I. Introduction:

This paper is concerned with Family values in America, particulary the vision that The Simpsons TV Show from Matt Groening spreads. I will be focusing on the fact that The Simpsons advocate the Nuclear Family and I’ll give a definition of this term. Indeed, the question of what is an american family has always been a big issue. Magazines, radio, advertising, and even politicians have always took this topis as an important one. As a good example, in a speech given at the annual convention of the National Religious Broadcasters in 1992, George Bush, Sr. infamously stated that: “We’re going to keep trying to strengthen the American family to make the American family a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.” But The Simpsons have some values that have a real importance in american society. To prove it, I’ll be focusing on some of The Simpsons‘ episodes and some academic writing: one from Stephanie Coontz, „Leave It to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet,” one essay from Cantor, „Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family,”and one essay from Pollitt, “Why I Hate Family Values.”

Central to my analysis is the Simpson family as representative of the contemporary American family. They are a “traditional nuclear family”, but there are some dysfunctions and contradictions. However, the love they have for each other make them a “good” family in a way, a “good” model for Americans, even if some part of the show are a big caricature of a normal American family.
First, I’ll give Coontz’s vision of traditional nuclear family, and I’ll give a precise definition of the nuclear family according to today’s criteria, and show how the Simpsons don’t really fit in the picture because of Homer. But even if Homer is not fitting in the picture, the Simpsons as a nuclear family work thanks to love. After focusing on the Simpson family, I’ll prove that the Show is advocating the two-parent families, and not the mono-parental families. And because of this