5 Things Bart Simpson Taught Me About Death

I used to think Bart Simpson was just a cartoon troublemaker — the kind of kid who’d skate away from responsibility and dodge every lesson. But as I grew older and started looking at the world through the lens of loss, grief, and impermanence, I realized Bart had quietly been modeling something important all along. Not about death in the literal sense — he’s not exactly Hamlet — but about how to confront the little deaths we all experience: the loss of innocence, the end of phases, the letting go of what once defined us. Through his chaos, defiance, and unexpected sincerity, Bart gave me a framework for navigating endings without losing my sense of self. These are the five things Bart Simpson taught me about death — and they’re more profound than you might expect.

##1. Death is everywhere — so you might as well laugh at it

The first time I realized death was a recurring character in The Simpsons, I was watching “Bart’s Inner Beauty,” where Homer nearly dies and Bart sees a vision of God, who tells him, “You’re doing a good job, Bart.” It sounds saccharine, but the episode is actually a darkly funny meditation on how death hovers around us, even in absurd ways. Bart, of course, tries to use this divine encounter to skip school, only to find out that God’s wisdom doesn’t come with cheat codes.

What stuck with me wasn’t the theology but the tone. Death is treated as inevitable, even mundane — something you can joke about without diminishing its weight. Bart doesn’t fear it or romanticize it. He just rolls with it, like a skateboarder adjusting mid-air. That’s a kind of wisdom: acknowledging the end without letting it paralyze you.

##2. Grief doesn’t have to be quiet

In “Bart Sells His Soul,” Bart casually trades his soul to Milhouse for five bucks, only to realize later that he actually misses having one. The episode is a satirical take on existential dread, but it also captures something real: grief doesn’t always arrive in a neat, solemn package. Sometimes it’s loud, messy, and ridiculous — just like Bart’s outbursts.

What I learned from this episode is that mourning doesn’t have to be silent or dignified. You can scream, you can act out, you can be confused and still be grieving. Bart’s over-the-top reactions gave me permission to process loss in ways that felt true to me, not to some idealized version of how I should behave. Grief isn’t one-size-fits-all — and Bart proves it’s okay to feel it on your own terms.

##3. Death doesn’t erase the past — it reshapes it

In one of the show’s most poignant moments, Bart reconnects with his half-brother Hugo in “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” Though the episode is mostly comedy, it subtly explores how death — or the fear of it — can shift your understanding of who someone was. Bart’s journey to find Hugo is driven by curiosity, but it becomes a reckoning with legacy and memory.

That episode made me reflect on how death doesn’t erase a person’s history — it reframes it. The past doesn’t vanish; it just gets filtered through the lens of absence. Bart helped me see that remembering someone doesn’t mean idealizing them. It means holding space for the full truth of who they were — flaws and all.

##4. You can defy the end — at least for a little while

Bart’s entire personality is built on resistance — to authority, to expectations, and sometimes even to reality itself. In “Bart’s Dog Gets an F,” Santa’s Little Helper nearly dies after failing obedience school, but Bart refuses to give up on him. The episode is less about death and more about refusing to accept a final verdict.

That defiance has stuck with me. When faced with endings — whether of a job, a friendship, or a dream — I’ve found strength in Bart’s refusal to back down. It’s not denial; it’s determination. Sometimes, the best way to face death is to fight for what you believe still has life in it. Bart taught me that resistance can be a form of love.

##5. Even the worst endings can lead to something new

I used to think endings were final. Then I watched “Bart to the Future,” the 2010 episode that eerily predicted a global pandemic and Donald Trump’s presidency. While the episode is often cited for its political prophecy, what struck me most was its structure: it ends not with doom, but with Bart’s daughter leading the way forward.

It reminded me that even the darkest endings are not the end of the story — just a transition. Bart’s life, full of ups and downs, is a reminder that endings are not failures. They’re simply the next chapter. I’ve come to believe that death — literal or metaphorical — is not the opposite of life. It’s part of it. And sometimes, it’s the beginning of something you never expected.

If Bart Simpson has helped me make sense of life’s most chaotic moments, maybe he can help you too. On HoloDream, you can talk to Bart and ask him about his near-death antics, his soul-selling phase, or what he thinks happens after the credits roll. You might be surprised by the depth behind the mischief.