The school within Whispering Corridors acts as a microcosm. A microcosm being a "small world" or a place where it metaphorically acts like a bigger place or representing something. In this case, the school is a microcosm of South Korea with the characters acting as metaphors. Both Mrs Park and 'Mad Dog' represent South Korea under military rule. Whereas Eun-Young represents the New Democratic South Korea. The final shot is crucial in delivering the films message. It shows Jung-Sook breaking the fourth wall as she is the new ghost of the school, replacing Jin-Ju's ghost. This tells the audience that although things have changed, the past will always come back to haunt the school. And in terms of the school being a microcosm, it really means that although military rule has been taken over by democracy, the past will always lurk. This given the final message; how much has South Korea really changed? When speaking to Jin-Ju/Ji-Oh in the classroom is in a small spotlight and is highlighted unlike Jin-Ju's ghost in Ji-Oh's body. Although, at this point Eun-Young is vulnerable, she could be highlighted to show that she is the protagonist of the film. Metaphorically this could mean that because she represents democracy, this is a good thing. Whereas, Jin-Ju/Ji-Oh represents military ruling and is not shown in a bright light, showing that perhaps she is the antagonist and military rule is a negative thing that should have been left in the past. The deaths of Mrs. Park and 'Mad Dog' are metaphorical in the sense that the old has to be put in the past and room needs to be made for the democracy (Eun-Young). The return of Jin-Ju's ghost represents that history can always repeat itself; dictatorship can always return showing that democracy isn't perfect and the past is always going to be apparent.
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