LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 24:10 October 2024
ISSN 1930-2940

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Cultural Resistance and Gender Dynamics:
A Vegetarian Ecofeminist Reading of The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Snigdha S. Research Scholar and Dr. Gomathi S. Assistant Professor


Courtesy: www.amazon.com

Abstract

Meat is considered an integral part of Korean culture, and anyone who diverges from this dietary regimen is often labelled as abnormal or insane. The novel, The Vegetarian, by Han Kang, delves into how the predominant meat-centric culture of South Korea marginalises vegetarians, particularly women who choose a vegetarian lifestyle. The protagonist of the novel, Yeong Hye, during her transformation into a vegetarian, resists the patriarchal pressures that seek to establish the practice of meat consumption as a dominant cultural norm. This paper analyses the novel, The Vegetarian, through the critical lens of the Vegetarian Ecofeminism theory formulated by Carol J. Adams. Adams establishes a connection between vegetarianism and the life of women in her theory relating to her social environment, The Sexual Politics of Meat. She argues that there is association of meat consumption with masculinity, and how women in patriarchal western societies are often expected to cook meat in accordance with the dietary demands of their husbands.

Keywords: The Vegetarian, Han Kang, Food and Culture, Male dominance, Meat dominance, Vegetarian Ecofeminism

The food that a person consumes significantly influences their identity, and society often attempts to characterise individuals by projecting its ideas of food symbolism onto their character. Food items are also endowed with rich symbolisms that bring a cultural association to the food that a person consumes. Michael Fox, in his theoretical book, Deep Vegetarianism, argues that an individual’s diet defines their identity in a dual sense, “because our corporeal selves would not exist without it, and because what we are is due to the meaning we superimpose on our food” (24). He concludes that the symbolic meaning associated with food is indeed a social construct of self-identity. From primitive times, men were considered natural hunters while women were engaged in feminine chores such as gathering food.

Vegetarian Ecofeminism is an interdisciplinary theory of study that makes use of concepts from food studies, feminist studies, environmental studies, and cultural studies. The theory mainly studies the interconnection between vegetarianism and ecofeminism in literature. It focuses on the domination of human beings over non-human animals and a parallel domination of men over women in a typical patriarchal society. The major argument of the theory is that these two forms of dominance are invariably interconnected. A few notable thinkers of the movement of vegetarianism include Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Carol J. Adams, Greta Gaard, Laura Wright, and Nick Fiddes.

Greta Gaard, in Vegetarian Ecofeminism: A Review Essay, defines the theory of vegetarian ecofeminism as the third generation of feminist studies and as the “logical outgrowth of both feminism and ecofeminism” (117). She emphasises the feminist dictum of the personal being political and further explains how the vegetarian ecofeminist theory helps in understanding the political context of dietary choices and the ways in which a person’s diet is taken by the society as a means to assess their feminity and masculinity. While practices such as meat eating, hunting, and poaching are perceived as attributes denoting masculinity, vegetarianism is frequently viewed as a feminine trait in many civilizations. We need to note here that in South India, assumed caste hierarchy is linked to vegetarianism/nonvegetarianism.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Snigdha S.
Research Scholar, Department of English
PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore 641004
snigdha.sunith@gmail.com

Dr. Gomathi S.
Assistant Professor, Department of English
PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore 641004
gomathis@psgrkcw.ac.in
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