Parasite: The Smell of Poverty (Luke 16:19-26)

The Kim family infiltrates the wealthy Park household through deception, each taking a position as servant. Mr. Park remarks that the driver has a peculiar smell—the smell of poverty, of the subway, of people who cannot escape their class. The Kims hear this. The violence that follows is not simply about money but about dignity. Jesus tells of the rich man who ignored Lazarus at his gate, never learning his name, not seeing his humanity. The chasm between them becomes literal in death. Parasite shows how class creates chasms in life—the wealthy literally live above, the poor below. The smell Mr. Park notices is the smell of those he has chosen not to see.