Leland Coyle's weaponization and fetishization of electricity
Coyle appears enthralled by lightning storms, having been spotted watching them on five separate occasions. Throughout his life, he has been surrounded by electricity—both as an untouchable figure and as a weapon of abuse wielded by his mother.
Growing up during the Great Depression, electricity was considered a luxury and, by extension, a sign of power. By wielding electricity as a weapon, he presents himself as someone of worth, further reinforcing his inflated sense of self-importance.
Moreover, electricity is a symbol power and inevitability. Regardless of innocence or guilt, it can be inflicted upon anyone without discrimination. Lightning has also long been associated with Zeus, king of the gods. In 1950s America, it stood as the primary method of capital punishment through the electric chair. In wielding electricity, Coyle equates himself to a godlike figure, capable of delivering divine punishment to whomever he deems guilty. It represents the authority he has been given as a cop.
In his past, he was abused by his mother through electricity. It became an object of his insecurity—enforcing a sense of helplessness. As an adult, Coyle is shown to be violently insecure. By wielding electricity as a weapon, he reclaims agency over the very thing that once dominated him. It embodies both his perceived superiority over his abusers and his identification with them (he wants to rise above his abusers, but does so by adopting their symbol of power). This association also influences his infatuation with electricity. He craves (sexually or otherwise) unquestionable authority and the safety that comes with it—the assurance he cannot be threatened or humiliated as he once was in the past. Electricity, as the symbol of absolute power (to him), acts as the weapon through which he can enforce his hierarchy and gratify himself.
His fetishization of electricity can be seen through his treatment of himself, the reagents, the mannequins, and the snitch. He frequently presses the prod against more intimate parts, whether to himself or others. The mannequins, regardless of gender, are targets, with most being seen with singed genitalia, one even bearing bodily fluids—presumably his own. This fetishization of extreme violence extends beyond himself and into the sexualization of fascism and authoritarian violence. Outlast as a game is meant to critique fascism and its integration through propaganda. In sexualizing these themes, it comments on propaganda's allure.
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