: The novel explores how elderly women are often ignored by society, a trait Hornclaw uses to her advantage as a killer.
: The tension between Hornclaw and Bullfight serves as a metaphor for the gap between older and younger generations in modern Korea. Critical Reception The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo | Goodreads
: It examines the struggle to find meaning beyond one's profession and the fight against being discarded by a corporate, "youth-obsessed" world.