2019 Korean Literature Essay Contest winning essays

By Mikayla George, junior, Media

The concept of the “new woman” arose as a phenomenon in the early 20th century, emerging in Korea during the Japanese colonial period. This archetype was defined by a romanticism of the female as the most marginalized member of society, who could gain agency through modernization. In the Korean context, the new woman was associated with Westernization and modernity, and over time became ostracized and thought of as a negative consequence of modernity (Kim, 52). In contemporary Korean literature such as The Vegetarian by Han Kang, the colonial new woman archetype manifests in an individual whose disregard of traditional values leads to destructive consequences. Yeong-hye from The Vegetarian embodies the new woman through her subversion of traditional gender expectations and her struggle for bodily autonomy which culminates in a moment of transcendence of societal norms.

In The Vegetarian, Yeong-hye’s subversions of gender norms are simultaneously fetishized and criticized, which echoes the treatment of new women during the colonial period. During the pivotal family dinner scene in Part I of the novel, Yeong-hye’s father forces a piece of meat into her mouth after slapping her and yelling at her repeatedly (Han 48). This moment of violence embodies not only her family and father’s disapproval of her transgression, but also the specific disapproval of her actions from men, and thus patriarchal society as a whole. This is represented through her father telling Yeong-hye’s husband and brother to hold her still when he force feeds her (Han 46). The only man in the scene who doesn’t participate in this act of violence is Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law, who carries her to the car after she slits her wrist (Han 48). Instead of enacting violence on her in this moment like the other men, he commits the act of fetishization of her transgression in Part 2 of the novel. His obsession with her Mongolian mark represents how he fixates on her difference as an object of arousal, illustrated through the scene where he masturbates to the thought of Yeong-hye in the shower, “...remembering how it felt to carry her on his back, her body pressed up against his and staining his clothes with her blood, the feel of her chest and buttocks, imagined himself pulling down her trousers just enough to reveal the blue brand of the Mongolian mark” (Han 73). The brother-in-law’s sexual attraction to Yeong-hye directly relates to the specific moment when Yeong-hye refused to comply with societal norms. This combined with another mark of her difference—her Mongolian mark—are what the brother-in-law is drawn to. Rather than genuinely seeing her as an individual searching for her own freedom from society’s constraints, he fetishizes how different she is from normal women in his life. He turns her attempt at self-discovery into his own sexual fantasy. Her embodiment of the new woman is not about her own feelings, but is attractive to him because he sees it as inherently perverse.

Yeong-hye’s decision to abandon the societal norm of eating meat also becomes synonymous with her abandonment of gender norms related to men’s expectation of women’s bodies. As she stopped eating meat, “She grew thinner by the day, so much so that her cheekbones had really become indecently prominent. Without makeup, her complexion resembled that of a hospital patient” (Han 23). For Yeong-hye, the focus on her body as a site of transgression is a product of how her identity is constantly constructed by outside forces. This identity construction is best represented in the scene of her husband speaking over her at the company dinner, making up a reason for her vegetarianism (Han 34). In this instance, he deprives Yeong-hye of her own vegetarian identity, and constructs a new one which is more acceptable to society broadly. This constant intrusion into Young-hye’s journey of self-discovery causes her to retreat to her physical form as a place to find control and agency over her own identity construction.

For Young-hye the embodiment of the new woman trope culminates in her eventual enlightenment and transcendence of societal norms and authority. This happens in Part 3 of the novel, when she begins to abandon her human form entirely and retreats into the primitive world of nature. Her desire to escape humanity and embody the energy of a plant is showcased when she says to In-hye, “I’m not an animal anymore, sister. I don’t need to eat, not now. I can live without it. All I need is sunlight” (Han 159). Yeong-hye’s fervent obsession with discarding her humanity is conveyed through language that is ethereal and dreamlike, reflecting a spiritual transcendence. She explains one of her dreams to In-hye, saying, “...I was standing on my head...leaves were growing from my body, and roots sprouting from my hands...so I dug down into the earth. On and on...I wanted flowers to bloom from my crotch, so I spread my legs; I spread them wide...” (Han 154). Rather than transcending society’s constraints by answering to a divine force, Yeong-hye wishes to abandon society by transcending humanity by regressing to the primal state of a plant. Yeong-hye’s journey of self-discovery ends ambiguously, with the reader left to assume that she has died. The last paragraph of the novel illustrates this, narrating In-hye’s actions: “Quietly, she breathes in. The trees by the side of the road are blazing, green fire undulating like the rippling flanks of a massive animal, wild and savage. In-hye stares fiercely at the trees. As if waiting for an answer. As if protesting against something. The look in her eyes is dark and insistent,” (Han 188). In-hye seems to protest against the world that destroyed her sister with its rules of conformity. The comparison of the trees to animals hints that Yeong-hye reached that point of assimilation with nature in the end. Yeong-hye’s rebirth must come in the form of her earthly body’s death, and her spirit’s melding with nature. For her, the journey of becoming a new woman must end with her complete autonomy over her body, even if it means destroying it.

Examination of Young-hye’s character reveals that the price of subverting societal norms—especially those related to gender—is the complete annihilation of oneself. Yeong-hye’s autonomy was under such attack that she had to revert to something pre-human in order to obtain agency over herself. Through her character, the struggle of the new woman’s journey to assert herself in a patriarchal society is illustrated. Comparing the colonial archetype of the new woman with a contemporary incarnation reveals that the modern Korean woman’s path to personal freedom has perhaps become even more complicated and fraught with violence; a violence that is less explicit but just as corrosive and destructive as the violence the new woman experienced in the colonial period.

Works Cited

Han, Kang. The Vegetarian. Translated by Deborah Smith. New York: Hogarth, 2015. Yung-Hee, Kim. “Analysis of Kyonghui.”Questioning Minds: Short Stories by Modern Korean

Women Writers. Ed. Yung-Hee, Kim. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2010. 51-54. Project MUSE

By Toby Huter, sophomore, East Asian Languages and Cultures and International Studies

Confucianism has been an integral piece of Korean culture for centuries. It has been seen as a facet of governing systems of multiple eras, but particularly came to power during the Joseon period. Even as South Korea has developed and become more visible in the international system, Confucian principles are still evident in Korean society. Through the Joseon governing system, Japanese colonization, and the Korean War, Confucianism has long been an ever-present - though fading - part of Korean identity.

Modern Confucianism highlights a collective society, the need for conformity, and an unwavering sense of loyalty to one’s family. However, with the rise of globalization, younger generations of Koreans are beginning to struggle with the philosophy and have developed more individualistic views. However, even with new ideas, acting against a system that has been in place for hundreds - if not thousands - of years has proven to have negative societal repercussions. In some ways, it can be argued Korean society is not yet prepared to be a nation of individualists and has chosen instead to continue as a collective-based society. In Han Kang’s novel, The Vegetarian, the protagonist’s dilemma can be seen as a struggle against Confucian ideology. Each character group provides an example of how different realms of Korean culture would react to such a revolution, eventually making the argument that the country is not yet ready for a social reform.

Han Kang’s novel, The Vegetarian, is meant to capture the Korean attitude towards those who try to break free of traditional social conventions and go against the collective group. The first chapter of the book is told through the eyes of the protagonist’s husband, Mr. Cheong. With the first person narrative, the author shows Mr. Cheong’s thoughts to be condescending towards his wife, Yeonghye. His tone of belittlement shows his own insecurities and lack of interest in his marriage. Yeonghye is never good enough for him, and everything she does either embarrasses or infuriates him. It is evident he has no real affection for her, and she serves only to keep him fed and cared for. In Confucian society, the wife is obligated to look after her husband and ensure his needs are met while expecting nothing in return. Her refusal to heed his words on the day she decides to not eat meat infuriates him, and is her first sign of resistance to the system. She stubbornly insists on cooking only vegetables, but continues to feed her husband. Even though he is kept well fed, since it is not the kind of food he asked for, Mr. Cheong is furious that he cannot control his wife’s actions. This anger can be interpreted as fear as Yeonghye gains strength in her voice and holds true to her decision. In Korean society, Mr. Cheong represents traditionalists who believe anyone who is outside what has always been done, such as the role of the obedient wife, is outside societal bounds and needs to be brought under control. This group refuses to accept change and oppresses those who embrace different ideas.

Yeonghye’s family represents a traditional Korean family. In Confucian society, the familial unit is the central element, and absolute loyalty is expected. Parents never stop seeing their offspring as children, and treat them as such, no matter what age they reach. The family is representative in taking care of their children in how they promise Mr. Cheong they will handle the behavior of their grown daughter. They speak about Yeonghye as if she is a petulant child, and not someone who should be taken seriously. The father’s attempt to force Yeonghye to eat meat symbolizes societal forces, particularly the patriarchy, physically compelling her to conform and swear loyalty to her family and husband. Spitting the meat out is symbolic of her refusal and her attempt to take her life by slicing her wrist shows her disconnect with the Confucian ideology by literally cutting herself off from her bloodline. The physical way Kang describes Yeonghye’s blood allows for it to embody the symbol of ‘family’ or ‘bloodline.’ Its spilling or separation from Yeonghye’s body shows the shedding of her family ties or connection to a Confucian familial structure.

In modern Korean society, there are groups who notice those who struggle against the patriarchal rule of Confucian ideology, find it interesting, and look at it though a patronizing lense. This group is represented by Yeonghye’s brother-in-law. His attraction to Yeonghye’s Mongolian Mark can show his insistence on seeing her as a child, or as someone not to be taken seriously. He also heavily objectifies her as a piece of art, emphasizing his view of the movement as something beautiful and interesting but not to be considered in earnest. Even the way he captures this art, showing her body through a moving camera but never having her speak, shows him capturing only the visuals of her resistance. Taking what is physically beautiful shows a ‘seen but not heard’ mindset, and delegitimizes the cause. Only viewing her appearance while disregarding what her actions might be caused by proves an interest from this group only in the aesthetic of the phenomenon not in the actual revolution. This group rejects the movement by discrediting the cause and objectifying those who fight for it.

The only person who really seems to understand Yeonghye’s intentions is her sister, Inhye. Inhye represents the parties oppressed through Confucianism, particularly women, who sympathize with the separation from society, but do not see themselves being personally able to break out of the mold. In the beginning of the novel, the audience is led to believe that Inhye sees Yeonghye as ill and misinformed, but as the story progresses, it is revealed that Inhye also considered breaking free through taking her own life. Inhye is Kang’s way of showing the true role of Korean women. No matter how much they may notice the faults of the system, they are stuck in a cruel Sisyphean cycle. Even Inhye’s rebellion of ending her marriage causes her tremendous social and personal suffering, and adds to her severe depression. The sisters’ struggle can show the helplessness oppressed parties feel and the extremes to which they are bound to the rigidly set regulations implemented by a Confucian society.

Yeonghye’s spiral to insanity and eventual death shows the Confucian social structure of Korea is too solidly implemented to be resisted and proves its ability to crush those who attempt to go against it. Han Kang is arguing that the bonds holding the patriarchy and other Confucian principles to Korea are too strong to be broken, and anyone who moves otherwise will be destroyed in the attempt. Each character demonstrates this point from Yeonghye’s husband’s patronizing orders, her family’s force fed loyalty, her brother-in-law’s belittling gaze, to finally her sister’s sympathy. The dominant forces at play in Korean society are disproportionate to the resistance in a way that squashes and delegitimizes any attempt for freedom.