Marxism in 'Severance'

 

    Yesterday, Apple TV+ premiered season two of their hit science-fiction series, Severance. The show follows four individuals who have chosen to divide their memories between when they are while working their jobs at Lumon Industries, and when they are outside enjoying their personal time. The result of this is employees that are split into two different consciousnesses: one that exists solely to work, and one that merely has to drive to work and drive home a moment later. 

    Their work-selves (known as innies), become disillusioned with their life of what is essentially eternal slavery, while their home-selves (outies) are blissfully unaware of the struggles of their severed selves. This is a perfect example of the Marxist delineation between the working class and the ruling class. In one particularly brutal scene, a character's outie denies an innie's resignation request, stating, "I am a person. You are not." 

    In the show, the innies are given virtually no information about the world outside. Their entire lives are spent in a cold, corporate office devoid of books or media. This is also in line with the Marxist idea of using class consciousness as a social tool. When you compare the themes of Severance to The Matrix, it almost fits too well. Consider what Morpheus said to Neo. "Like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind." 

    Lumon Industries' strict control over external ideas mirrors the neo-Marxist idea that the ruling class needs ideological hegemony to sustain the status quo. The innies only take drastic action against their imprisonment when they acquire a book from the outside world. They start to recognize how messed up their situation is. This process is called interpellation. Sellnow explains, "Interpellation occurs when a text leads us to identify with certain roles or subject positions." 

    I believe Severance is one of the greatest neo-Marxist artifacts in recent years. The show has prompted me to reexamine my own relationship with their workplace, and how texts and artifacts have reinforced my own preconceptions about society. While the themes found in Severance may not be the dominant ideology in the United States, ideas about working from home and maintaining a healthy work-life balance have started to disrupt the hegemony of the ultra-wealthy class. 

    Right now, I would interpret the show as an oppositional reading for the way it subverts the capitalist structures of corporate America. I'm excited to see what insights fans come up with as the episodes of the second season release. This is a show that definitely deserves a critical examination from multiple angles.