In 2024, South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize for her novel “The Vegetarian”. It is a bleak, achingly painful story that is difficult to read. The author explores the theme of madness, something people are usually reluctant to discuss. One day, driven by nightmares, the main protagonist gives up meat. She feels as though the souls of dead animals have taken up residence within her, granting her no peace.
The narrative is divided into three parts: the first is told from the perspective of her husband, the second from her brother-in-law, and the third from her sister.
The root of our vegetarian’s descent into madness lies in the patriarchal society in which she was raised and continues to exist. The young woman yearns for freedom, and her protest takes on this peculiar form. She dreams of turning into a plant because she perceives those around her as bloodthirsty creatures, while feeling a hidden hatred toward them within herself. She does not want to be like them, yet she can no longer endure living by their rules.
She no longer craved blood. She wanted flowers to bloom inside her, transforming her body into a flowering tree.
This book is about rebellion and taboos, about violence and sensuality, and about the bizarre, frantic shapes that the desire for freedom can take.
