Severance's Parallels With A 207-Year-Old Classic Gothic Horror Story Might Have Revealed Lumon's Purpose
Severance's parallels with gothic horror explained
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2's episode 2.
The fascinating parallels between Severance and a classic 207-year-old gothic horror story might have given away Lumon Industries' true purpose. Severance is an original piece of work that, unlike many other Apple TV+ sci-fi shows like Silo and Dark Matter, is not based on a book. However, like every work of art, the series seems to draw inspiration from many movies, television shows, written works, and even video games.
While the Apple TV+ sci-fi show's visual elements seem to be influenced by movies like Dark City, Playtime, and Office Space, its thematic aspects seem reminiscent of films like The Truman Show, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, and video games and comics like The Stanley Parable and Dilbert. In all of these inspirations, it is hard not to see how Severance also draws from a classic gothic horror novel in more ways than one, seemingly revealing the truth about what Lumon is trying to achieve.
The Parallels Between Severance & Frankenstein ExplainedIn Severance season 2's episode 2, Mark says he saw Gemma's body and confirmed it was her after she was dead. This development not only establishes that Gemma was clinically dead but also raises the possibility that Lumon somehow found a way to revive/reanimate her. Just like Victor Frankenstein creates a monster using the remains of the dead, Lumon discovered a method to manipulate the boundary between life and death. Many other thematic and narrative parallels can be noticed between Severance and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
As seen in the image above, Severance recreates German Romanticist artist Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by featuring Kier Eagan as the figure overseeing the expanse. The original painting has also been featured as the cover photo for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, representing Victor Frankenstein's growing confusion and uncertainty surrounding his future.
Victor Frankenstein plays god when he creates a monster, believing he can control life and death by creating new life out of former life. Like Victor, Kier Eagan is also treated as a godly figure, worshiped by his loyal workers like Cobel for creating something previously considered impossible. Frankenstein even sees himself as a fatherly figure for his creation, saying, "A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me." Kier Eagan, too, refers to his employees as his children:
"Come now, children of my industry, and know the children of my blood."
Like Frankenstein's monster, the innies at Lumon struggle to find their place in the world, explaining why Irving says it is "not our world out there." They long for a normal life like the monster in Frankenstein but are denied freedom and real human experiences. Similar to Frankenstein, Lumon's creations are also gradually turning against them in their pursuit to gain control over their existence. Another intriguing parallel lies in Mark's story, where, like the monster, he desires a loving relationship, but Lumon's "creation" of his wife, Gemma, leads to disastrous consequences.
Severance's Frankenstein Parallels Hint That Lumon's Purpose Surrounds Reviving & Refining PeopleLumon Is Doing What Frankenstein Does In The Gothic Horror StoryOn the surface, Frankenstein is often seen as a parable about mortality and the dire consequences of playing god. However, on a deeper level, the classic gothic horror story was also perceived as a metaphor for the fears surrounding the Industrial Revolution.
RelatedSeverance: What Lumon’s Macrodata Refinement Department DoesMany aspects of the Macrodata Refinement Department's job remain unclear in Severance, but the show drops many clues about what Lumon expects from it.
Frankenstein's monster is depicted as a byproduct of the titular figure's unchecked ambition, symbolizing the potential dangers of scientific progress and innovation without moral consideration. Like Frankenstein, Lumon, too, has taken ambitious strides in manipulating human nature at the cost of ethical boundaries.
By "refining" memories into four tempers and creating ideal workers that are compliant and devoid of unnecessary human emotions, Lumon, too, seems to be on a path toward creating a dehumanized, mechanized workforce.
The monster in Frankenstein is often seen as a powerful allegory for the dehumanization and commodification of individuals during the Industrial Revolution. By "refining" memories into four tempers and creating ideal workers that are compliant and devoid of unnecessary human emotions, Lumon, too, seems to be on a path toward creating a dehumanized, mechanized workforce. While Lumon's true purpose has not been revealed in the Apple TV+ sci-fi series, the Frankenstein parallels suggest Kier wished to create a system where productivity and efficiency precede human complexity.
Why Lumon Would Want To Revive/Reanimate HumansKier Eagan's Philosophies Highlight What He Wished To AchieveWhile Mary Shelley's Frankenstein uses life and death as narrative devices to show how unnatural means of creating life is a dangerous undertaking, Severance explores similar themes but more from a capitalistic lens. One of Keir Eagan's most quoted philosophies highlights how he expected Lumon workers to drown all their weaknesses, rise from their deathbeds, and "sally forth." It reflects that, in Eagan's eyes, the complexity of human emotions and memories was a liability, preventing workers from reaching the limits of their productivity.
"Let not weakness live in your veins. Cherished workers, drown it inside you. Rise up from your deathbed and sally forth, more perfect for the struggle."
By creating a system and developing a technology that ensures an individual's identity revolves purely around their work and loyalty to a corporation, Severance's Kier Eagan seemingly hoped to create a new form of life like Frankenstein. However, little did he foresee that his creations would eventually grow so self-aware and resistant that they would challenge the system he built and set out to reclaim their humanity like Frankenstein's monster.
Your RatingSeverance Release Date February 18, 2022 Showrunner Dan Erickson, Mark FriedmanSeverance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a "severance" procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, Severance is one of the biggest hits on Apple TV+.
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