The Vegetarian

"A common thread in much of the South Korean literature I’ve read in translation, and something I love, is the focus on the average person. The Vegetarian is a fascinating reflection on a culture in which stepping out of the ordinary is not as celebrated as it might be in the US (though this may be a sweeping generalization). Han Kang’s novels center on people you would describe as normal and having very few remarkable characteristics. The Vegetarian is a novel about a woman called Yeong-hye. The first part of the novel is narrated by her husband, who describes her as being completely unremarkable. She’s a homemaker. She makes his dinner. She’s quiet. She wears black slip-on shoes. She’s a gentle presence that is always perfecting her surroundings. She can be seen as an accoutrement to the lives of those around her. I’ve chosen this book because it’s about how a seemingly average person is capable of extraordinary acts. Even if we perceive ourselves to be average, whether in a negative sense or in the sense that we all are average, it doesn’t stop us from pushing back when necessary. We have so few acts of resistance available to us. Many of us are reading books like How to Blow Up a Pipeline , which recently has been made into a film. Small acts of resistance have been witnessed throughout history. During periods of religious persecution, there were moments when people would have thrown someone a food parcel or talked to somebody across the divide. These are the things that truly stand out in humankind because they go against societal expectations. Many of my book choices are about things that step outside of societal norms. In The Vegetarian , Han Kang describes a woman who is completely unremarkable in every way, yet she chooses her act of resistance in the most poignant possible way. In Korean society, eating meat is seen as an integral part of life, and it signifies wealth and prosperity. Yeong-hye’s decision to become vegetarian angers everyone around her. At dinner one night, Yeong-hye’s sister tries to force-feed her meat. Yeong-hye enrages everybody by going against what society expects of her. She’s saying, I have fulfilled your requirements my whole life. On the surface I have seemed relatively content, but now it’s time to do small things to express my discontentment. Without revealing too much of the plot, other elements come into play as this choice continues to expand and creates lasting issues. This novel, about subverting societal expectations whenever and however we can, is inspirational, sad, and beautiful. When Yeong-hye’s lover paints a flower on her body, she is awestruck by it. She feels that this flower is blooming on her body, and it provides the only color in an otherwise monochrome life. It makes her mind come alive again. There’s something very beautiful in these small acts of transgression. They give us hope. Being average has its moments, but it’s necessary to step out of line from time to time."