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By: Salaheddine LALOUANI *
Recognized as the most streamed series in Netflix history, Squid Game shattered records with more than 1.65 billion hours viewed in just 28 days. But beyond the numbers, this globally acclaimed work captivates spectators with its harsh social criticism, its deeply human characters and an oppressive atmosphere that leaves an indelible mark. This cultural phenomenon raises essential questions about the human condition and the inequalities of our time. Through an in-depth exploration of moral dilemmas, this analysis dissects the ingredients of its unprecedented success.
A powerful social and economic critique
The two seasons of Squid Game depict an unequal and relentless economic system. The participants of the games are people burdened by debt, pushed to the margins in a society that crushes them. These seemingly childish games become a chilling metaphor for the struggle for survival in a world where yesterday’s innocence collides with today’s brutality. Through cruel trials, the series reveals a system where money rules and where each individual is condemned to fight for their life.
The VIPs, the wealthy and callous elite, orchestrate the games, treating the participants as objects in a macabre spectacle. Their sadistic voyeurism questions: to what extent can we reduce humans to satisfy a need for power?
Two seasons, two perspectives
Season 1: Individual survival
In the first season, Seong Gi-hun, in debt and disillusioned, joins 455 other participants for a series of deadly games. Each of them is faced with a brutal moral choice: betray or survive. Characters like Cho Sang-woo, ready to sacrifice those close to him to win, or Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean emigrant in search of a better life, embody universal dilemmas that provoke reflection.
Season 2: The collective rebellion
Three years later, Gi-hun returns to the games not to survive, but to destroy them. Facing Hwang In-ho, the Front Man, a new confrontation emerges: the idealist Gi-hun, eager to overthrow a corrupt system, against the opportunist In-ho, who, marked by cynicism, believes that established order is frozen. The moral struggle between these two visions is the beating heart of the series.
Le combat moral central : Seong Gi-hun vs Hwang In-ho
Two opposing views of the world
The philosophical duel between Gi-hun and In-ho is not just a simple opposition of characters; it represents an allegory of human duality in the face of oppression. Gi-hun, haunted by his past failures, embodies hope and the possibility of radical change. For him, even in a broken world, altruism and solidarity are values capable of overthrowing an unjust system.
In contrast, In-ho, shaped by personal tragedy, embodies a dark vision of existence. After donating a kidney to his brother, sacrificing a part of himself to save a life, he loses his wife due to lack of a donor. This experience convinces him that, despite altruism, the system remains cruel and merciless.
A philosophical confrontation at the heart of games
The structure of games themselves illustrates this dilemma: should we change the system or accept it as it is? In the first season, the trials are made inhuman by their brutality and arbitrariness, where luck often becomes the determining element. Gi-hun refuses to comply with these rules, preferring altruism to personal victory, as evidenced by his last act of resistance against Sang-woo.
In the second season, the games transform into a space of cooperation where participants must work together to hope to survive. Yet their distrust and selfishness resurface, proving that even in an environment conducive to mutual aid, human nature often chooses division.
Gi-hun and In-ho’s rhetoric
The confrontation between Gi-hun and In-ho goes beyond the ideological aspect: it is a struggle to redefine human nature.
– Gi-hun: For him, man is capable of changing and reinventing himself, even at the cost of personal sacrifice. He defends a collective struggle against an oppressive system, emphasizing the importance of humanity and solidarity.
– In-ho: In-ho’s tragic experience—saving his brother, losing his wife for lack of a donor—gave him a disillusioned outlook. He believes that the system does not evolve, and that human sacrifices are useless in the face of the harshness of reality. His role as Front Man symbolizes his desire for control in a world that seems unreformable to him.
Individual responsibility as a battlefield
Through the actions of Gi-hun and In-ho, Squid Game questions us about individual responsibility in an unjust system. Gi-hun, despite his victory, carries the weight of guilt and injustice. Refusing to profit from the money earned, he seeks to honor the sacrifices of others. For In-ho, his role in the games is a way to justify his own cynicism and conform to a system he considers unshakable.
An echo of philosophical reflection on the human condition
Dostoyevsky’s shadow hangs over Squid Game, notably through the exploration of the depths of the human condition and the moral dilemmas of the characters. Like the Russian author, the series highlights the fragility of the human soul and its inner conflicts, exposing the torments of its protagonists while providing fertile ground for reflection on morality, guilt and redemption. Dostoyevsky, in his works, delved into the complexity of human states of mind, exploring the inner struggles of his characters in the face of ethical choices, social injustices and existential dilemmas. Squid Game draws inspiration from this approach by featuring characters grappling with moral dilemmas where each decision, no matter how small, has fatal consequences. Through the struggles of the characters, the series forces us to confront our own relationship to ethics and human values, by raising essential questions about the nature of the human being and its deep motivations.
An evolving and layered story
Both seasons offer a marked narrative progression. The first emphasizes individual survival in a merciless world, where each game is a moral test. The second season, for its part, favors a collective struggle, where the issues are more strategic, highlighting Gi-hun’s evolution from a simple participant to a figure of rebellion.
Conclusion
Squid Game goes beyond a simple hit series: it is a chilling mirror of our times, a global cultural phenomenon that questions our relationship to solidarity, individualism and social injustice. Through its uncompromising exploration of human nature, it encourages deep reflection on the economic system and its excesses. By confronting characters with intense moral dilemmas, Squid Game pushes us to question our own values and rethink how we approach the fight against oppression in our modern world.
*Film review
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