Most of you have seen the film "Office Space". Peter Gibbons, in his late twenties, is bored with his job and his life in general. His girlfriend is cheating on him and his manager is a jerk. So he visits a Occupational Hypnotist guy for some help and during the treatment the Hypnotist suffers a heart attack and dies, leaving Gibbons in a "neutral state" where he doesn't care about anything but himself.
It is at this point that Peter Gibbons is in a metaphorical Purgatory. He does "nothing" all day even though he has duties at his job. His girlfriend leaves him but he doesn't seem to care. Nothingness is such a pleasure for him he cannot see how it is numbing him.
Peter arrives at work to come in and pick up his stuff when a co-worker (Indian) tells him he has his meeting with the consultants. In Hindu, it is a tenant that you keep living your life over and over and the co-worker seems to have settled for his lot. "It would be great to have that kind of job security" he tells Peter when they discuss their future at the age of 50 performing the same duties.
Peter meets the consultants, who are in fact metaphorical beezlebubs. The other workers who have met with them have either tried to impress them (a co-worker named Michael Bolton even mentions that he enjoys the music of the singer who has the same name even though he earlier stated he hated his music) or is downright hostile (an older co-worker grows more and more frustrated as the demons basically show that his professional life has been meaningless).
But Peter comes in, not trying to impress, not hostile, and basically lays everything on the line on what is wrong with his job. And the demons are impressed. They even tell Peter's boss Lumbergh that he is a "straight shooter with upper-management potential written all over him". Lumbergh, always trying to stay ahead of the pack, says that Peter has been "flaky" which infuriate the consultants. They say Lumbergh has failed in his duties to challenge Peter and then turn the tables so that it is Lumbergh that is condemned.
Peter lives in a tiny apartment and has a next door neighbor. This next door neighbor is also a demon, sent by the powers that be to watch over him. Tempting him with flesh ("Two chicks at the same time." "Change it to channel nine for the breast examination!"
he is there to make sure Peter stays on the downward spiral. He even can hear Peter's scheme with two co-workers to steal money from the company and says "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"
And there is Milton, a worker who mumbles and is basically humilated ever second he is on the job. But he does his work professionally but isn't one of them. Notice that there is a "glitch" and he has been "layed off", but instead of telling him Lumbergh toys with him.
At the end of the film, Milton burns down the company. He is the saviour of his soul and runs off to "Eden" with the money that Peter and his co-workers have taken. Notice the "Eat the Worm" t-shirt he is wearing on the beach. He has died ("eating the worm" indeed) and for his good efforts he has gone to heaven.
Peter, on the other hand, is commissioned to work with his next door buddy demon in picking up the pieces of the company that was destroyed. Is he there because he likes the menial job duties of picking up the charred pieces of the building? No, he wants to find the "money" (i.e. "truth" that Milton has found and will spend his entire life in his futility.
Anyway, thats my take.
It is at this point that Peter Gibbons is in a metaphorical Purgatory. He does "nothing" all day even though he has duties at his job. His girlfriend leaves him but he doesn't seem to care. Nothingness is such a pleasure for him he cannot see how it is numbing him.
Peter arrives at work to come in and pick up his stuff when a co-worker (Indian) tells him he has his meeting with the consultants. In Hindu, it is a tenant that you keep living your life over and over and the co-worker seems to have settled for his lot. "It would be great to have that kind of job security" he tells Peter when they discuss their future at the age of 50 performing the same duties.
Peter meets the consultants, who are in fact metaphorical beezlebubs. The other workers who have met with them have either tried to impress them (a co-worker named Michael Bolton even mentions that he enjoys the music of the singer who has the same name even though he earlier stated he hated his music) or is downright hostile (an older co-worker grows more and more frustrated as the demons basically show that his professional life has been meaningless).
But Peter comes in, not trying to impress, not hostile, and basically lays everything on the line on what is wrong with his job. And the demons are impressed. They even tell Peter's boss Lumbergh that he is a "straight shooter with upper-management potential written all over him". Lumbergh, always trying to stay ahead of the pack, says that Peter has been "flaky" which infuriate the consultants. They say Lumbergh has failed in his duties to challenge Peter and then turn the tables so that it is Lumbergh that is condemned.
Peter lives in a tiny apartment and has a next door neighbor. This next door neighbor is also a demon, sent by the powers that be to watch over him. Tempting him with flesh ("Two chicks at the same time." "Change it to channel nine for the breast examination!"
he is there to make sure Peter stays on the downward spiral. He even can hear Peter's scheme with two co-workers to steal money from the company and says "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"And there is Milton, a worker who mumbles and is basically humilated ever second he is on the job. But he does his work professionally but isn't one of them. Notice that there is a "glitch" and he has been "layed off", but instead of telling him Lumbergh toys with him.
At the end of the film, Milton burns down the company. He is the saviour of his soul and runs off to "Eden" with the money that Peter and his co-workers have taken. Notice the "Eat the Worm" t-shirt he is wearing on the beach. He has died ("eating the worm" indeed) and for his good efforts he has gone to heaven.
Peter, on the other hand, is commissioned to work with his next door buddy demon in picking up the pieces of the company that was destroyed. Is he there because he likes the menial job duties of picking up the charred pieces of the building? No, he wants to find the "money" (i.e. "truth"
that Milton has found and will spend his entire life in his futility.Anyway, thats my take.
