Ecocriticism,The Sopranos,and the Wasteland of North Jersey

Abstract

This paper explores ecopsychology through an understanding of the negative effects of urban sprawl and a disconnection from the natural world that this sprawl has produced, and focuses on the geographic area of northern New Jersey, where the effects on its inhabitants are explored through an analysis of setting in David Chase's HBO television series and crime drama The Sopranos. As a way of emphasizing the ill effects of living without nature, this paper examines through ecocritical analysis three key episodes where nature intervenes in the lives of these mobsters, beginning with the pilot episode, where Tony Soprano's interaction with a family of ducks that take a home in the Soprano's pool, his joyful interaction with the ducks, and his nervous breakdown when they fly away lead to the misdiagnosed psychoanalysis of his therapist, who does not see the effect of Tony's lost connection with the natural world. Following an ecopsychological analysis of Tony's character removed from the ducks and nature, the paper examines the episode “Two Tonys” and the presence of a bear intruding in the Soprano's yard, another illustration of the disconnection between the natural world and Tony's family. Finally, “The Pine Barrens” explores the disconnection between the natural world of New Jersey's wildest place beyond the confines of the sprawl of the northern part of the state, when the mobsters Chris and Paulie become lost in nature, helpless and unprepared for the elements of the woods. The paper explores the power of fiction and poetry as ways of understanding ecopsychological concerns brought on by urban sprawl. Key Words: Ecocriticism—Ecopsychology—The Sopranos—New Jersey—Television.