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PARASITE

Scholar's rock

A life of inevitable poverty reeks through the windows of the semi-basement where Ki Taek and his family reside. A place that is not too low and not too high, enough for hope to be their sunlight and anxiety as their downfall. Living from paycheck to paycheck, their lives won't be the same after Ki woo's friend(Min) handed out a scholar's rock that was meant to bring prosperity and wealth to the whole family. This rock stands as an aspiration for Ki Woo who is determined to achieve his dreams to climb up the stairs and lift up their family where they can see the sun properly. Ki Woo believed that with enough hard work he can also become like his friend Min. This aspiration was then objectified when Ki Woo and his family worked for the parks. The rock that they once had no care about became their beacon of hope. The rock then became a symbol of jeopardy when Ki Woo and his goals are slipping away. Ki Woo clinging to the stone symbolizes his desperateness and fuels him to end the madness and tries to kill Geun Sae. But as he went inside the bunker the stone was dropped accidentally symbolizing that their hopes of pursuing to be wealthy turned into anxiety as Moon Gwang and Geun Sae threatened the Kims.

Park's house

A utopia that barricades and creates a facade to the Park family. A place where the sunlight perceives trough a theatre screen-like window. A bubble that is so comfortable that a family like the Kim doesn't fit in. A distinctive odor that determines who is poor and the privileged. The Kim's shared one smell just like how Ki Jung described it as the smell of the semi-basement or the smell of being poor. Throughout the film, the smell became a symbol of their status. People like the Park's are sensitive to smell, They try to avoid the smell of the Kim by covering their nose. Whatever they do they can't remove their peculiar smell unless they become wealthy. But we are living in a Capitalistic society where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. This creates a division in our society and creates a facade of paradise. Just like how the Park's are dividing themselves from the outside world. This was shown through the big trees that are barricading the house. In their world, a family like the Kim's doesn't exist. They expect people to be the same as them. 

flood

A tragedy for the poor and a little inconvenience for the wealthy. A house that flooded with sewage water and a flooded campsite. The Park's describes the storm as a blessing in disguise. While as for the Poor this was a huge tragedy because of how their house and their belongings were damaged. People that are affected by the storm were damped in a small area. This flood made the Kim 's realize their status in society. The money that they are making from working for the Park's is not enough for them to raise their social status. The Park's have everything served on their plate while the Kim's need to work twice as hard to survive. For the Park's food is for just enjoyment while as for the Kim's food are for survival. The better the food on the plate the higher the status. In the opening scene, Ki Taek is eating a loaf of bread this shows how low the Kim family is in the social hierarchy.
                   

What does the author of this text want us to know?

• Bong Joon Ho wants to emphasize how capitalistic society creates a social hierarchy that divides people. Rich people will continue to be rich and poor people will continue to become poor. The wealthy will have a facade of utopia and cut itself from the outside world. While as the poor needs to work three folds in order to survive.

What genre does this text belong to?

• Parasite a tragic/comedy film. Comedy because of how amusingly they planned to replace the workers on the Park's family. Tragedy because of how Ki Taek ended up in the bunker instead of turning himself in the police.

Why has the author constructed the characters this way?

• The characters were constructed based on their social status. The Park's have high expectations for people because of how they are blinded from the rest of the world. The Kim's are opportunists because if you are poor there is lesser opportunity than the rich. Poverty hinders education causing for the impoverished people to have less job opportunities

Why is the text written the way it is?

• The blocking and lighting were used carefully by Bong Joon Ho. He wanted to use these as a symbol for the movie. He uses lighting to indicate the rich and poor. Bong Joon Ho used bright lighting when they are in the Park's house to point out that they are in a rich environment and uses darker lighting in Ki Taek's house to point out that they are in a poor environment. He also used stairs to highlight the social hierarchy

What question about itself does the text not raise?

• Who is the real parasite? The Park's and Kim's rely on each other. Moon Gwang and Geun Sae also have mutualism bond with the Park's

What kinds of social realities does the text portray?

• If you are Wealthy you are well respected and worshipped by the people under you. This was shown in the film by how Geun Sae worshipped Mr park and showed his gratitude by banging his head on the switch to provide light on where he walks. If you are impoverished the wealthy will continue to criticize you. This was shown in the film by how the Park's was displeased on the smell of the Kim's

What different interpretations of the text are possible?

• The Kim's are manipulative people. Because of how they deceived the Park's on thinking that they are professional workers