OVERLAY REPORT

In Bong Joon-ho’s *Parasite*, the scholar’s rock (known in Korean as *Suseok*) is one of the film’s most layered and haunting symbols. It represents the Kim family’s aspirations, the burden of class mobility, and the eventual violence that erupts from their deception. Here is the significance of the scholar’s rock categorized by its role in the narrative: ### 1. A Symbol of False Hope and Upward Mobility The rock is introduced as a gift from Min-hyuk (Ki-woo’s wealthy friend) to the Kim family. Min-hyuk’s grandfather, a man of status, specifically sends it to bring "material wealth" to the family. For Ki-woo, the rock is the physical manifestation of his desire to belong to the upper class. When he first receives it, he famously remarks, **"This is so metaphorical."** This line is ironic because Ki-woo is trying to sound sophisticated and intellectual, yet he doesn't quite understand the weight of what the rock represents—a lifestyle that is ornamental and detached from the survivalist reality of his family. ### 2. The Burden of Ambition As the film progresses and the Kims' web of lies grows, the rock stops being a "blessing" and becomes a literal and figurative weight. During the devastating flood scene, where the Kims' semi-basement home is submerged in sewage, Ki-woo is seen clutching the rock as it floats (or appears to float) toward him. Later, at the gymnasium where the displaced families sleep, Ki-woo holds the rock to his chest. When his father asks why he is clutching it, Ki-woo says, **"It keeps clinging to me."** This highlights that his ambition and his "plan" to fix everything have become an obsession he cannot let go of, even when his life is falling apart. He is no longer pursuing wealth; he is being haunted by the pressure to achieve it. ### 3. The Irony of "Natural" vs. "Artificial" Scholar’s rocks are valued because they are natural stones that look like miniature mountains, representing the beauty of nature brought into a domestic setting. However, in the context of the Kims, it represents their **forgery**. Just as the rock is an imitation of a mountain, the Kims are imitations of "refined" professionals (tutors, art therapists, chauffeurs). The rock symbolizes the "fake it 'til you make it" mentality. It is an object of high culture placed in a low-class environment, creating a friction that eventually sparks the film's climax. ### 4. The Transition from Gift to Weapon The most visceral significance of the rock is its role in the final act. Ki-woo takes the rock down into the secret basement, intending to use it to "finish" the problem of Geun-sae (the man hiding under the house). The irony is profound: the object meant to bring the Kims "material wealth" is the very tool Ki-woo chooses for murder. However, in a tragic turn, he fumbles the rock, and Geun-sae uses it to smash Ki-woo’s head. **The symbol of Ki-woo's social ambition literally crushes him.** The thing he thought would elevate him is what nearly kills him. ### 5. The Return to Reality In the final sequence of the film, after the tragedy has unfolded, Ki-woo is seen placing the rock back into a real stream. By returning the rock to the water, Ki-woo is symbolically letting go of the "metaphor." He is returning the object to nature, where it is just a common stone rather than a symbol of status. This signifies the end of his delusions of a quick ascent into the upper class. He realizes that the "stone" was never a lucky charm; it was a weight that anchored his family to a dream they could never realistically achieve through deception.