The Vegetarian
Han Kang
[Portobello Books]
In The Vegetarian Han Kang ruthlessly targets South Korea’s social codes, using the story of a simple, personal rebellion to expose a callous patriarchy. Yeoung-hye is the titular vegetarian. ‘Completely unremarkable in every way’, according to her salaryman husband, she one day announces her intention to never eat meat again. Her reason is a recurring dream which tortures her with visceral images of blood and gore. Yeoung-hye’s subsequent moral departure from the traditional roles of meat-eater and dutiful wife draw conflict with those around her, who resort to force to restore normality.
A trilogy of narratives – by her husband, brother-in-law and sister – chart the vegetarian’s downfall, for she scarcely speaks herself. Most disturbing is the voice of Yeoung-hye’s husband Mr. Cheong, whose determination to suppress all traces of individuality is well captured by Kang’s sharply ironic first-person narrative. She carefully traces Cheong’s turn towards physical abuse as his wife becomes more emaciated and distant, and her behaviour risks public embarrassment. With each family member’s account, Kang picks apart the expectations and traditions which burden Korea’s women. To her brother-in-law, then, Yeoung-hye is a pliant canvas for his sexual and artistic obsessions, which miss entirely the importance of her vegetarianism; while her sister In-hye is caring but envious of her ‘magnificent irresponsibility’. The prose is bare; the characters are bare; and the deep discomfort Korean society holds for the ‘problem’ woman is beautifully exposed.
Words: Ruairi Casey
