Revolution And Environmental Change In Snowpiercer, By Joo Kyoong Junho

There is a famous quote by Karl Marx which states, ”History repeats itself, first as tradedy, second as farce.” The history of mankind started from people who lived in caves, using handaxe. As time passes, human evolved to a certain point when ancient civilization began to arise followed by industrialization. According to the book “That year, history changed” by Joo Kyoung Cheol, there are mainly four turning points in the hisory of mankind. First is when Columbus sails and brings rapid progress to the European civilization. The next crucial event that shaped the current society is when economical diffence between the East and the West occurred as industrialization began in the 1920s. Moreover, the history of mankind faced another problem

Among the turning points in the history of mankind mentioned above,revolution and environmental change are chosen as the main topic of the film. In 2014, an attempt to counteract global warming through climate engineering backfires catastrophically, unintentionally causing an ice age that extinguishes all life except the those who are on Snowpiercer, a massive train powered by a perpetual mmotion engine that travels a circumnavigational track. However, the owner of the train Wilford and the governing system’s dictatorship makes the protagonist, Curti and Namgoong Minsoo and Gilliam who like in the tail compartment of the train to revolt, bringing them to the engine compartment. Through the “Snowpiercer”, Bong Jungo tries to present some resolutions for the upcoming future where we have to face unknown problems of the Fourth Industrial Revoltuion by diagnosing the past and present of the mankind, by depicting them is each compartment of the train and the governing

It might seem random but it is related to the topic of the film since polar bear is commonly used as a icon for saving the Earth. “Snowpiercer” owes its background to global climate change and sudden glacial era. Thus, the image of polar bear can be seen as a warning Bong Joonho sends to the audience to be aware of environmental issues. Bong Joonho also provides a resolution to the problems that happen due to modern capitalism and social structure; communication. One big difference between Yona and Namgoong Minsoo is that Minsoo uses a language translator while Yona communicates freely with others. In other words, Minsoo, who is a intellectual that suggests a new future, have difficulty sharing his idea with the leader, Curtis. On the other hand, Yona could deliever her thoughts directly, opening a new future for the generation. Making a comment about the ending, Goh Ahsung said “The new future that lies outside the train is beginning of another train under the mask of a totally new world”. In conclusion, the outside world that is depicted in the film can be seen as the future of mankind that is yet