Office Space (Mike Judge, 1999) Milton's Red Stapler

[ecraft]

Milton’s red stapler represents his office life, it’s the one object that is “his” that only he possesses. That company Initech owns everything else. He cares for that stapler, you can tell by how the different scenes in which you see Milton he’s stroking it or talking about his stapler. The one scene that truly showed his affection towards the stapler is when, the boss Bill Lumbergh was talking to the consultants and Milton is watching them talk, which he knows is about him. Bill Lumbergh turns around and says stapler, Milton saw the word expressed on his mouth which was a close up on the mouth and you can watch his mouth say stapler instead of him just saying it in a regular tone of voice. Representing Milton’s magnified glasses. Milton got very tense and a bit frantic he looked at his stapler and took it and placed it near him, it was medium shot but you saw more focus on the stapler. Then Bill stops chatting with the consultants comes over to Milton’s desk nonchalant and says Milton has to move his desk once more to back of the office and of course Milton is mumbling and isn’t getting heard by his boss, as Mr. Lumbergh ignores him he also mentions he’s going to take the stapler and use it for awhile. Milton frantically tries to get it back but Bill was too quick and takes his precious red stapler away. That’s when Milton mentions he’s going to burn the place down.

Then everything starts going downward for Milton, his office life starts to go down moving offices, no paycheck, and he wants his red stapler back. Everybody ignores him, and soon he takes his revenge, at first you think when he goes into Lumbergh’s office he’s going to take back his red stapler, but in the end when Peter is digging up the rubble that was left from the fire of Initech (camera gets close up on his shovel) and he finds that red stapler. As much as Milton loved that stapler and was his own key possession he found use for the money that was left over by Peter Gibbons and left his old life behind him. Why did he leave his red stapler in the pile rubble of Initech. I feel he wouldn’t want to remember the office life he had and the way he was treated. The red stapler meant a lot, but not enough to bring back old memories. The camera put a lot of focus on that red stapler, when it was around Milton and also the color red of the stapler makes it very prominent in that grey toned office. And once it was gone it felt like something was missing and also all the characters knew that was Milton’s stapler no one else had a red stapler. The movie established how Milton really cared for that stapler and what it represented to him.

The “Office Space” movie represented what office work really looks like. My Dad worked in that type of environment and he says that particular movie got it down to the very molecule. I’ve even noticed that sometimes he acted like Peter Gibbons where he really hated work and left with a real miserable attitude. So that put a lot of thought of what office work really looks like to me. If they added anymore to that movie it would have felt a little overdone, the movie represented the office atmosphere so well, that it did get a little boring in a sense. But I think the movie is trying to show you that sense of what the office truly is.

[tdiamond]

Milton's stapler is indeed the symbol of the only thing that you could possibly posses from such a terrible job. However, i believe that the symbolism of Milton himself has deeper meaning.

Probably the biggest meaning behind Milton is the fact that although Micheal, Peter and Zamir always talked about shooting up the place, it was Milton, the one who was pushed around too much, that burned down Initech. Many jokes that stem from the office is the good old saying "its the quiet ones you gotta watch"

watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_KUkrukx5M&feature=related
its a cartoon that was made to the audio of a Dane Cook bit about office workers. It can be applied to Office Space in the sense that this is who Milton is.

Milton falls into a category beyond that of Peter and his stagnant job situation. Milton is the guy that gets pushed around and not only hates his job, but gets no respect or positive interactions. At least Peter had friends, what does Milton have? his stapler.

In the case of Milton when compared to Peter. it could be worse for Peter, he could be Milton. But in true movie fashion, the bad guys get whats coming to them, and Milton gets his payoff for putting up with the crap.

[klandis]

Although Milton’s character garners terrific laughs from us as an audience, with deeper reflection he is the most depressing man in the office. Nothing about his character is positive or popular. His entire appearance is pitiful, from his pair of thick glasses that make his eyes appear ridiculously large and inferior to those of his peers, to his series of deranged mumbles and cluttered cubicle. No one in the office willingly wishes to deal with Milton.

I feel that Milton’s red stapler represents his last shred of dignity at Initech. No one takes him seriously, and the red stapler is a constant throughout his (literally) changing job. He has no control over where he works or when he is paid. When Lumbergh steals the stapler, Milton suffers the ultimate embarrassment.

The bright red color of Milton’s stapler is undoubtedly significant. On one level, the bright color sets it apart from all of the other mundane office objects at Initech and emphasizes its importance to Milton. On another level, the bright red color represents Milton’s hidden rage with everyone at Initech. When he purposefully leaves his treasured stapler behind, it is as if he is letting go of his anger after he finds a new solution to his problems in a little white envelope on Lumbergh’s office floor.

[A. Dickinson]

Milton, to me, has always been a strange character in cinema. On the one hand he seems like the perfect description of a man who who would come and shoot up the office, joking aside this is a very disturbing aspect to apply to anyone. But Milton has this sort of comedic charm about him and I think you can apply that directly to his love of his stapler. He loves that thing like a fat kid loves cake and its almost creep, but within the context of the film you end up accepting it and almost hoping he keeps that thing till the end of his days. I think maybe why I got that sense was because of what the stapler meant to me. It resembled the idea of individuality and free will in a dull and oppressive society. He only ever wanted his stapler but the company would even deny him that.

Milton's story seems to be the barest of all the characters, he has a symbol of individuality and he doesnt want to give it up. When Lumburge forces it from him thats when he goes over the edge. I think this is why I can appreciate someone like Milton because he was persistent with his job until they took something he held dear to his heart. No one has the right to do that and Milton understood that, his reaction might have been extreme but he wouldnt allow anyone, not even the hand that feeds him, to take away his pride and joy.

[jelzie]

I saw Milton's stapler as his piece of flare. It was the only item brought into Initech that was colorful, acting as Milton's form of self expression.

We saw Chochkie's restaurant manager nagging the waitress about expressing herself through her flair, which would mean she wanted to be working there. So the fact that Milton had brought in his piece of flair would mean that he truly wanted to work at Initech, unlike everyone else who did not bring in flair.

His character was the most grotesque in the entire movie and was very easy to dislike. The irony becomes very clear that the disgusting character was the only individual who enjoyed working at Initech, yet he was pushed around so much by his bosses that he eventually burns the entire company down for lack of recognition.

Another interesting point to note that could sum up Initech was their company sign, it was a square inside of a circle. This is clearly how the company operated, Initech was forcing squares through circles, and why it eventually collapsed on itself.

Peter was given a "big promotion" after not showing up to work because he hated his job, while Milton showed up for years, with his flair, and was shunned from the cubicles to the basement, both do not fit logically nor symbolically. By letting things work themselves out, they effectively fired Milton and he returned by firing the company, literally.

[sgimenez]

It is clear throughout this entire movie that Milton possesses some, if not all, anger towards Lumbergh for the simple fact that he has moved his desk around, stolen his prized Swingline Red Stapler, and for eventually cutting him off the payroll staff. Throughout the entire film, the colors presented on screen are rather bleak and drowsy, so as to bring out the pathetic atmosphere that is Initech Corp. This red stapler is symbolic in the fact that it IS Milton's stapler, his very ownership of it keeps him sane.
This red color that the stapler holds means so much to each character in this movie. Red is associated with anger, passion, and to a certain degree, temperament. Milton is a depressed character, eventually scorching down Initech in an effort to retrieve his 'stolen' stapler. Even with Peter Gibbons, the stapler eventually has nothing to do with him because all his anger and animosity towards the company dies away when he is hypnotized, therefore disassociating himself from the idea altogether, eventually finding the torched stapler when cleaning up the building, acting as a symbol of peace and inner serenity.
Milton's anger, immortalized in this precious Red Stapler, is the only stand out object from the movie that many remember, in part from Milton's memorable quotes and because of the power it possesses. For him, the stapler acts a sort of foil for the fire, and Milton eventually redeems his inner strength and lovable quality for completing his promise to "set the building on fire", for which he so admirably, and revengefully, does.

[ecraft]

Wow all of your posts were an amazing insightful read. You guys really helped find an emotional deeper meaning to the red stapler than it just being it's prized possession. Also I like that one person mentioned that initech's logo was square inside a circle and that's what the corporation was something that can't work. I loved that, it was good picture. Awesome replies everybody :D

[cwhite]

Milton plays a character that is comical, and seems slightly disabled, yet he is the one that burns down the company. His no confrontational attitude and quiet demeanor allows him to remain in the background of the movie until the climax of burning everything down. His built up anger towards the boss, Bill, for stealing his stapler, his only friend, is the gateway for his ultimate revenge. Although Peter can't even last in his office for more than a few hours, especially when people repeatedly pester him about the insignificant TPS reports cover sheets, he still has his friends to accompany him to the cafe to blow off steam. Since Milton has no one, but a stapler, his anger is so much more when it's stolen from him. Although crazy, it makes sense to why he is the one setting the place on fire.