The Vegetarian (2007, translated 2015)
By Han Kang 
Translated by Deborah Smith
(Novel)
Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, which won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, is told in three parts. The first part is based on Han’s short story “The Fruit of My Woman.” The second and third parts are “Mongolian Mark” and “Flaming Trees.” The inciting incident is Yeong-hye’s decision to become a vegetarian. She is not moved to act for her health, or because of political, ideological, or religious reasons. Instead, she tells her husband she has had a dream, and now she is a vegetarian. She no longer purchases or prepares meat. Her husband complains, but as he does not cook, he becomes accustomed to eating vegetarian meals in his home. His wife’s vegetarianism is extreme and clearly unhealthy. She interacts less and less with her husband; they stop having sex, and the only topic she will expand on is her dream, which she repeats regularly, without variation. In desperation, her husband reports his wife’s vegetarianism to his parents and his parents-in-law. They arrive determined to break her of her delusion and return her to her role as a proper Korean wife. While the first part is told from the perspective of Yeong-Hye’s husband, the second is told from the point of view of her brother-in-law. An artist and filmmaker, he is increasingly obsessed with Yeong-hye, especially when he learns from his wife that Yeong-hye still has her Mongolian mark, a bluish birthmark that typically appears on the back or buttocks of infants and usually disappears in their teens. He fantasizes about her and her mark almost constantly, eventually conceiving a new artistic project: he must bring his fantasy to life by painting flowers on her body and filming the process. Interestingly, the brother-in-law’s wife has had cosmetic surgery on her eyes to create the “double lid” – the most popular cosmetic surgery in South Korea. Yeong-hye has not had this surgery. In the son-in-law’s fantasy, Yeong-hye is a primitive, almost uncivilized being—and this excites his desire to possess her. The final section, “Flaming Trees,” tells the story from the point of view of Yeong-hye’s older sister, In-Hye. She owns and operates a successful cosmetics boutique and is raising a young son, Ji Woo. She has always played the role of guardian for her younger sister, and she continues to do so as Yeong-Hye continues to battle with her own demons. Throughout this final movement, Han Kong repeatedly tells the reader that the key action is taking place near the base of Mount Ch’ukseong; both women visit the woods on the slopes of this mountain. Unlike the other locations in the novel, Mount Ch’ukseong does not exist. According to Korean speakers, if one looked at the word in print, Ch’ukseong might be translated as “central fortress.” Hearing the word spoken, it might be translated as “shrinking nature” or “shrinking sexuality”—both recurring themes in The Vegetarian.

“’Interesting. You know, I’m surprised. I didn’t know you knew how to use color like this. So.’ She rubbed her sagging jawline. ‘This is quite an about-turn. Could you really exhibit something like this? Your nickname used to be ‘the May priest,’ you know. After Gwangju, your art was so engagé, almost as though you were atoning for surviving the May Massacre. You seemed so serious, so ascetic…all very romantic, I have to admit.’ P peered at him closely over her glasses. “I can see you’re aiming to transform your image, but…isn’t this a little extreme?’” (114)