Prominent author Han Kang and her works have received even greater attention since the author has won the Nobel Prize in Literature last week. Han Kang’s The Vegetarian is a chilling and thought-provoking exploration of the quiet, yet intense, disintegration of a woman’s life and the oppressive societal forces that drive her toward an increasingly radical decision. At its core, the novel begins with Yeong-hye’s seemingly innocuous decision to become a vegetarian after a disturbing dream, but this choice quickly spirals into a deeper, darker rebellion against the constraints of her family, her culture, and the rigid gender roles she inhabits. There are three sections of this novel, and each comes from the perspective of a different family member. The Vegetarian dissects the ways in which societal expectations of behavior, particularly around food, can become both a literal and figurative prison.
Yeong-hye’s transformation is portrayed with unsettling detachment, the stark violence of her internal world sharply contrasted against the emotional numbness of those around her. Her husband, Mr. Cheong, is an apathetic figure, largely indifferent to his wife’s needs and desires, but his irritation with her decision not to eat meat reveals his deeper fear: the unraveling of a well-ordered, patriarchal world where men control both the domestic and public spheres. Yeong-hye’s refusal to conform to these gendered expectations becomes an act of resistance, one that her father and husband both view as an affront to their authority, symbolized by their insistence that she return to a meat-based diet, which she equates with submission to the patriarchal order. The family's reaction to Yeong-hye’s new diet, and their eventual responses to her growing psychological unraveling, form the tragic backbone of the narrative.
In the second part of the novel, we see Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law, a failed artist, become obsessed with her body, a disturbing dynamic that underscores the objectification of women’s bodies, not only in their roles as wives and mothers but also in how their bodies are desired, controlled, and commodified by the male gaze. His fixation on her naked body — which she exhibits with increasing disinterest in societal conventions — becomes a grotesque manifestation of the violence inflicted on women’s autonomy, as if Yeong-hye’s body itself is a site of rebellion. This part of the novel delves into the complexities of desire, art, and ownership, where the artist’s pursuit of “truth” in his work clashes violently with the violation of Yeong-hye’s personhood.
The final part of The Vegetarian shifts to Yeong-hye’s sister, In-hye, who is left to pick up the pieces of a family torn apart by Yeong-hye’s actions. In-hye's experiences tell the readers about the limits of familial obligation amidst an unraveling family. As In-hye tries to understand her sister’s psychological breakdown, the novel underscores the emotional labor often demanded of women within families, as well as the silent despair that can go unnoticed until it erupts in crisis. In the end, Yeong-hye’s radical act of rejecting meat and traditional gender roles becomes an almost unbearable act of self-destruction, a metaphor for the impossibility of living authentically in a society that demands conformity.
In the end, Yeong-hye’s decision to become a vegetarian can be seen as a powerful act of resistance — not just against the oppressive structures of her family and society, but also against the violence embedded in our relationship with the natural world. This goes against the patriarchal order, where a meat-based diet symbolizes male control and challenges the broader cultural assumption that humans must consume animals to assert their identity and power. Through Yeong-hye’s tragic journey, Han Kang touches on the deeper ethical questions surrounding the way we treat animals and the environment, encouraging readers to rethink the cost of our everyday choices. The Vegetarian isn't just about rejecting meat; it’s a radical reimagining of what it means to live authentically in a world marked by exploitation, whether of people or of nature. Ultimately, the novel forces us to confront the uncomfortable truth that breaking free from such ingrained systems of violence is never simple — and often comes at a devastating personal cost.
Bibliography
Hahn, Daniel. “The Vegetarian by Han Kang Review – an Extraordinary Story of Family Fallout.” The Guardian, 24 Jan. 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/24/the-vegetarian-by-han-kang-review-family-fallout.
Kang, Han. The Vegetarian. Changbi Publishers, 2007.
Soojeong, 신수정. 한강 소설에 나타나는 ‘채식’의 의미 : 『채식주의자』를 중심으로. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001504911.
“‘The Vegetarian,’ by Han Kang.” The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/books/review/the-vegetarian-by-han-kang.html.