Introduction

The Vegetarian is a Psychological Fiction Novel that explores human nature. It is a powerful novel with beautiful imagery used. It is a bit tragic to see how one’s mental health can deteriorate which Han Kang did in a deftly way. I will go about this review by looking at the physical aspects as well as the content. There may be some spoilers ahead, I did my best to tread around it, but if you want to experience the novel for yourself I suggest you leave this post for another time.

Expectations

When I first came across The Vegetarian I thought it was going to be some absurd story about cannibalism. How I got to that conclusion is a question I cannot even answer. The story was quite the opposite and it exceeded my expectations. It had the absurdity and the reality which is a combination that I think is not easy to perfect.

Writing

Han Kang’s writing style is simplistic, I say this in a positive light. There is not an over extensive amount of figure of speech used to set a scene or to address a serious topic. What is also prominent about Han Kang’s writing in The Vegetarian is the technique of “show don’t tell”. There is not that much dialogue present in comparison to the “show”, but the thoughts of the characters are focalised. This technique with the use of the simplistic writing creates a piece that is pleasing to a reader like me who appreciates “less is more” in writing.

Narration

The characters are close-knit, in a sense that they have familial ties to the main character (Yeong-hye). It is interesting that Han Kang chose three characters’ viewpoint, but never the protagonist. The characters are Mr. Cheong (Yeong-hye’s husband), In-hye (Yeong-hye’s older sister) and In-hye’s husband who is unnamed. The reader gets to know the chosen characters and the main character through their view of events and/or feelings. It is sometimes frustrating to read about the other characters’ internal conflict when one wants to know more about Yeong-hye who is the protagonist. Other than that I feel that the first-person narration is done very well regarding the characters’ focalisation of their own feelings and feelings in regard to Yeong-hye and her strange behaviour.

Structure

The way in which Han Kang chose the different characters to narrate, links perfectly with the structure. The reason I say this is because Yeong-hye’s interaction with a certain character determines who narrates. At first it is Yeong-hye’s husband, Mr. Cheong, who has first hand experiences of Yeong-hye’s strange behaviour and reaches out to her family for help. Following is Yeong-hye’s brother in law who Yeong-hye interacts with regarding the film he is creating. Lastly, after a terrible string of events involving Yeong-hye; Yeong-hye’s sister (In-hye) steps in to be there for her sister. The structure is quite easy to follow and will not wrack your brain.

Psychology

The protagonist starts off by becoming vegetarian after a dream she had. Her lifestyle escalates and with that her mental health. I wish Han Kang could give us a small insight into Yeong-hye’s psyche. She does give little pieces in the form of Yeong-hye’s dreams, but other than that we see Yeong-hye’s psyche through her behaviour at a distance. From her throwing out meat at first to standing upside down on her hands to become a tree. It is as if Yeong-hye is terrified of herself being human and wants to become a literal tree. With this she acts like a child and become distant from reality. To see this escalation is interesting from a psychological point of view. This makes one want to dive deeper into Yeong-hye’s view of things. How she might see the world in her emotional isolation.

Interpretation

The Vegetarian can be interpreted in different ways. I saw Yeong-hye as someone who does not want to be human as she is disturbed by human nature. Human nature is selfish and imprudent. For example Mr. Cheong taking advantage of Yeong-hye, he acts on his feelings toward her in a violent and rash manner. It is as if Yeong-hye distances herself from the evil human nature holds and wants to become part of the good and pure. This interpretation is a bit shallow and deeper meaning can be linked to the message Han Kang wanted to convey. I read more about the Primitivity and Acountability interpretation which also connects to the psychology and philosophy of being human and human nature.

Thank you for reading my review of The Vegetarian, I really recommend getting a copy as it should be on every bookworm’s shelf. Please be cautious when reading, there is sexual assault and violence present.

(The post is my own creation, unless stated otherwise or linked. The photographs were taken by my partner, @fermentedphil, with his Nikon D300.)