Rejecting “His” Food: An Animal Ecofeminist and Eco-Deconstructive Reading of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (2007)

Shaimaa Ahmed Elateek

Abstract


This paper interrogates the sexual politics woven into the dietary choices in Han Kang’s novel, The Vegetarian (2007). It unveils how these culinary preferences reflect the complex social dynamics among characters. The novel focuses on one woman’s transformative shift to vegetarianism and its effects on her relationships. Utilising Jacques Derrida's eco-deconstructive theory and ecofeminist perspectives, the study reveals how dietary choices shape gender and power relations. That is, eating transcends mere preference, becoming a battleground for sexual politics. Male characters are deeply rooted in a carnophallogocentric mindset, raising consciousness on how they attempt to dominate women and animals alike. In this patriarchal framework, meat consumption symbolises hierarchical control. This paper concludes by arguing that the narrative is a call to view eating as a commentary on the intersected issues of gender, power, and identity in societies, generally marked by exploitation and subjugation.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/3L-2025-3103-18

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