The Vegetarian

“The Vegetarian” by Han Kang is a novel that deals with the role of women and the restrictions imposed by the Korean society. The story revolves around Yeong-He, a usual housewife who suddenly decides to turn into a vegetarian but she slowly dissociates more and more as time goes on.

The book is split into three parts, each dealing with the perspective of a different character: the husband, the brother-in-law and the sister. The first two chapters from the perspective of males undermines the decisions and choices of Yeong-He, while the last chapter from the perspective of her sister brings forth the abuse that she has endured and speculates on why she might have given in to losing herself completely.

The role of the woman

The first chapter deals with the perspective of the husband, who admits that all he ever wanted from a wife was being “ordinary”, i.e. conforming to the Korean ideals of a traditional wife. The husband quite clearly emphasises on their outward appearance, as evident from the dinner with his co-workers and his view that vegetarianism should only be allowed under the reasons acceptable by society rather than being based on personal morals or beliefs.