My over-analyzing brain sees politics in Pajama Sam

[RainbowJasper]

Big Pajama Sam fan here, as nostalgic for me as the next kid. Anyway, as I was playing, I noticed several instances of deeper themes such as nods to politics and I didn't see any other thread about this so I wanted to note them in the order I noticed them.

1. When Sam gets all his stuff taken away by that first group of trees, the lazy eyed tree declares it's a customs inspection. That's a pretty adult concept for a game designed for my 5-8 year old self! So therefore, my questions are where was Sam before and where is he crossing over to that it warrants this (metaphorically speaking), and what's the justification for his 3 items being detained (the tree could've just inspected and said eh, let him pass)?

1.5 The rope was intentionally designed to catch trespassers in a forceful way, as opposed to telling Sam that they would like to pull him aside before he continues on his journey to inspect his things/ask him questions. It's the equivalent imo of setting a trap to catch a random vehicle trying to pass the border, it has a negative intention attached to it (the assumption the person won't comply if we ask nicely so we need to resort to this). Also, when Sam loses the rope, blue tree says she was tired of holding it up anyway. She sympathizes with Sam's stuff being taken which is why she lets him use the rope in the first place, but she’s simultaneously working with those guys which means she knows full well what they are doing and participates in it? That’s inconsistent.

2. The wishing well explains this cycle of dumping the water down the hole only to draw it up again to repeat the process, and the intention of this is to get a steady stream going because water is the ‘power source’ that gives life to everything in this environment. Call me crazy but the word ‘exploitation’ came to mind, and I say this because the wishing well is rooted there doing a never-ending job and getting probably no acknowledgement or compensation for his/her work. Furthermore, when Sam points out this strange cycle of water into hole to draw back up again, the well says something like ‘are you trying to put me out of a job?’ Oh, it’s a job to you, and you’re afraid to lose your job even though you’re a ‘trained professional’? <(wishing well’s own words if you keep talking to them). Lastly, Sam asks why don’t you get 2 streams going, and the well responds says something like ‘oh, expansion eh?’ and talk to them again and they say ‘I’m still thinking of the ramifications of implementing this system’. These lines are sounding very economic/capitalist-speak to me!

3. In the ‘carrot mask’ run, the carrot says he needs to wear the mask to protect his identity because he’s leading a rebellion and he’s going to free the people (other carrots). Now I don’t know much about politics but I believe that’s a definite reference to freeing the people from some overarching oppressive government system. And protecting his identity via a mask reminds me of the Guy Fawkes mask. Another thing masked carrot says is something like he wants to be the main course instead of a side dish to salad, so that means he and his people are neglected and their needs and wants are pushed aside…
And when you do rescue his comrades, they were previously all stuck in the fridge (enclosed together with no escape), and the fridge speaks about how Darkness is always hungry (the carrots are going to be eaten). This all seems like a giant metaphor for something.

4. Before getting to the well, a 2nd group of trees block you and tell you this is a place exclusively reserved for other trees. Already that’s a discrimination/safe-space metaphor to me, but Sam at one point says ‘I have lots of tree friends, like one who lent me a rope.’ I couldn’t help but in that instance think ‘I’m not racist, I have lots of black friends’.

Feel free to comment and/or add any more you think are worth mentioning!

[da queen]

Me thinks you're overthinking this LOL

[katiemay81]

I think that's an interesting way of looking at it. I like when children's content has something there for adults, too. (:

[thirsty4todd]

i dont see where youre going with this one spongebob

[IIIKAYIII]

Or when you can't dig more gold because the pickaxe broke and the minecart replies "why be greedy?"

Though later if you make a wealth-potion, ALL the money goes to taxes, giving quite a "you're stealing my money, this is unfair!" vibe.

[Aidinthel]

The carrot literally says "property is theft". He's clearly a socialist revolutionary.

[SonicLover]

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

When all you read about is politics, everything looks like political commentary.

[Cybertox]

Good observations, something I noticed too during my playthrough.