Whats Up With Severance And Goats?
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The Severance Goat Theories: What’s Up With the Goat?
If you’ve been deep into Severance (and let's face it, you probably have), then you’ve noticed the odd, mysterious appearance of a goat throughout the show. Yeah, a goat. Not exactly the first thing you’d expect to pop up in a corporate dystopia about memory manipulation and identity crises, but here we are. Naturally, this has led to a slew of fan theories about what the goat really represents, and let’s just say that these theories are as wild as the show itself.
So, what’s the deal with the goat? Here’s a breakdown of the most interesting theories out there.
1. The Goat as a Symbol of Sacrifice
First up, one of the more popular theories is that the goat represents sacrifice. It’s not exactly a shocking choice—goats have been symbols of sacrifice in various cultures for centuries. But in Severance, this theory gets a bit deeper. Think about it: employees undergo the severance procedure, splitting their memories and essentially sacrificing a huge part of themselves for the good of the company. Their “innie” lives in a perpetual work loop, disconnected from their personal lives, while their “outie” is living a separate, unaware existence.
In this context, the goat becomes a symbol for what the workers are giving up. They’re losing their autonomy, their sense of self, and—let’s be real—some of their sanity for a corporate system that doesn’t care about them. The goat, in this theory, represents that deep, unacknowledged sacrifice that’s at the heart of the show.
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2. The Goat and the Duality of Innie/Outie
Another theory ties the goat to the duality of the “innie” and “outie.” The show’s big hook is the split between the two versions of a person: the “innie” who only knows the office world and the “outie” who lives a normal life but has no idea what their work self experiences. Fans have pointed out that goats have this weird, unpredictable nature—often moving between different spaces without a clear purpose. This is kind of like the split between the “innie” and “outie” selves in Severance.
The goat, in this case, could represent the back-and-forth tension between these two versions of the characters. Just as the goat can wander between places, so too are the characters stuck moving between two versions of themselves, never able to fully reconcile the two. It's a messy, uncomfortable split, and the goat is there as a symbol of that constant conflict.
3. The Goat as a Trickster or Deception Symbol
Some fans are convinced the goat is there to mess with us—and honestly, it kind of fits. Goats are often seen as tricksters in folklore, able to slip through cracks or lead people astray. In Severance, deception is a major theme: the workers are kept in the dark about what’s really going on, constantly manipulated by the system they’re part of. The show itself tricks us as viewers, too, constantly keeping us on our toes with more questions than answers.
So, the goat could be a reminder of all the trickery happening—not just with the characters, but also with the audience. It’s the show’s way of saying, “Don’t trust anything you think you know.” If the goat’s role is to deceive, it might just be there to reinforce the idea that there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
4. The Goat as a Symbol of Rebirth or Renewal
On a slightly more hopeful note, some fans have linked the goat to the idea of rebirth. In mythology and folklore, goats are sometimes symbols of fertility, nature, and new beginnings. In the world of Severance, where everything feels bleak and out of control, the goat could represent the possibility of something fresh or transformative.
Think about it: the characters in Severance are all in the process of a kind of personal rebirth—Mark is trying to figure out who he really is, Helly is pushing against the system that’s trying to crush her, and even Irving is going through a shift in his perspective. The goat might be a symbol of that potential for change, the idea that maybe, just maybe, these characters could break free from the corporate shackles and find a way to merge their fractured selves into something new.
5. The Goat as a Nod to Memory and Identity (Hello, Memento)
Finally, there’s the theory that the goat is a subtle nod to the whole theme of memory—and, for some, it even evokes comparisons to Memento, the movie about memory and fractured identity. In Memento, the main character’s memories are fragmented and out of order, and that’s kind of what’s going on with the employees in Severance. Their memories are split in a way that makes it impossible to understand the full picture.
The goat’s chaotic, unpredictable nature might represent the fractured state of the characters’ memories. It’s elusive, hard to pin down—much like the truth in Severance. The more you try to figure it out, the more you realize that things are just... messy. If the goat symbolizes anything, it could be the confusion and disconnection that comes with trying to piece together an identity when it’s been purposefully torn apart.
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Conclusion: The Goat’s True Meaning?
So, what does the goat actually mean in Severance? Honestly, it’s hard to say for sure. It could symbolize sacrifice, duality, trickery, rebirth, or even just the messy, fragmented state of memory and identity. One thing is clear: the goat isn’t just a random animal thrown in for no reason. It’s a symbol of some of the central themes of the show, and it’s there to keep us guessing. As with everything in Severance, there’s probably more going on than meets the eye.
Whatever the goat represents, one thing’s for certain: it’s part of the mystery, and we’re all along for the ride as we try to figure out what it all means. Keep watching—and keep thinking about that goat. You never know when it’ll pop up again.