Applying Marxist Analysis to Roseanne Quits

Applying Marxist Analysis to "Roseanne Calls It Quits" reinforces the premise of the theory. Viewing the episode a second time, it seems I missed some of the subtle nuances. From the on-set, Roseanne or the writers frame the class difference when referring to her food as “the veal is…” and requests to see the desert tray before she brings-up being required to return to work over their lunch hour. It may be a stretch to define Mr. Favor—a supervising manager of their production of plastic widgets--a member of the Bourgeoisie. Nevertheless, his references to Roseanne’s intelligence is soon followed by the proclamation, “I am not here to hold…I am here to supervise.”

In the next scene, the crew are licking their “factory worker” wounds with the elixir of choice for this old often under-appreciated apartment maintenance-man [sic] when Dan enters the scene to announce, “A couple of cold ones for the tired working masses yearning to be free.” Not only do we have the previous foreman at the table mentioning being unemployed, but Dan’s statement nails the definition described in the Ms. T’ YouTube video of “…exploitation of the working class.” Moreover, Roseanne suggests lowering the quotas [9:50m] and Favor acquiesces, yet gets dressed-down in a closed door “little talk” where his power-play employs deceit—or so it would seem later--as a ploy to set-up the leader or instigator of the proletariat.

…it is interesting to see all of the sexual suggestiveness.

For example, Roseanne exclaiming, “Girls…you would never guess what he wanted me to do!”[5:03]. Statements about “scratching my back” and his using demeaning terminology like “Blondie” and “Sweetie” would clearly define a form of sexual harassment even by Midwestern small town standards, today, After all, this seems odd for the late eighties as an overreaction or sense of get-evenness would soon take hold culturally both in the workplace and in child custody cases—long since corrected--by the early to mid-nineties [at least in the yuppie bastion of an upscale apartment complex in Beaverton, Oregon’s Silicon Forest!] It is almost as if throughout the show the audience is encouraged to expect an egregious act of sexual misconduct from Favor and the writing implies or foreshadows what never occurs.

Further reinforcing the template of Marxist Theory, Roseanne’s sister, Jackie, recalls their hopes and beliefs as children: aspirations to become part of the Bourgeoisie as Jackie dreamed of owning a pet store and Roseanne taking the helm of Mother Earth News; the scene ends with Jackie using their dead-end jobs and pittance of a wage as an example of the disparity of their now working class life. Frustration mounts among her colleagues as Roseanne—the leader of the beleaguered—ends the following scene by saying, “...what’s the use.” The stories rising action or problem intensifies as Dan and Roseanne try to figure-out if all of the frustration at work is worth staying on the job. This following Roseanne snapping at the kids about “not following the rules.”

As a result of Jackie voicing that Roseanne “stooped to an all-time low” calling Favor "sir," the climax has arrived: Favor pulls the double-cross and pushes Roseanne to far exclaiming that he has “broken her,” and calling her compatriots, “losers” in the process. As Roseanne quits, her sister and the others join her in lining-up along the wall before walking-out, Roseanne parting with a “see-ya-later, honey-bunch.”

…now, if I could only figure-out the Sally Fields reference following Jackie proclaiming it was time to “thank the woman responsible for our emancipation...”