There are a lot of tiny details in "Squid Game" that have deeper meanings. Everything from the
costumes, the mysterious symbols, the food, the games — even the allegedly bad acting — has a
reason, or at least adds to the rich viewing experience of "Squid Game." This, of course,
applies to those strange coffins. That's right, those bows are more than just a pretty ornament.
"Since we're on the subject now, you should join me."
In a roundtable interview with Netflix Korea, "Squid Game" production designer Chae Kyung-Sun
explained why there were bows on the coffins of players who died in the game. The coffins,
which look like gift boxes, were designed with the creator of the games in mind,
and they reveal more about his way of thinking.
Everything in the Squid Game was created by Oh Il-nam,
the old man who put himself in the game as Player 001.
"Because I know that I'm not going to have as much fun watching as playing."
He created the games to ease his own boredom and give struggling people a chance at happiness,
though the second part wasn't as kind as he thought it was. The details of the games are
based on happy memories from his own life — everything from the streets of the marble
game city, to the sugar-cutting shapes, to the meals they're served in between games.
"This brings back old memories."
Chae, who worked as a production designer on the series and helped come up with some of the most
iconic elements, explained how Il-nam's way of thinking led to 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 thinks of himself as a kind god, one that is giving players of the game a special gift.
So when the dead are disposed of by the Squid Games staff,
the bow is his final gift to them. After all, now they don't have to worry about funeral expenses.
"Smile!"
At its core, "Squid Game" is a harsh look at capitalism and the class divide it causes.
The wealthy, like Oh Il-nam and the masked VIPs,
are completely out of touch with the people beneath them in the social structure.
The workers, dressed in jumpsuits with simple geometric masks, represent the working middle
class who manage to eke out a living while turning a blind eye to the cruelty of the rich.
The idea of the players' deaths and cremation being "a gift" is just another clue as to the
warped way Il-nam thinks. He's putting people through incredible trauma and then killing most of
them for his own amusement and the entertainment of a handful of rich jerks from around the world.
"Oh, it's getting exciting!"
Seeing that as any kind of gift is deeply disturbed. Nonetheless,
it's a twisted sentiment that really drives home the
symbolism of disconnection between classes in a capitalist society.
The coffins aren't the only symbols within "Squid Game." Each of the workers wears
a mask with a geometric shape, and those shapes determine their ranking within the
system. Workers with circle masks are the grunts, those with triangle masks are armed enforcers,
and squares are the managers who boss around the other two groups at the behest of the Front Man.
"Twenty-nine, your duty is carrying out eliminated players. Why are you here now?"
The shapes are not only the playing field for the kid's game that inspired the show's title,
but they're part of the Korean letters that spell out the series' name.
The sheer amount of detail in "Squid Game" means that even after the stunning season 1 conclusion,
there are still lots of unanswered questions. We may now know why the games exist,
and all about the reasons behind little details, but there's still so much left to discover about
this rich and complex world. When season 2 eventually arrives, we're sure there will
be a whole new barrage of symbolism and hidden meanings to unpack and analyze.
"Who knows what games they'll have us play next."
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