PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

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.