Blog post #4: Marxist Analysis of Orange Is the New Black, "Mother's Day"

Orange Is the New Black’s season 3 premiere, is called “Mother’s Day.” This has been a highly anticipated episode since season 2 ended. The show begins with everyone getting ready for mother’s day. The show is full of ideologies, which are prominently displayed in the first few episodes of the show when one of the main character’s, Piper Chapman, is first sentenced. Throughout the show we see these ideologies continuing to evolve within the difference groups, or cliques, in the prison.
 Just like how we exist among cultures in the free world, social status, cliques, hegemony, there is as much of culture with it’s own unique characteristics within prisons. “It has long been recognized that, just as there is culture among citizens in the free world, a spate culture also exists within prison walls” (Dobbs 2004).

In the “Mother’s Day” episode, there are several recognizable ideologies. Sophia Burset sets the rules for her salon and hair styling appointments, she tells them nothing fancy, and she is only doing the inmate’s hair that are expecting to see their children for the Mother’s Day celebration. In this episode we see that one of the main characters, Alex, has returned to the prison; Alex alienates herself from the rest of the inmates because she is so embarrassed to be back. The newer inmates are under hegemony by those inmates that have been there the longest. The women who are the oldest and have spent the most time in prison typically have the most power. They are respected and usually the leaders of the various groups, or cliques. The superstructure of the show is represented by “the system.” In a scene where Piper and Alex are reconnecting in the sanctuary, Piper tells Alex that it wasn’t her fault she’s back in jail, “it was the system,” she says, “You got caught in the system.” Alex replies, “I’m just a fly, in the web of the prison industrial complex.” The base of the superstructure is the prison, the inmates, and the government. Overall, in this situation, the base and the superstructure appear to be somewhat interchangeable. The ruling class, or bourgeoisie, consists of the guards, the counselors, and those who are in charge of running the prison. Various forms of false consciousness are constantly created by the bourgeoisie to the proletariat (the prisoners) throughout the series. The proletariat suffers from a false consciousness whenever they are given the illusion of freedom, like in this episode where they are allowed to participate in the mother’s day festival events; it makes them feel somewhat in control again… But half way through the day, the inmates get their reality check when the prison has to set off an alert and end the festival early because a child ran off and hid somewhere inside.


                                                            References

Dobbs, Rhonda R., and Courtney A. Waid. "Prison Culture." Encyclopedia of Prisons &
             Correctional Facilities. Ed. . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2004. 720-24. SAGE
             Reference Online. Web. 1 Aug. 2012.

Hannah Jones
Applications Chart for Orange Is the New Black, “Mother’s Day”
Marxist concepts	Applications to Orange Is the New Black,” “Mother’s Day”
Ideologies	Numerous social rules adapted to the inmates Mother’s day hair cuts, only for inmates whose children are coming to see them
Hegemony	The inmates who have been around the longest
Superstructure	“The system”
Base	The prison, government, inmates
Bourgeoisie (the ruling class)	The guards, counselors, staff running the prison
Proletariat	The prisoners
Class conflicts	The conflict between V and all the prisoners (with the exception of crazy eyes) continues to live on even though she is gone
Alienation	- When Alex first comes back, she alienates herself from everyone because she is embarrassed - John Bennett is alienated by his secret that he is the father of Daya Diaz’s baby - “Crazy eyes” (Suzanne Warren) is alienated when she is told by Counslor Healy that is not allowed to join the mother’s day party outside
False Consciousness	When the inmates get to celebrate mother’s day they are under a false consciousness that they are somewhat free