Squid Game - An Analysis

Note: This article contains full spoilers.

"Squid Game" is widely read as a critique on capitalism, but there is one more thing it subtly criticises - nostalgia. A cynical point of view states that nostalgia is a wallowing for the past, causing a feel-good sensation that makes people complacent, keeping the old and preserving the status quo. This series believes that and seeks to undo it.

Pic 2 and 3: It starts with a nostalgic flashback of the protagonist playing Squid Game as a child. His victory was sweet and remembered fondly despite his shirt tearing etc. Present day, his victory in the same game only brought grief. The rose-tinted lenses are forever gone.

Pic 4 and 5: This would encompass the other survival tasks too. The various games played by the characters are actual childhood games in Korean society - red light green light, carving dalgona candy, marbles etc. The series taints everything of a past fondly remembered.

Pic 6: The final blow is when the culprit behind the game is revealed to be the old man disguising as a contestant. In his deathbed, he justifies his actions (besides being numb by capitalism) is because he wants to feel something again, to relive the past. This also explains why all the survival tasks are inspired by childhood games. His inability to move on made others fall victim and perpetuated the status quo (class gap, violence etc).

Pic 7: Final scene, the protagonist no longer lives in the past, fully externalising his change of self through a bright red hair dye. Camera framed him from the back and walking away (to his past life, to meet his daughter) when suddenly, he turns around and walks towards a different future. He wants to put a stop to the carnage, a change only possible by moving forward.

Written on October 21st, 2021.