An Uphill Battle: Parasite and Social Mobility
Written by Alexandra Kim
Rich versus poor, the people versus structural inequality, many of the major themes explored in global blockbuster film, Parasite (2019), ring true around the world. However, director Bong Joon-ho and the team behind this movie utilize Korean architecture to illustrate the steep challenge of moving up the social ladder.
This social ladder can be drawn based on home elevation. The contrast between the Kim family’s semi-basement flats and the Park family’s hilltop mansion establishes the separation of worlds between the working class and the elites. We are first introduced to the Kim family, a married couple (Kim Ki-taek and Chung-sook) and their two young adult children (Kim Ki-woo and Ki-jung) couped up in a little banjiha (반지하). Not quite above ground but not fully buried either, these semi-basement homes represent a slim (and maybe false) hope of security and prosperity which encourage the Kim family to con their way up in the first place. Originally established and popularized in the aftermath of the Korean War, banjihas were used as war bunkers, as massive shields which concealed the multiple humans residing in its walls. In this pestering era of warfare and unrest, the people of South Korea did not have the capacity to worry about interior lighting or design or anything which would sustain decades of living. Unless your family had the money and power to escape to the West, it was a matter of life or death, anything to stay alive as habitants of these banjihas are forced to look at life day to day. Unfortunately, habitants to this day are still forced to go about their livelihoods day to day, praying that they’ll witness the sun rise once more, or at least what bit of sunlight manages to make its way into the buried windows. With the South Korean economy experiencing rapid growth as well as an already distinct divide between the Korean elites and the Korean working class, those in the banjihas stayed in the banjihas even decades after war was over. From the absolute lack in privacy provided by the apartment’s build to the murky and musty walls which are dampened by rain and piss, those struggling through war are forced to continue struggling after.
On the opposing end of this spectrum are the Park family, the wealthy elites who reside in a hilltop mansion encased by what could be considered an unmoving bubble. Built on hardwood and glass and covered in a gallery of wall art, its sleek, modern aesthetic which defines both the exterior and interior design of the mansion, brings about a sophisticated taste which only the elite proudly claims. The sheer mass of this home serves the purpose of emphasizing the accessibility of the Park lifestyle; however, this is executed in multiple ways. Not only does it further highlight the high social status of the Park family, it also conjures up a sense of uncertainty and emptiness which emulates a Ghosttown to a certain extent. Essentially, the Park family are encapsulated in and bound to a massive bubble which reign exclusive to elites like them. Like many wealthy folks, they are aware of poverty and that it indeed does exist; however, seldom would they interact with the lower class in any meaningful way. Yes, they are surrounded by them and have them in the house, but their connections to the lower class do not go beyond the subject-ruler archetype and therefore, would not allow them to understand or even care about the literal storm outside their cold castle.
As rain fell upon the city, hundreds (if not thousands) people just like the Kim family were flooded down and forced out of their homes. From donation bins for clothing to sleeping bags which separated body from floor, the less fortunate were once again thrusted into survival mode. However, as the Kim family and hundreds of other people camped on the hardwood shelter floors, the Park family’s only gripe with the rain was the cancellation of their son, Da-song’s, birthday campout. The family even had the privilege of looking at the brighter side, thanking the rain for freshening up the air and clearing up the sky right in front of a disheveled Ki-taek. That is not to say that the Park family are void of tragedy. The events which took place at Da-song’s official birthday not only ended in absolute tragedy but resurfaced Da-song’s trauma in the most vivid of ways (more on that later). However, the main terrors experienced by this family happen in their own home, showcasing the blissful ignorance the family basks in when experiencing their life in the public world.
However, in comes a third level, one which turns this dichotomy into a group of tiers: the basement. Earlier, it was discussed that the Kim family’s half and half setup allowed for an obstructed yet present view of a better future; however, the other half stores an imminent fear of hitting rock bottom. This fear is brought to life through the Park family’s housemaid, Moon-gwang, and her debilitated husband Geun-sae. At this point, all four members of the Kim family have secured a spot in the Park mansion, the last having snatched a job away from a gravely ill Moon-gwang. As Geun-sae is first introduced to them, and the basement is unveiled, the Kim family show no mercy towards the coupled dwellers. In fact, they were so apathetic of the couple’s concerns, one could almost forget that the Kims are not too far ahead if at all (which it appears the Kims themselves have forgotten). Oftentimes, those who are in times of struggle turn against other folks in need. We see two pawns attempt to take each other down as they are being played by the same perpetrator, and in this case, both parties have used and been used by the Park family (who in turn, are just the mere face of capitalism and its broader problems related to class).
Let us revisit Da-song’s birthday party as this was where tensions between the Kims and the basement couple peaked. Da-song’s birthday party was the Park family’s attempt at not only celebrating their son but also helping him reclaim his birthday as a day of celebration and not fear. Where did this fear come from? Years ago, Da-song was in the kitchen alone at night, enjoying his birthday cake where from the corner of his eyes, he saw a ghost peeking through their basement, and ever since that day, he has become an extremely troubled kid who is as loud as he is reserved. This ghost turns out to actually be none other than Geun-sae, and with vengeance towards the Kim family and infatuation over the Park family in mind, he haunts the home once more. As both families and many of the Parks’ peers gather in celebration of little Da-song, a blood stained Geun-sae enters the backyard with only a knife in hand. Bloodshed is ensued in the Park family’s mansion, and in the eyes of the elite, it has become every man for themselves. Infuriated by this behavior, Ki-taek eventually takes down Da-song’s father, Park Dong-ik, and Ki-taek is left with no choice but to make himself home with the bottom tier, a downfall much more rapid and accessible than the rise the Kim family once dreamed of. Just like that, the battle between poor and poorer seems to have ended in vain with all of them in a place significantly worse than they initially were.
Ki-woo initiates an elaborate scheme to break Ki-taek out of this basement, grasping a higher education, grinding away at a job until he eventually accumulates the funds to this now cold and barren penthouse. However, as Ki-taek himself stated earlier, the best plan is to have no plan. Time and time, The Kim family is taught that they quite literally cannot afford to follow a simple plan. When people are subjected to conditions where they must survive instead of live day to day, the fruitful soil which allows these intricate plans to bloom are deprived and rocky.