Marxist lens[edit]
Upon losing his "lucky" gold, the protagonist, Kyle, begins to visibly shrink as his life spirals out of control
[1]. This is a clear reference to the Marxist idea that those who do not hold the majority of the wealth are relatively powerless in the society in which they reside. In the end, Kyle regains his "lucky gold", rejoining the Bourgeoisie, but forever changed by his experience among the Proletariat. This fall from grace and dramatic climb up the social ladder represents the constant shift in the economic differences in Marxist theory. Like the Proletariat rising up against the Bourgeoisie, Kyle regains his lucky coin. The movie's cliffhanger represents the upcoming rebirth of this economic dystopia. The protagonist's heritage is symbolic of the Proletariat struggle among the Irish before they became an accepted part of American society in the early 20th century. The final song, "This Land is Your Land", is about the Irish integrating into the United States.
Nihilist perspective[edit]
Kyle's journey from high school athlete to leprechaun and back to high school athlete, despite being harrowing and the sole focus of the film, leaves him both physically unchanged and mentally unchanged. Modern film scholars have interpreted this journey and abandonment of the Hero Cycle Monomyth.
[2] as director Hoen's subtle statement that our experience are fleeting and meaningless, ultimately leaving no measurable trace of our beings or our world as everyone eventually succumbs to nothingness
[3].
Feminist perspective[edit]
On account of Kyle's mother being the driving force in the loss of his lucky gold which portrays women as not only irresponsible and incapable with dealing with dealing economic affairs, but in some interpretations as outright greedy and malicious, even toward their own offspring
[4]. Kyle's mother being the source of his leprechaun genes furthers this idea that women are the root of discord within a nuclear family, hearkening back to the idea of Original Sin.
R.
