Breaking Bad: What Walter White’s Heisenberg Name Really Means
Breaking Bad’s Walter White has an alter ego who plays the role of a drug lord is named Heisenberg. In this article, we shall dig deeper and learn the significance of the name and find out what it really means.
Walter White used Heisenberg as his pseudonym in the TV show Breaking Bad and it is interesting that the name actually has a deep significance. The actor that portrayed the character for five seasons is Bryan Cranston. This show has focused on Walt’s transformation into the ruthless drug kingpin who has been named after the historical figure Werner Heisenberg. This name was chosen by Walter White as his alias and the reason behind this shall be discussed in this article so read further and learn why.
Walter was a high school chemistry teacher before he went into the meth-cooking business. He was a family man that turned to cooking meth after he learned that he has cancer. In order to get money in a fast and quick way, he entered the mentioned “business” to ensure that when he succumbs to the illness, his family will be financially stable. He partnered with his former student Jesse Pinkman who is played by Aaron Paul and both of them they were able to get their operations running. However, Walt wanted to ensure that his identity will be hidden.
In season 1, the pseudonym of White Heisenberg has appeared when he encountered Tuco Salamanca. Through Heisenberg, Walt became notorious in terms of being a source of pure meth though that is the case, he was still able to hide his true identity.
Why Walter White Called Himself Heisenberg
The name of Walter’s alter ego is Heisenberg which has been derived from Werner Heisenberg who is a German physicist and a well-known individual in the quantum mechanics world. As a chemist, Walt knows all about the famous scientists and of course he has taken inspiration from the German man, Heisenberg. Through Heisenberg, he is able to separate himself from his crime and guilt.
How Walt Connected to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
The uncertainty principle of Heisenberg states that the position and momentum of an object cannot be measured simultaneously. An example of this is that when one thing is known the other important things will remain uncertain. This is similar to the situation of Walt in the Breaking Bad show. Walt became used to the life of a drug lord at the same time his role as a husband and as a father became uncertain and when he becomes in tuned to his husband role, his role as a drug lord becomes uncertain. Hence, without being able to measure his mindset, it has become difficult to predict his actions.
Another principle of Heisenberg is that observation could influence the subject which prevents full analysis. Hence, in Walt’s case, these are those who have learned Walt’s secret.
How Walter White and Heisenberg Are Different
Though Walt has chosen the name of Heisenberg for his alter ego, there are still a lot of difference that you would seen between him and the famous scientist. Walter White’s frustration came due to his status as a high school teacher while his friend became a tech billionaire. Heisenberg, the scientist on the other hand was a genius scientist at an early age. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics and married later. However, though the scientist is very successful in his career, a dark cloud has always hung over him.
