Just finished reading the Vegetarian by Han Kang, the first book I've read of hers and as per tradition, I've scrolled through some opinions here, as I've felt the book is deliberately left open and incomplete as for the reader to have the freedom to complete it as it seems fit, with its own interpretations.
In my point on view, the book it's mainly about an extreme desperation to escape the innate humane nature of carnal sin and to become naturally pure. First by becoming a Vegetarian (in the dream that propels such decision, the main character gets disgusted at the idea of having meat and guts, rather graphically being shoved into their mouths), the family responds to such decision with physically and emotionally violence which we come to learn was habitually done, the husband is apathic to this and decides to abandon the main character, the in law takes carnal desire on her (not beauty, nor passion, in the flowers in her body,, but pure lust) which escalates into sexual violence. And ultimately we come to learn that the closest that the main character was to a sense of freedom was in the mountains, surround by trees which might've influenced her decision into deciding altogether of not eating, only obtaining sustenance through water and the sun.
This is merely my interpretation and I strongly believed Han Kang did not want the readers to have one only uniform take from the book. It's layered and it targets multiple topics at the same time. All the characters in their own way are desperately grasping for a strange sense of freedom from a society they cannot escape from, yet the main character strangely seems to be the one to be the only who is successful at it and yet is being restrained from doing it by the selfishness of her sister,, which honestly cannot be blamed.
Overall it's an interesting read.
by bunnyju194