Alienation, Assertion, Vegetarianism: Reading Han Kang’s The Vegetarian

Devishree Mohapatra and Madhusmita Pati

Published in Literary Oracle — Vol.8, Issue I, May 2024

Keywords: Alienation, Assertion, Liberation, Patriarchy, Vegetarianism

Abstract:

The Vegetarian, a Korean novella written by Han Kang and translated into English by Deborah Smith, revolves around Kim Yeong-hye, a young woman who is seen transgressing all boundaries in her defiance of patriarchy. This paper seeks to showcase her attempt at liberation from the shackles of male oppression eventually leading to self-assertion. It also explains how her tryst with vegetarianism acts as a turning point in her life and leads to her condition of social alienation and self-absorption. It examines the struggle of a non-conformist woman who is determined to carve a space for herself in a male-dominated world. Yeong-hye’s vegetarian way of life is but a rejection of patriarchal values though it is considered as a consequence of her mental illness. Thus, through a close reading of the text, the paper will also try to deconstruct the Korean social system and its values to understand the psyche of the protagonist and interpret her life decisions.

https://doi-ds.org/doilink/06.2024-14591219/LiteraryOracle/2024/V8/I1/A5