The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Description

Yeong-hye, a calm housewife in modern-day Seoul, surprises her traditional family when she decides to stop eating meat. She says this is to make her body more like plants and to get away from the “carnivorous” violence that is part of human culture. At first, Yeong-hye’s actions seem harmless, but they quickly turn into a silent revolution against cultural norms. She stops eating meat and leaves behind the whole idea of social conformity.

In Part One, Yeong-hye’s husband tells the story and we see how confused and angry he is with her weird behavior. He used to care about his job as an office worker and being the head of the household, but now he is preoccupied with controlling her. He sees her plain speech and vegetarian diet as a type of personal betrayal. His point of view shows how traditional Korean society is based on patriarchal ideas and how Yeong-hye’s independence undermines the stability of the family unit.

Part Two changes to the point of view of Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law, a video artist who is unhappy with his life and is trying to figure out what to do about it. He grows more and more interested in Yeong-hye’s change and her body, which he shoots and draws in a strange mix of respect and sexual desire. The book explores topics of objectification and desire through the eyes of a voyeur, showing how thin the line is between artistic inspiration and cruel exploitation.

In-hye, Yeong-hye’s sister, tells the story of how her sister’s breakdown affected the whole family in the last part. In-hye’s efforts to help Yeong-hye getting her psychiatric help, embarrassing her, and confronting her in a desperate way don’t bring her sister back to normal behavior. Instead, Yeong-hye’s seclusion turns into a kind of quiet protest that ends with her being sent to a mental hospital, where she finds peace far away from the pressures of marriage, motherhood, and responsibility.

Han Kang’s simple, lyrical writing uses poetry and disturbing images to bring Yeong-hye’s inner world to life. Scenes of changing desire her shaking at the sight of blood, her joy in the taste of raw vegetables, and her connection to the natural world are equally horrifying and uplifting. The Vegetarian makes readers think about hard questions: Is it really possible to detach our bodies from the violence we do, whether it’s through our diet, what we buy, or our positions in society? And when does personal freedom turn into self-destruction?

The unnerving ending of the story leaves Yeong-hye’s fate unclear: has she reached a higher level of being, free from the flesh, or has she given in to a pathological retreat from life? The Vegetarian‘s strength lies in its ambiguity, which forces readers to think about the complicated relationship between independence, mental health, and fitting in with society.

About the Author

Han Kang is a South Korean writer whose work explores the intersections of violence, desire, and language. Born in Gwangju in 1970, she won international acclaim with The Vegetarian, which earned the Man Booker International Prize in 2016 and has been translated into multiple languages. Han’s novels, including Human Acts and The White Book, invite readers to confront the boundaries of empathy and the depths of human resilience.

Product Details

• Title: The Vegetarian
• Author: Han Kang
• ISBN‑13: 9781925240787
• Publisher: Portobello Books
• Published: January 18, 2016 (English translation)
• Pages: 192
• Binding: Paperpack