Narratology Analysis of Television Series Squid Game (Essay Sample)

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Narratology Analysis of Television Series Squid Game
The primary objective of any television series is to visually tell a story. As such, the Squid Game television series, besides the entertainment value and thrill within its neighborhood of time, sought to narrate a specific story. That said, Squid Game as television series constituted creative forms on narrative stylistics to tell the story to its intended audience. The development of the plot, the employment of an array of stylistic devices, and propounding of the story through character development served a pivotal course in dissemination of the story’s information. Hitherto, the purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the effectiveness of trans-media Storytelling in Squid Game television series.
Setting and Character Analysis in Squid Game Narrative
The Squid game story is set in the small South Korean town pigeonholed by vast gambling gigs. The town is a busy kind with people wholly engaged in businesses both legal and illegal. Squid Game story begins with Gi-hun, a primary character, a kind but lazy lad living with his elderly mother. Gi-hun is from the onset developed as a divorcee who has a young daughter whom he has more often than not disappointed her. Besides being undependable, Gi-hun has both feet and hands deep in debts. What is more is that, he cannot escape his addiction to betting hence landing into more trouble with the debt collectors. Gi-hun’s joy of winning money through track gambling is shortlived as he runs into some of his debt collectors. More trouble befalls him as he tries to run away and gets pickpocketed by a young girl. Eventually, the debt collectors catch up with him and in turn force him to sign a physical agreement pledging a collateral of his organs upon failure to pay dues in time.
Doom upon gloom was all that Gi-hun felt chocked with. Shortly after, the same night, Gi-hun meets a nicely suited man at a subway station. The man offers to play a simple children’s game with Gi-hun, a game that had a catch. The rule of the game was such that if Gi-hun wins a round, he will in turn be paid a hundred thousand. However if he loses, the nicely suited gentleman would slap him. What followed next was a series of failures by Gi-hun, but finally he wins one round and is given the money. The nicely suited gentleman also gives him a card containing a phone number together with an offer to participate in a game that will put an end to Gi-hun’s financial problems.
Seriality Aspect of Narrative in Squid Game
As described in the Narratology Chapter, ‘Any narrative consists of a sequence of events involving characters that takes place in a particular setting. Therefore, the Squid Game television series employs the use of seriality as a form of storytelling. The story is broken down into episodic segments each episode developing a new concept of the story whilst the underlying storyline still develops. With the use of the form of storytelling, the Squid Game narrative allows the exposition of all the profound back-stories of all the characters in the series. The primary characters in the series each possess an inner demon they have to fight days on the end, and at the same time have to heed to the game they play. Evidently, the exposition of the concept is seen through the primary character, Gi-hun, who despite being malignantly irresponsible, he still exhibits tendencies of kindness and apt moral ethics. The use of Seriality as a form of storytelling, the authors of the Squid Game television series has elaborately brought out the clashing personalities of each character in the story. For instance, the old man si developed as an individual who is playing the game for fun whilst Cho-Sang would do anything to win even if it is against his beliefs. The concept of seriality has over the time for various structures