In "Parasite" the character takes on a key role. The soldier is not simply a soldier; he represents a person who has grown up with a certain ideology. It is this ideology that has shaped his way of thought and his being as a whole. Yet, he has never been put in the situation where he can put that ideology into action. He has never experimented with his thoughts in a tangible way.

Many of us have grown up with certain ideas about our own capacities and abilities. Yet, we do not know if we can put those capacities to test in a real-time setting. These ideas are the end product of many factors including the media and are not necessarily compatible with the essence of people per say.

Once again, the media plays an effective role. Here, the media is portrayed as a tool that has created certain beliefs in the soldier since childhood. It has given the soldier specific character traits that are exploited by the story’s narrative. It has instilled in him ideas towards situations. From the actions of the soldier it is very clear that he has been under the influence of the media’s portrayal of warfare and has yearned for years to become the war hero so brilliantly mystified by movies, news bulletins, and pop culture.  In the watchtower the story is set in, the media is also present in the shape of an old radio.

The voices churning out from the radio add to the soldier’s delirium. He has been hypnotized and only snaps back to reality when events develop way beyond his control. It is here that the media leaves the scene and makes the soldier face the consequences of his actions on his own. One can say that the media has played a negative role in this light and has created an obedient actor from a living human being.