Abstract
Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite (2019) has successfully depicted universal issues regarding class identity and social mobility. It tells us a story about a lower-class family, the Kims who aspired and struggled in their journey of climbing the social ladder. This research aims to explore the process of identity construction of the Kims. Close textual analysis is employed as a tool for investigation and Althusser’s ideological interpellation is used to explain the process. The research also focuses on the socio-cultural factors that influence the Kims’ social mobility which contribute to the permanence of their class identity. The findings found out that many symbolic markers such as differences in property, neighborhood, education, diet and behavior distinguish the lower- and upper-class families. Thus, interpellation occurs when the family is lured into believing the ‘American dream’: by working hard enough and taking more risks, it is possible to climb up the social hierarchy. It constructs their identity as a lower-class with aspirations to move upward. This study also concludes that the persistence of social immobility is highly influenced by the level of education, perceptual discrimination, the impossibility of cross-class marriage and the economic inequality. Therefore, it proves that class identity can be unfavorable inheritance.
Highlights
The formation of social identity is influenced by many factors, primarily social groups such as sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class and so forth
Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies, Vol 10 (1) 2021 everyday commodities as they even have better access to education and healthcare. Through his Oscar-winning movie, Parasite (2019), director Bong Joon-Ho has successfully drawn a large amount of attention by bringing up the issues of social mobility and identities construction that are happening in this real world of growing inequalities
The contrasting representation of different identities based on social classes of the families in South Korea is brilliantly demonstrated in this engaging comedythriller movie
Summary
The formation of social identity is influenced by many factors, primarily social groups such as sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class and so forth. The concept of ‘social class’ is signalized by economic and material resources, Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies, Vol 10 (1) 2021 everyday commodities as they even have better access to education and healthcare Through his Oscar-winning movie, Parasite (2019), director Bong Joon-Ho has successfully drawn a large amount of attention by bringing up the issues of social mobility and identities construction that are happening in this real world of growing inequalities. Mr Kim accidentally hears a discriminated comment from Mr Park about his smell (the smell of those who ride the subway) that seeps to the back of the Mercedes Benz It leaves a deep mark and a burning feeling of resentment which later drives Mr Kim to commit a gruesome act. It is clear that Bong JoonHo has intelligently combined two conflicting elements, such as the ambition of the Kims to have a better quality of life as a hint of hope and their struggles in the social mobility which are the terrors related to the construction of class identity
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