34 pages • 1 hour read
Han KangThe Vegetarian
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
The novel is set in Korea and was originally written in Korean. Analyze aspects of Korean culture as they are expressed in the novel
Both In-hye and Yeong-hye marry men who do not understand them. Compare the two marriages and what roles the husbands play in the novel’s plot.
Describe how shifts in the weather throughout the novel reflect other characteristics of the novel’s plot.
Which character is most negatively impacted by patriarchy? Support your answer with examples from the novel.
Analyze the content of Yeong-hye’s dreams and describe how they explore the novel’s conflict.
Food is a key motif in the novel. In what ways do the characters interact with food, and how are these experiences different?
Yeong-hye eventually believes that she can become a tree. Approaching her vegetarianism as a metaphor, explain what Yeong-hye’s belief represents in a larger sense.
Kang writes the entire novel in a third-person perspective. Analyze how the perspective of the novel affects how a reader experiences the characters and plot points.
Natural space is contrasted with man-made spaces in every part of the novel. Discuss this contrast using specific examples from the novel.
Several characters struggle with the question of whether to commit suicide, yet none of them follow through. In what ways is this a larger social commentary on the nature of existence?
