In “Squid Game,” a lot of seemingly insignificant aspects have deeper significance. Everything in “Squid Game,” including the costumes, the enigmatic symbols, the real-life background, the food, and the games, has a purpose or at the very least enhances the rich viewing experience. Of course, this also applies to those peculiar coffins. Yes, those bows serve as more than just a decorative accent.
Production designer Chae Kyung-Sun of “Squid Game” highlighted the significance of the bows on the caskets of game players during an in-depth roundtable discussion with Netflix Korea. The coffins, which resemble gift boxes, were created with the inventor of the games in mind and provide additional insight into his philosophy. Spoilers for season 1 of “Squid Game” are ahead because there is no way to explain the creator without revealing his name.
It All Comes Back to Il-Nam
Oh Il-nam, the ancient man who entered the game as Player 001, created everything in the Squid Game. Though the second purpose wasn’t as considerate as he felt it was, he intended to design the games both to relieve his own boredom and to provide hope for those who were struggling. He is attempting to convey some sense of joy to the competitors before they inevitably pass away, hence the elements of the games are based on good experiences from his own life. The streets of the marble game city and the forms used to chop sugar were all picked because they made Il-nam happy.
Chae, a production designer for the show who contributed to some of the most recognisable design choices, described how Il-style nam’s of thinking resulted in the gift box coffin design:
“I think it focused on the mind of the person who came up with the game. I imagine he’d think he gave the contestants a chance as if he’s a god. ‘This is my gift to you. Even your bodies being disposed in the incinerator is a show of mercy.’ So I thought, what if I put a ribbon on it?”
Il-nam views himself as a generous god who is providing the game’s participants a unique gift. The bow is therefore his last present to them before they pass away and are ultimately burned by the Squid Games staff. After all, they are no longer concerned about paying for funerals.
An Allegory for Class Divides
“Squid Games” is fundamentally a scathing examination of capitalism and the resulting class divisions. The wealthy, including Oh Il-nam and the VIPs in disguise, are totally disconnected from those in lower socioeconomic strata. The labourers, who are clad in jumpsuits and plain geometric masks, are representatives of the working middle class who make ends meet while remaining silent about the cruelties of the wealthy. Another indication of Il-distorted nam’s thinking is the notion that the players’ demise and cremation are “gifts.” For his personal delight and the amusement of a small group of wealthy jerks from all over the world, he is subjecting individuals to extraordinary trauma before killing the majority of them. It really disturbs me to think of that as any kind of gift.
If you truly wanted to be buried in “Squid Game” fashion, you could do so since “Squid Game” is so well-liked in the real world that duplicate coffins have reportedly been seen at funeral service trade exhibitions. Tone-deaf “Squid Game” cosplays are currently popular, which may sound morbid.
The Devil’s in the Details
There are other symbols in “Squid Game” besides coffins. Each employee has an ageometric-shaped mask on, and the positions they hold in the system are determined by those shapes. The employees wearing square masks are the managers who rule over the other two categories at the Front Man’s direction. The employees wearing triangle masks are the armed enforcers. The show’s name is spelled out in Korean using the shapes, which are also used as the playing area for the kid’s game that served as inspiration.
Since “Squid Game” contains so much information, many unsolved issues remain even after the shocking season 1 finale. Even while we now fully understand the purposes behind each and every feature in the games, there is still a great deal more to learn about this vast and intricate universe. Although season 2 isn’t 100% announced, it’s probable that this wildly successful series will return to Netflix at some point for more enigmatic mayhem.
