Welcome to episode 1 of THE Podcast where today we will examine George Orwell’s politically

driven, dystopian novel ‘Nineteen eighty-four’, and Episode 9 of Hwang Dong-hyuk 2021 Korean
drama series and international phenomenon, ‘Squid Game’. Together, we will analyse Orwell and
Dong-hyuk purpose as we try to understand their purpose in exploring the complexities of our
human behaviour surrounding our want to be accepted within the collective, even at the cost of our
individuality. As such, 1984 explores the struggles of the anti-hero, Winston as he aims to live his
individual human experience through searching for genuine human connection and meaning whilst
living in a political system that demands collective control and conformity at the expense of the
rights and freedoms of the people. Moving forth to the present day, Dong-hyuk’s “Squid Game,”
recounts the struggles of adults as they compete to win unimaginable wealth through children’s
games, but the price of losing is death, thus the protagonist Seong Gi-hun embodies the paradoxical
tension between the individual want of maintaining his moral stance and the collective desire to
obtain wealth and status, no matter the cost. Hence the similarities between both texts expose how
the flaws of our humanity have transcended time where the anomalous behaviours of both anti-
heroes depict us, as we try to understand the complexities of our own human behaviour.

Our past is what shapes us, whether depicted in a photograph, old letter, or even medical records it
inevitably shapes who we are. Imagine if remembering our past was illegal, well this is the greatest
challenge facing the citizens. The dictatorship within Oceania, has a fixation with achieving
omnipotent power through manipulating the complex nature of our humanity to drive all individuals
to want to be accepted by the collective. Hence Orwell explores the innate human desire to confront
this challenge through his protagonist Winston, where his storytelling provides a gateway in
reclaiming personal autonomy despite all consequences he may face. From the outset, Orwell
utilises dark satire to present a bleak view of humanity were the vivid, auditory imagery of “a voice
came from an oblong metal plaque...Winston turned a switch...though the words were still
distinguishable”. Here the monotonousness of the telescreen’s broadcast serves as an irritating and
oppressive presence that emphasises the Party’s surveillance and overbearing control which prevent
individuals from having autonomy over their own thoughts. However, Winston’s aim to reclaim such
autonomy is displayed through his individual experience of rebellion where his illegal diary enables
him to validate his own lived experience as opposed to the fabricated lies of the Party. As such, this
introduces the dichotomy between rebellion and conformity where the severity of Winston’s actions
is revealed within his stream of consciousness, “they’ll shoot me, I don’t care if they shoot me....
down with Big Brother,” this paradoxical desire for emotional fulfilment in exchange for his own
physical malice demonstrates his willingness to face all challenges in exchange for his individual
identity. Additionally, Winston’s relationship with Julia is the ultimate symbol for both their
rebellions where the anaphora in “the move men you’ve had, the more I love you...I hate purity, I
hate goodness.” Winston’s delight in Julia’s past sexual partners reveals his fondness for any acts
that go against the Party, thus exposing their artificial relationship where their love was only a
myriad to fulfil their desires in reclaiming personal autonomy. This idea is reinforced by the
intertextuality of “Winston woke up with the work Shakespeare on his lips”, here Winston’s
subconscious thoughts of Shakespeare represent his inner desire for the complexity and richness of
language and emotions, everything the Party wants to obliterate. Thus, the willingness of the
characters to risk it all represents the dangers of living in a totalitarian system, as such reveals how
easily our human nature can be manipulated through our inner desires to be accepted thus
demonstrating the complexities our human nature.

Likewise, growing up in modern society, from birth we have been consumed by materialism, so it’s
not surprising that many of us have become corporate slaves to a system that values wealth and
status above the innate qualities that make us human, thus revealing how the complexities of our
human nature can turn the collective desire often into our own desires. As such, in Dong-hyuk’s
“Squid Game”, the protagonist Gi-hun, is presented as an anomaly within the collective because of
his compassion. Displayed within the show’s final game, “Squid Game”, Gi-Hun and his ex-best
friend, Sang-woo must fight to the end to receive the 53-million-dollar prize money. This image is
evocatively portrayed through the close-up shot of the knife next to Sang-woo’s head, Gi-Hun’s
hesitation so close to the winning mark reveals his inner conflict and the complexities of the human
experience where Gi-hun individual experience paradoxically confronts the collective’s ideals. The
mise-en-scene of the fight further challenges society’s orders where the rain pouring onto the final 2
players references the biblical allusion of the divine outpouring of the Holy Spirit where rain
symbolises the washing away of their wrongdoings and Gi-hun’s first confrontation with the
malevolence of his actions. Through, Gi-Hun’s willingness to forfeit the game and prize money so
close to the end reveals his compassion, the only cure for the epidemic we are in. It also
demonstrates him coming to terms with the true meaning of life, where wealth, status and
materialism, the very things the collective priorities are futile but making genuine human
connections and standing up against his corrupt system is what will bring uttermost fulfilment.
Additionally, the dramatic plot twist where Gi-Hun’s friend and ally an old innocent man, ended up
being the leader of the games, alludes to the deceitfulness of O’Brien within Orwell’s 1984. This
appearance versus reality reveals the insincerity of society where those in Power decite us to obtain
uttermost control. Satirically, even near his death, the old man chooses to leave his life to chance,
“let’s play something, if the homeless man remains there until midnight, I win, if anyone goes to help
him before then, you win”, the eeriness of this statement foreshadows the fate of our humanity
where the empathic action of a single individual may be the cure for this pandemic. As the clock
struck 12 police sirens can be heard which symbolises society’s restoration where Gi-Hun’s
compassion serves as an antidote for our world’s apathy. The striking of the clock also abruptly ends
the old man’s life thus representing the end of his political corruption and rejuvenation of humanity
as we are given faith that there is still good left in the world. Indeed, Gi-Hun’s individual and
anomalous behaviour has always been rooted in his empathy, whereby giving all the wealth he so
desperately wanted to Sang-woo’s mum who promises to look after the brother of a woman who
died is captured within an overhead shot. The juxtaposition between the suitcase of money to the
poor living conditions of the street symbolises the inevitable inequity in the world thus critiquing our
world problems. Thus, the paradoxical struggle between wanting to be part of the collective but also
wanting to maintain our own moral stance ultimately reveals how complex our human nature is and
how little we really do know about of our human behaviour and motivations.