What happens when a human body tries to become a plant?
In short: In 2007, South Korean author Han Kang published a novel that would eventually win the Man Booker International Prize. It follows a woman who, after a nightmare about animal cruelty, decides to stop eating meat—triggering a radical, terrifying physical and psychological transformation into something non-human.
Divided into three segments—'Mongolian Mark', 'Flaming Trees', and 'The Vegetarian'—this novel depicts Yeong-hye, a graphic designer whose abrupt move toward vegetarianism causes her marriage to fracture. Her husband, Mr. Cheong, who seeks an unremarkable life, reacts with violence and confusion as she becomes increasingly thin and distant. The narrative shifts perspectives from the first-person account of the husband to third-person accounts focusing on her brother-in-law and eventually her sister, In-hye.
The story explores extreme themes of human violence and the search for innocence. Yeong-hye’s transformation is not merely dietary; it is a visceral rejection of humanity. After being force-fed pork by her father, she attempts to sever her connection to the animal world entirely. In the final section, she is admitted to a mental hospital where she begins to behave like a plant—standing in the rain as if she were a tree and eventually giving up food altogether, leading to a state of physical decline.
Han Kang’s inspiration for this vegetal psyche came from the Korean writer Yi Sang, who once wrote that humans should be plants. Han reworked an earlier 1997 short story into this darker novel between 2003 and 2004. The work was initially received as "very extreme and bizarre" in South Korea but gained international acclaim through British translator Deborah Smith. It remains a profound meditation on the impossibility of escaping human violence by casting off one's own body.
The book's journey to global recognition is notable. It sold fewer than 20,000 copies in its first nine years of publication before becoming a literary sensation. In 2016, it became the first recipient of the Man Booker International Prize after the award was reconfigured to honor single novels rather than bodies of work.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Vegetarian
- Also: The Vegetarian
- Also: Wikidata — The Vegetarian · CC0
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/places-the-vegetarian.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Major world cities · More in Countries & Cities · Latest · A–Z · All topics
