Metamorphosis of a Lady into a Tree: An Introspection into Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
Author : Dr. Sarada PV
Abstract :
A woman is equated with a tree is a topic of curiosity for the reading pubic with an anticipation of a kind of vegetative existence from the part of women community in an androcentric society. Likewise here in this novel Han Kang projects her central character Yeong-Hye as a submissive woman who lost her voice, identity, and above all her existence in a patriarchal world and later accepted the role of a tree in the narrative. Her convoluted journey from a human being to a tree began with the simple step of being a vegetarian in a traditional South Korean family where animal protein is quite frequent. Here the attempt is to analyse the role of Yeong-Hye under the theoretical frame work of ecofeminism.
Ecofeminism is a branch of feminism that focuses on the connections between women and nature. French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne had coined the term in 1974. Its focus is on equality between genders, on assessing non-patriarchal or nonlinear structures, and on respecting organic processes, finding holistic connections, and the advantages of intuition and collaboration. It also highlights a commitment to the environment and an awareness of the associations made between women and nature. Here the attempt is to analyse the novel The Vegetarian by Han Kang under the speculation of eco feminism. And it also tries to analyse the vegetative existence of the protagonist of the novel and finding similarities with women and nature in a subconscious level. In a way it tries to analyse how the protagonist finally succumbs to her tree like existence ignoring all social and familial role definitions.
Keywords :
Eco-feminism, Metamorphosis, Vegetative.
