PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

 

e-ISSN 2231-8542
ISSN 1511-3701

Home / Regular Issue / JTAS Vol. 28 (1) Mar. 2020 / SSH-3951-2018.p

 

Defying Norms and Redefining Identity: Yeong-hye’s Journey in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian

Devika Kakkat and Sulagna Mohanty

Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Volume 28, Issue 1, March 2020

Keywords: Ecological, identity, resistance, vegetarianism, violence

Published on: 19 March 2020

Rooted in the ostensible noninterventionist South Korean society, Han Kang’s novel The Vegetarian brings forth the atypical narrative of the protagonist Yeong-hye’s resistance and redefinition of identity through embracing vegetarianism. As food functions as an instrumental tool in the outlandish account of Yeong-hye, this paper tries to inspect its impact on shaping her perceptions towards desire, pleasure, sexuality and identity. Through the lens of Vegetarian Ecofeminism, this study attempts to analyze various aspects of violence like ecological, sexual and physical. Hence, by identifying the metaphor of vegetarianism used as a means for self- reclamation and journeying through the protagonist’s uncanny transformation, the paper arrives at a profound comprehension of the protagonist’s complex psyche and an intense exploration of her existential dilemma.

ISSN 1511-3701

e-ISSN 2231-8542

Article ID

SSH-3951-2018.p

Download Full Article PDF

Share this article

Recent Articles