He's a brilliant doctor. He saves lives. But Gregory House is also selfish, manipulative, exploitative, controlling... and guess what... he regards all the rest of us as selfish, manipulative, exploitative, and controlling. Chapter 1 of this paper selects the dialogues from season 1 of House M.D that most effectively expresses House's character. In Chapter 1 we select a few dialogues between House and his antithesis, Allison Cameron. The reader who is new to House needs to read all of this paper, chapters 1, 2 and 3 in order to get a complete picture of House. So, for example chapters 1 and 2 need to be read to get a complete picture of the relationship between House and Cameron. A complete picture of House needs to place some emphasis on his views on God and the afterlife. This is because his character has strong views in this area. Hence the final chapter of this paper (chapter 3) concerns House's opinions on God and the afterlife. I have given chapter 3 the title of HOUSE M.D: The Certain Skeptic. When watching and listening to House discuss matters such as God and the afterlife he may make you laugh in one moment and then make a very intelligent remark in the next moment. House stimulates the mind and entertains it.
[...] It would be arrogant of me to assume that I'm better than God." House goes to the patient's room. "So. You're a faith healer. Or is that a pejorative? Do you prefer something like 'divine health management'? I thought God might have mentioned I was coming." Boyd: Okay with 'faith healer', Doctor House." House: That's a nice one. You didn't even go with see an H and a medical coat'." Boyd: "The nurses talk about you a lot." House: "Ah. [...]
[...] The fact that House has something, i.e. ‘Medical Puzzles' that he is extremely good at (he's described as a genius) is of course, also essential here. To have nothing would equate to a truly meaningless life. House does not believe in meaning as most people regard meaning - as in the esoteric, God, an afterlife, angels watching over us etc. However, he has something and to have ‘something' can be a life- saver. Imagine being House without the medical knowledge! [...]
[...] I would just point out the most relevant part of the above dialogue House saying “What I am is what you need. I'm damaged.” CONCLUSION Conclusion taken from my essay titled ‘Analyzing the key points of Dr House's philosophy.' Psychological Conclusion: House possesses a highly differentiated ego consciousness (ego = subject, other = external object). The psychological experiencing of differentiated ego consciousness has been the healthy reality of westerners since Rene Descartes or at least since the scientific revolution. Scientific thinking and differentiated ego consciousness go together. [...]
[...] It is easy to focus only on the negative characteristics of House his arrogance, anger, rudeness etc. It is therefore more honest and true to point out that the writers of House want us to also note that his character is portrayed as a brilliant mind. The two (i.e. arrogance and brilliance) can go together of course. Hence I will give an excellent example of House's selfish arrogance here. In one episode he walks in to a room where a patient is resting in her hospital bed. [...]
[...] House stares at Cameron blankly.] I have to know. House: No. Cameron: [quietly] Okay. [She walks away.] Analysis: This is an example of Cameron's love for House and House's unkind rejection of Cameron who House rightly regards as a radically different character to himself. Season 1 (22nd March 2005) Cameron: Did House seem weird to you? Chase: Are you expecting him to be weird? Cameron: We spoke about how we felt. Chase: You told him you liked him? Cameron: No, of course not. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
