In season 3, episode 1 of Orange is the New Black the main story line is about Mother’s Day. The
all female prison is allowing the inmates who have children to have their
children visit them in an outside family day style event. Similarly to many
other prison shows, alienation is a common theme in this episode. First of all,
the separation that the inmates have from their families is a form of
alienation based off of pure separation and distance. Also, the labor that the
inmates perform is a form of alienation. It one scene one of the inmates
mentions that she is earning $.11 per hour.
This is clearly not a gratifying amount of money and results in low
effort for her low reward.
The most powerful Marxist principal in this episode is
related ideology. This is apparent in multiple scenes that portray the inmates
universally as bad people especially those with drug problems. In one scene
mother is seen doing a drugs in a porta potty while her baby was laying in the
mud outside. Other individual inmates are shown with rotten teeth and referred
to as crack heads. Also, one of the main characters who was released from
prison in the previous season is now back for another drug related incident.
The ideology is that these inmates are better off in prison
and incapable of being rehabilitated. In a recent study it was found that a
large percentage of prison inmates have drug problems. The following accounts
by women concerned about their substance use problems were especially
revealing: I have a real weakness for drugs because I’ve done drugs all my life
...I will always feel a certain urge. I don’t know how to be restrained unless
I’m locked up, but I’m real determined this time that I’m going to stay that
way (Severance 79). This passage illustrates the real desire for a real inmate
to clean up her life. In Orange is the
New Black the drug users tend to be shown as individuals who either cannot
rehab or end up back in prison or as individuals who have no desire to stay
away from drugs.
Works Cited
Severance, TheresaA.
"Concerns and Coping Strategies of Women Inmates Concerning Release."Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 38.4 (2004): 73-97. Web.
While I'm not at season 3 quite yet, I have already seen drugs as a very common theme in season 1. Outside of the prison, or in them, the fact that many of the prisoners face struggles related to drugs is astonishing. It seems that the show really aims to represent all modern struggles in our country right now and the prison system.
ReplyDeleteAlienation was definitely a common theme, I noticed that as well. Interesting point of view in your observation of the ideology!
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