My Interpretation of Elevator Hitch

-!SPOILERS FOR ELEVATOR HITCH!-

Personally I look at Elevator Hitch through a neuro-divergent disabled perspective, the burnout and exhaustion felt from someone with an invisible disability can be compared to every time protag dies. Although protag is simply trying to get to an interview, the process to get there is absolutely tiring, and although his companion is going on the same boat as him he seems to be unbothered. I think this perfectly captures the disabled experience, especially for those with chronic illnesses. 

When you have to go through the same day over and over with only so much energy/spoons you can expend it can feel almost like death, but still something you have to ignore or else you might be seen as weak or feeble, unfit for the job - hence normal guy rejecting protag when he shows any sign that the trip to the interview was troublesome. I see Co worker as another piece to the disabled experience, he may be silly but he was absolutely exhausting for protag to be with as he couldn't comprehend what was going on with what Protag was experiencing. Even interactions with coworkers can pile onto you and make your day more overstimulating until you pop (real ending).

![btw this is NOT me head-cannoning ANY characters as neuro-divergent I just see the game as a whole striking and relatable to me as an autistic individual-again these are my own thoughts, not everyone has to agree]!

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 The game is of course about the daunting work experience, I'm just adding on showing how it could represent neuro-divergency/invisible disability, especially in the workplace. The ending where Protag finally gets on ground floor, like he had just escaped- only to be confronted with the fact he needs to hold down this job- then the elevator doors open at the exit, reminding him he needs to experience death tomorrow and all the days after that over and over in a way only he experiences alone. That to me perfectly speaks to the disabled experience.

  Without any accommodations or understanding from his workplace Protag had to work through every puzzle by himself, when he asked for help from coworker it felt like the most difficult thing to achieve, and when he asked for help/escape from the elevator(workplace) it felt like punishment-another death, and when he lashed out (real ending) that's when suddenly everybody could see him. I see that as representing that no matter what, you have to keep your neuro-divergency/disability hidden.

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Now I'm gonna try to explain my own interpretation of each death through my own autistic angle. :D

|Ending 2: Hole|

The feeling of sacrificing of yourself to this new life- and when you sacrifice the rat, its like sacrificing something that took you the sacrifice of energy/spoons (deaths) to get.

|Ending 3A: Dark|

Unseen struggle of not being provided accommodations (lighter from coworker) that has consequences that only affect protag (death) this shows that providing accommodations can be easily provided and don't make things "unfair" for others, it only debilitates the disabled one.

[you get devoured by the dark unknown]

|Ending 3B: Eaten|

Not really sure lol, any thoughts about it are appreciated

|Ending 4: Parents|

The daunting expectation and extra struggle that parents/family members can bring especially when they don't fully understand what you struggle with or why you need what you need. I also see this ending as coming back to an abusive home after loosing a job. truly not great

|Ending 5: radiation|

Workplace culture and negativity. I see it as rumors being spread like radiation, you're unable to escape your own reputation and gossip after while eventually making you shutdown to those around you or even getting fired. I see coworker being affected too as someone who'd hang around protag a lot and be seen by others as protag's friend, like being friends with the 'weird one' sorta.

|Ending 6: Rejected|

The experience of job hunting- there's a lot of prejudice in the workplace towards disabled people and it can feel impossible to get a job; each rejection feels like a death.

|Ending 8: Stranger Danger|

Going through the day on autopilot and the experience of masking, it can make you feel trapped within yourself.

|Ending 9: Fall|

Overestimating yourself eventually leading to falling in front of higher ups from sudden consequences of not conserving as much energy as a disabled person. Now you suddenly find yourself unable to pick yourself back up.

|Ending 10: Help|

Don't call for help if you want to keep the job and your reputation as a perfectly abled and strong atypical person. You cant dare to show you're struggling.

|Ending 11: smoking|

I have two interpretations- the first is not understanding social cues leading to 'fire' and confusion and the second is that whenever you try to do something you think is helpful it feels like everything goes wrong for you and you're humiliated. It feels like you're being engulfed in flames.

|Ending 12: Real|

Could be seen as an autistic meltdown, being overstimulated, unintentionally blunt/rude, lashing out -not comparing it to literally offing someone! I view it as mental and representative!- but noticing as only coworker dies I see it as the effect your own situation has on others- its easy for them to be pushed away. With the whole trust thing too, autistic people may push others away first from harsh past experiences.

|Ending 13: Hired|

This could be seen as like feeling you're only hired for a disability hire, like the smiles are all fake and the ones who hired you don't actually care. (I view this ending as more literal, being rejected)

|Ending 1: Escape|

Confronted with the fact you need to experience death over and over just to sustain yourself (not necessarily just about disability though).

|Ending 15: Fire escape??|

You cant escape of course, things will just loop even if you escaped your job, you'd need another one, there is no where to go where you can simply just walk the stairs and not experience death further making you feel trapped.

 (there is an audio of footsteps being looped)

Tell me what you think and your own personal interpretations of the same lens! Id love to hear others ideas and theories as I really adore this game :3