The Vegetarian: A silent revolt against conformity

This story goes beyond food and is rooted in rebellion.

Image Credits - Canva

Originally written as ‘Chaesikjuuija’ in 2007, ‘The Vegetarian’ was translated into English in 2015 and won the Booker Prize in 2016. It regained its popularity after Han Kang won a Nobel Prize in Literature due to her "intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life." Han Kang is the first female Asian writer and first Korean writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The husband's gaze: A foundation of misunderstanding

“Before my wife became a vegetarian, I‘d always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way. To be frank, the first time I met her, I wasn’t even attracted to her.” These words give way to the husband’s point of view, instantly drawing the reader’s attention.

Yeong-hye is a dutiful wife and homemaker who is not passionate or ambitious and leads a very ordinary life. Her average life is disrupted by her decision of being a vegetarian which she dreamt about. Her husband is not supportive of her decision.

Mr. Cheong, in "The Vegetarian," is a portrait of ordinary male dominance. His wife, Yeong-hye's, sudden vegetarianism throws his comfortable life off-kilter. He sees her as a fixture, not an individual, and her choice as a personal inconvenience. He's bewildered and frustrated, not understanding her inner turmoil. His narrative highlights how easily we dismiss others' feelings when they disrupt our own comfort, revealing a chillingly familiar blindness to the lives of those closest to us.

A brother-in-law’s fixation: the distorted lens of desire

 Violence breaks out when her family tries to force-feed her sweet and sour pork, which makes her stab herself. This instigates a series of events leading to fracturing her own ordinary married life. Still, she stands strongly by her determination of becoming a vegetarian.

The second part talks about her unsuccessful filmmaker brother-in-law, whose artistic ambitions get him obsessed with a Mongolian mark on Yeong-hye's body. This further leads to sexual inappropiateness, delving into the darker corners of the human mind. Boundaries crossed, personal space violated, Yeoung-Hye begins to feel an intolerable need to break free from her shackles.

The sister’s burden: navigating the boundaries of empathy

In-hye, Yeong-hye's older sister, provides a crucial perspective on the unfolding events. Her attempts to support her sister are complicated by the limitations of her own understanding. Initially, she interprets Yeong-hye's actions through a medical lens, but she gradually recognizes the deeper significance of her rebellion. In-hye's journey is a poignant reflection on the complexities of familial bonds and the struggle to balance compassion with the acceptance of individual autonomy.

A symbolic descent: seeking freedom in nature

The third part follows the narrative perspective of Yeong-Hye’s sister In-Hye, another important character, a cosmetics store manager and successful business woman. 4 years elder to her, she feels responsible for her sister and to hold the family together. The novel beautifully throws light on the multiple familial obligations women are burdened to carry out, even if toxic.

While she feels and shows compassion towards her Yeoung-Hye, she learns that no matter how much you want to be there for family, there is only so much one can do. Eventually, she chooses to focus on her path to freedom and liberation.

The fracture landscape of communication

The story moves with different points of view and shows the reader how a simple thing like being a vegetarian can ruin relationships and become a sign of dejection and oppression. Kang shares a unique narrative while unlayering the complexities of relationships and emotions. She intensely explores the themes of gender inequality, societal expectations, violence, and trauma where lack of communication and isolation have become part of individual experience.

A distinctive literary voice

Yeong Hye tries to find liberation from societal norms and expectations. From becoming a vegetarian, something that was uncommon in Korean society, to drawing flowers on her body and, in the end, becoming a tree. From leaving the true traits of being an animal to becoming a plant, she finds salvation. She saves herself by doing what she wants rather than what is expected of her.

Also Read: Coffee and community: finding connection in Bir