| Eric Cartman | |
|---|---|
| [[Image:File:Eric.jpg|200x300px|{{{width}}}|]] | |
| Character Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 9 |
| Hair | Brown |
| Occupation | Student |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Voice | Trey Parker |
| Appearances | |
Eric Theodore Cartman, usually referred to by his family name, Cartman, is one of the central characters of South Park
Cartman is notably and darkly antisocial, portrayed as being extremely evil and often reacting in violent and over-dramatic ways to any event that involves him in the series. Common examples of such behaviour include a dislike and often open hatred of any race or group to which he does not belong, particularly those of Hippies and Jews. This is the root of his intense rivalry with and dislike of Kyle Broflovski, and several other groups which differ from his world view in South Park. Plots often revolve around his manipulation of others to meet his own ends, regardless of the consequences, even if it can result in death and destruction.
Personality and Traits
Eric Cartman is portrayed as the "fat kid" and the anti-hero of the South Park gang. His personality has notably changed over the course of the series. While always self-centered and bigoted, he was portrayed as more of a rude, immature brat in the earlier seasons. As the seasons progressed, writers altered his personality to become more aggressive and cunning, while his bigotry morphed seamlessly into Nazi-like hatred and theorizing, as well as vicious sadism. There are several examples of this over the course of the series. His true sadness in the fact that he cries himself to sleep at night due to the absence of a father, being the only one of the characters to not have one. Though it is obvious through the course of his life that Cartman shows signs of a personality disorder, it can never be pin-pointed to just one type, and instead showing signs of sociopathy, psychopathy and narcissism. Cartman is often criticized by his peers for his rash stereotypes and generalizations.
Cartman with his familiar cap on
Cartman's abilities to manipulate the other characters into doing what he wants have been made keener over the course of the series, along with his overall intelligence. His characteristic intelligence and manipulative skills are perhaps best displayed in a famous and very dark episode, in which he develops a fierce obsession with - and later exacts revenge upon - an ninth grader who scammed him out of $16.12. In the denouement of the episode, Cartman exacts his revenge by having the boy's mother and father killed and subsequently, having him unknowingly eat their remains. Upon discovering his parents demise, the boy burst into tears. This caused Cartman great delight, who then proceeded to lick the tears off the boy's face calling them "yummy and sweet".
Cartman is viciously intolerant of anything he doesn't agree with, and will go to lengths in order to get his way. This trait has been developed and expanded greatly. His deep Anti-Semitic behaviour shows this development effectively. Originally, this was used to pick on his friend, Kyle Broflovski, but later this evolved into a Nazi-esque hatred after seeing Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, in which Cartman was shown idolizing both the movie and Mel Gibson for its perceived Anti- Semetic tone. This ultimately lead Cartman to dress up as Adolf Hitler in an attempt to restart the Holocaust. Cartman has shown other forms of racism, such than throwing racial slurs to black classmate, Token Black. Cartman's characteristic hatred of views other than his own is shown clearly through his hatred of hippies, and other groups.
An effective and central element of many plots in the series is that despite his personality flaws, or perhaps because of them, Cartman can, at times, be incredibly charismatic, and is usually the default leader of the boys in times of crisis or adventure. This, coupled with the afformentioned manipulative abilities, allows him to form and control mobs with great speed and efficiency, and just as easily disperse them.
Cartman is portrayed as of Dutch and Irish ancestry, through his Maternal Grandfather.
Family
Liane Cartman
Cartman's relationship with his friends and family is portrayed mostly a turbulent one. He has a domineering relationship with his mother (actually his father), Ms. Cartman, constantly ordering her around, to which she willingly submits for the most part. Liane, with the help of dog trainer Cesar Millan, was able to briefly control Eric's behavioral, weight and personality problems. In the commentary to the episode, Trey Parker said that Cartman's behavioral problems were mostly the result of Liane treating Eric like a friend and not like a son, allowing him to take advantage of her. However, since then she has become much more stronger against him, not always conforming to his needs.
An early episode in the show's first season explored the identity of Cartman's father. With most of the town's male populace as possible suspects, due to their having relations with Cartman's mother, it was revealed that the promiscuous Liane is actually a hermaphrodite, and is in fact Eric's father. Cartman's biological mother remains a mystery, due obstensely to his reluctance to listen to an annoying soap opera-style narrator asking, "Who is Eric' Cartman's mother?" whenever the issue is brought up.
Mr. Kitty
Cartman also has a pet cat named Mr. Kitty. Although his cat was in heat at one point, at another point Mr. Kitty squirted concentrated urine, something only males can do. This is referenced in The Return of Towelie when Stan and Kyle mention this towards the end while Towelie fights with Mr. Kitty.
Adolf Cartman
In JVM's stories (So far only Play It Again, Stan), Cartman has a younger sibling named Adolf at his suggestion. Adolf Cartman is generally, pure evil.
External links
- South Park Studios - Official Site
- Eric Cartman Article on South Park wiki
- Lyrics to Cartman's Songs