The Role of Humanity in Severance by Ling Ma (2018)

Expanding the Roles:
Ling Ma’s Severance is a post-apocalyptic novel that follows a pandemic, known as “Shen Fever,” which spreads across the world, leading to societal collapse. The protagonist, Candace, navigates a world that is slowly falling apart, and the novel explores themes of capitalism, survival, and the meaning of life in a fractured world. For literature students, Severance offers a unique blend of dystopian fiction and social critique.

• Capitalism and Alienation:
  The novel critiques the impact of capitalism on human relationships and values. Candace’s experience as a worker in an exploitative office job before the pandemic highlights the alienation and dehumanization that often accompany modern capitalist societies. Students can explore how Ma uses the pandemic to underscore the consequences of unchecked capitalism.

• Survival and the Loss of Humanity:
  As society falls apart, the characters’ struggle for survival leads them to make morally ambiguous decisions. Literature students can analyze how Severance uses apocalyptic themes to explore what it means to retain humanity in the face of societal collapse and how survival often forces individuals to confront their own moral compass.

What We Learn:
Through Severance, literature students can learn how dystopian and apocalyptic fiction can provide sharp critiques of contemporary social issues, particularly capitalism and alienation. The novel invites readers to reflect on what makes us human in a world that often values productivity over well-being.