Name: Siddhesh Sood Parasite – Global Issues English LP

Global Issue: Culture, Identity, Community

Movie overview: The movie revolves around two families – the poor Kim family and the wealthy Park family.
Each of the four unemployed and poverty-stricken members of the Kim family gradually infiltrates their way
into the Parks’ luxurious mansion by securing high-wage jobs – driving, housekeeping, tutoring, and art
counseling. The Kim family strolls a brief distance on the path of a happier life, fortifying their position in the
Park mansion by concealing their true identities of belonging to the same family, until the intervention of a
third family, leading to an absolute chaos.

The modern capitalist society has been divided into fragments of what we call the high and the
low classes or the privileged and the underprivileged classes, where the identities, cultures, and roles
played by individuals, are solely determined by which fragment of the shattered society one belongs to.
A society so deeply rooted in this ideology of socio-economic hierarchies and class divisions creates an
inevitable competition between classes, where individuals play the role of “parasites”.

The movie, Parasite, is a social commentary and a symbolic depiction of the increasing socio-
economic gaps and the class system. Every aspect of the movie, including the symbolism, visuals, and
storyline, contribute to convey the overarching message that the socio-economic gap between the rich
and the poor can never be bridged. In other words, it is impossible to completely eradicate poverty from
any community or region because for every rich there is a poor, and for every poor there is always a
poorer. On the ladder of socio-economic status, when one individual climbs on top of another, another
individual is automatically pushed down.

The denotative meaning of a parasite is an organism that attaches itself to a host body in order
to acquire required nutrients for survival. In this interaction, the parasite benefits from the nutrients,
while the host is disadvantaged. The title of the movie, Parasite, does not imply the literal meaning of
the word, rather a metaphor for the identities of the characters and defines the relationship between
Name: Siddhesh Sood Parasite – Global Issues English LP

the rich and the poor families. The movie portrays a parasitic relation between the two families in which
the poor produce labor for the rich while the rich provide a source of income for the poor. The reason
why a community with such a system is parasitic is because the rich are privileged to enjoy the labor a
lot more than the poor are privileged to earn an income. Thus, the rich are truly benefitting from the
interaction as they perceive labor for their leisure and ease, helping them climb up the socio-economic
ladder, while the poor are earning just enough to afford their basic needs with a static position on the
socio-economic ladder. Thus, the consequence of this interaction is what restricts the bridging of the
socio-economic gaps.

This parasitic interdependence between the two classes was loosely tied by the rope of forged
identities. If the Kim family had revealed their true identities of belonging to the underprivileged class,
the Parks would have fired the Kim family regardless of the skill and labor they produced for the Parks.
This portrays the mentality of the higher class which formulates an opinion on the lower class not on the
basis of their skill, but status.

Throughout the movie, it becomes evident that all four members of the Kim family are very
manipulative and ambitious when it comes to achieving their desired positions in the Park mansion. This
identity is juxtaposed to the identity of the rich family, as Mr. Kim mentions, “The rich are gullible”. The
reason being, privileged families have all the resources they require, anything from clothing and food to
education and shelter. Thus, they are less concerned about losing any of their resources as they can get
them back due to their high economic status; just like the Parks, who hire the Kims without confirming
their background and qualifications, and easily fall for the trap set by the Kims. On the other hand,
people belonging to the unprivileged class or below poverty line cannot easily access the same
resources in the same way as the privileged class; just like the Kims, who always rely on the free internet
provided by their neighbors and cannot afford to get their own. Thus, they perceive the resources to be
a lot more valuable. This way, the individual personalities or outlooks of the characters represent their
position in the society.

A major symbolism appearing throughout the movie is the unpleasant smell that clings to the
clothes of the Kims. Since the Kim family had always been living in a semi-basement house, they all had
a similar, unpleasant smell to their clothes which the Parks would often notice while the Kims were
around them. The smell signifies the extreme poverty that the Kims cannot get rid of. The constant
repetition of the symbolism of poverty reminds the Kims that their dream of climbing up the socio-
economic ladder is just a fantasy or illusion and would not come true because they inherently belonged
to the lower class and rising up from there is just as impossible as getting rid of the unpleasant stink on
their clothes. Recognizing the stink on Mr. Kim, Mr. Park once states in a conversation with Mrs. Park,
“Anyway, even though he always seems about to cross the line, he never does cross it. That’s good. But
that smell crosses the line. It powers right through the back seat … It’s hard to describe. You know when
you boil a rag? It smells like that.” The Kims eventually come to realization that poverty was their
permanent identity and the reason for which the rich would continue to judge them. This judgmental
attitude of the Parks towards the Kims is what complicates their parasitic relationship to a point where
the Kims begin to dislike the Parks and also working for the Parks.
Name: Siddhesh Sood Parasite – Global Issues English LP

Mrs. Park choosing her outfit from her collection, People affected by the rainstorm collecting their
on the day after the rainstorm. clothes from a pile of misplaced clothes, on the day
after the rainstorm.

In another instance, when a massive rainstorm floods the local area affecting many families
under the poverty line, including the Kim family, Mrs. Park says, “Today, the sky’s so blue, and no
pollution. Thanks to all the rain yesterday. Right, that rain was such a blessing!” While residents in one
part of the community struggle to save their lives and semi-basement houses from the devastating
rainstorm and flood, the other part of the same community perceives the rainstorm as a blessing. This
clearly demonstrates how the upper class isolate themselves from reality, turning their backs on the
hardships and issues faced by the lower class in the same community as theirs. On the other hand, a
conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Kim portrays the perspective of the poor towards the rich. When
Mr. Kim states, “They’re rich but still nice”. Mrs. Kim responds with, “They’re nice because they’re rich.
Hell, if I had all this money, I’d be nice too. I’d be even nicer!” And sure enough, money was what made
their relation parasitic.

Along with global issues regarding identity and community, the movie draws reference to
culture as well. Although the movie takes place in South Korea and includes South Korean characters,
the Native American culture and history is often brought up in a subtle yet effective manner, during the
course of the movie. Mr. Park’s little son, Da-Song, is obsessed with the Native American culture and
identifies himself as a scout. He loves dressing in the Native American style with a war bonnet (a
feathered headgear) and carrying his precious toy bow and arrow wherever he goes. At a very young
age, he also knows how to decode messages sent through Morse Code.
Name: Siddhesh Sood Parasite – Global Issues English LP

The great history of colonization of the Native Americans by the Europeans began far back in the
sixteenth century, when the Europeans started claiming lands belonging to the Americans as their own
to establish European colonies, abolished many of the Native traditions and ceremonies, and enslaved
the Native Americans. The invasion also brought deadly diseases which challenged the existence of the
Native American culture. This historical reference of a clash between cultures and the oppression of one
culture by another, somewhat resembles to the modern society and the storyline of Parasite, where
various individuals practicing different cultures and belonging to different backgrounds are forced to live
in a parasitic relationship, being unaware of the fact that we all are, in some or the other way, leeching
off of each other for our own good; and where these cultures and backgrounds co-exist, conflicts
become inevitable, just like the American Frontier Wars that occurred due to the invasion of the
European culture in the Native American land, or like the movie, Parasite, which ends with a gruesome
bloodshed when the higher and the lower class families confront each other for one last time, after the
Kims exit their roles as con artists realizing their true position in the society.

Parasite is a true depiction of the contemporary world. Despite the language barrier, the
message conveyed through the movie connects to all societies and communities across the world. On a
personal level, Parasite made me reflect over the classism and socio-economic disparities that exist in
my community. I live in Mumbai, the city that never sleeps. Mumbai is known as the economic hub and
financial capital of India, as well as a fashion and entertainment center, housing Bollywood and many
other industries. What it is also known for is the extreme poverty and unemployment that suffocates
many families and individuals. In one part of the city stands an enormous twenty-seven storied
residence worth more than two billion dollars, and just a few kilometers further resides a chaotic slum
area with limited access to basic facilities. Parasite made me realize that this socio-economic gap in my
city will continue to exist as it should in a competitive society.

To conclude, the movie portrays multiple global issues and themes revolving around classism
and identity, mainly through symbolism. The subtle references to politics and history are what question
the viewers and open up space for interpretation. Parasite is a masterpiece that has been created not
just for the sake of entertainment, rather to be studied and interpreted.