Originally Posted by
neckdeep
Symbolic imagery is connotation not denotation. Having gone all in with his Heisenberg persona, Walt is depicted almost like a ghost after Heisenberg symbolically dies in "Granite State" but, no, he's not literally a ghost and he didn't physically die in New Hampshire. I stand with my interpretation; two personas deserved two deaths. First, the imaginary persona, Heisenberg, dies symbolically as Walt's inner rage burns out. Then, we again see what remains of the deeply flawed man that's left behind, the Walt we met in the first season. Having embraced his Heisenberg persona, there's not much left when its gone. Heisenberg, like the cancer, consumed him. Walt was destroyed by his tragic flaw, his hubris. There's just enough Walt left to make it through his final acts. He ditches his watch...his time has run out. First he makes a confession to Skyler. He then dies in what could be seen as an act of contrition (destroying himself along with Uncle Jack's gang). Ultimately, the difference between Walt and Heisenberg is that Heisenberg believed his own lies and kept telling himself he could beat the odds. In the end, Walt accepts his fate. Ergo, Heisenberg dies a slow death in denial in a crapass cabin while Walt moves purposefully towards his own death.
Hubris /ˈhjuːbrɪs/, also hybris, from ancient Greek ὕβρις, means extreme pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power.