Previous Next

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Scholar’s Rock 

The “scholar’s rock,” which Min-hyuk gives to Ki-woo early in the film, is supposed to be a symbol of luck and prosperity. Ki-woo accepts it gratefully, treating it as a sign that taking the job with the Parks is a good idea and that his family’s fortunes might improve. The ornamental rock becomes a stand-in for Ki-woo’s hopes and dreams, especially after the family begins working in the Park household. For much of the film, Ki-woo keeps it near him like a talisman, explaining to his family how its presence is helping them rise out of poverty. 

Throughout the course of the movie, the symbolic meaning of the rock becomes more complicated. As the Kims’ scheme begins to unravel, Ki-woo clings even more desperately to the belief that it will bring his family wealth and success. After their home floods during the storm, he retrieves the rock before saving anything else. It’s seen floating in the water—revealing that it’s not solid, but hollow. Despite knowing that it’s fake, Ki-woo carefully carries it through the sewage-filled streets and back to their destroyed apartment. In a cruel twist of irony, the rock that he believed was a symbol of good fortune is what nearly kills him: Geun-sae uses it to bludgeon Ki-woo, causing the brain injury that permanently alters his life. This action transforms the rock fundamentally. For most of the movie, it symbolized the Kims’ upward mobility; now it represents the hollowness of their dreams. Ki-woo survives Geun-sae’s attack, but the rock no longer carries hope for him. The scholar’s rock doesn’t bring the Kims closer to success, as Min-hyuk had intended. Instead, it lures them deeper into the illusion that they can escape poverty through ambition and luck alone. 

The Basement and the Bunker

The hidden basement beneath the Park home is one of Parasite’s most powerful symbols. Although it exists within their own house, the Parks are completely unaware of its existence. Their former housekeeper, Moon-gwang—who also worked for the home's original architect—is the only one who knows it’s there. She has kept the bunker secret so her husband, Geun-sae, can live there in hiding from loan sharks. When the Kims take over the Park household and accidentally uncover the bunker during Moon-gwang’s return visit, everything changes. What began as a scheme to deceive the oblivious Park family becomes far more complicated, as the Kims must now contend with Moon-gwang and her husband—two desperate people willing to do whatever it takes to survive. 

The basement dwelling beneath the Park home is a stark contrast to the luxurious lives of the Parks just above it. It’s not just a space of physical confinement—it represents the total erasure of Geun-sae. His life is so far removed from the Parks’ awareness that they don’t even realize he is walking around under their feet. For the Kims, the discovery of the bunker destroys the illusion that they’re moving up the social ladder by working for the Parks. Instead, it reveals how precarious their position really is. Though their new jobs may have enabled them to take a small step away from poverty, the social structure they live within wasn’t built to protect or support them. A change in circumstances can easily strip them of any superficial gains they've made, leaving them worse off than before.  

The basement and its hidden bunker symbolize the unseen workers that the wealthy choose to ignore. The comfort of the Parks and the upper class in general depends on this kind of willful blindness—both to the physical space below them and to the suffering of the people who serve them. Ki-taek’s eventual retreat into the basement drives home the idea that in a system built to keep people in their place, rising above poverty may be impossible. 

Rain 

Rain appears throughout Parasite, but its most striking moment of symbolism comes during the storm that floods the Kims’ basement apartment. For the Park family, the rain is a pleasant background noise—at worst, it’s a slight inconvenience that delays their son’s birthday camping trip. Protected by their hilltop mansion (which is afforded to them by their privilege and status), they remain untouched by the consequences of the storm. But what’s peaceful for the Parks is devastating for the Kims. They race down the hill to find their home utterly destroyed. Filthy water pours in from every opening, and their belongings float around them as their toilet gushes sewage. The flood forces the Kims to realize how fragile their position really is—it arrives just as they are beginning to feel secure in their new roles within the Park household. The next day at the Park home, they’re forced to smile and act as if nothing has happened, all while hiding the fact that they’ve lost nearly everything. The storm becomes a powerful symbol of how unevenly disaster strikes; rain can be background noise or complete ruination, depending on where you live, both physically and within the social hierarchy. 

Previous section Motifs Next section Setting

Take a Study Break