Growing Across Borders: The Symbolism of Minari in World Literature

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the symbolism of the Minari plant in Lee Isaac Chung's film Minari (2020) using a world literature approach. The film tells the story of a Korean-American immigrant family and depicts their struggles in building a new life in the United States. The Minari plant, as the primary symbol, not only represents resilience and adaptability but also serves as a bridge between the family's original culture and their new environment. Through the world literature approach, this study highlights how local symbols like Minari can transcend cultural boundaries and be universally interpreted by audiences from diverse backgrounds. The method used is descriptive qualitative analysis with narrative analysis of scenes, dialogue, and visual context in the film. The research findings indicate that the Minari symbol holds rich cross - cultural meaning, and Minari as part of the global literary discourse.