family". 16 October 16, 2003.
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