Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Lopez Zafra, Manuel
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
This thesis explores the current state of the anti-hero in American television. Several popular anti-hero series have recently ended, begging the question of what comes next for the genre. This thesis uses a popular anti-hero TV show, Fear the Walking Dead, as a case study to address the issue. It relies on Joseph Campbell’s conception of the traditional hero in order to trace the development of the anti-hero in twenty-first century American television. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s concept of the Shadow is also used to explore the ways in which three anti-heroes in Fear the Walking Dead interact with their own moralities and agencies, reflecting aspects of the self and of American society at large. This thesis concludes that Fear the Walking Dead displays a type of anti-heroism characterized by confrontation and mediation of the Shadow, the undesirable elements of the self. Nick Clark, Madison Clark, and Daniel Salazar each acknowledge their own flaws and then carefully choose when to embrace them. The justifiable use of their flaws yields a better chance of survival. This thesis argues that, in this way, Fear suggests that we as people should not repress our shortcomings, but rather confront them directly and use them to our advantage.
Recommended Citation
Murphy, Rachael A., "“THEY DO EVIL BECAUSE OF FEAR”: ANTI-HEROISM AND AMERICAN ANXIETIES IN FEAR THE WALKING DEAD" (2018). Theses & ETDs. 5569.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5569