Examining the message of Eco-criticism and its exploration of the human relationship with nature in the novel "The Vegetarian"

Abstract

This research paper analyzes the message of eco-criticism and the way it delves into the complicated issue of human and nature relationships in a novel The Vegetarian written by Han Kang. Through the novel, the separation between the natural environment and the modern human beings and the quest to balance the body, mind, and the environment is brought to perspective of power. Han Kang makes profound ecological and philosophical inquiries through the story of Yeong-Hye, a woman who chooses to forego meat consumption and lead a plant life because of violence and purity, identity, and specialization of humans over nature. This paper will examine how the novel symbolically talks about the nature as a place of resistance and repairing whilst also examining the devastating human tendencies that interfere with the harmony of nature.