EMBODIED TRAUMA AND UNSPEAKABLE SILENCE IN HAN KANG’S THE VEGETARIAN

Abstract

The aim of this study is to critically examine the depiction of trauma in the novel The Vegetarian (2007) by Han Kang, a South Korean writer, through the character of Yeong-Hye, who is the main character in the novel. The theory of trauma used in the current study is Cathy Caruth’s theory of trauma: an unassimilated event which cannot be narrated linearly, cannot be fully comprehended linguistically. The chosen work is analyzed by focusing on the protagonist’s fragmented speech, continuous silence and her bodily revolt. This thesis employs the textual analysis method as a means to support the conceptual framework used in this thesis. The analysis of the selected fictional work highlights the importance of body in the representation of trauma as well as the impacts of traumatic experiences on personality of the protagonist. The work chosen could also be analysed from a feminist viewpoint, as it represents the patriarchy in the South Korean society embedded in the novel.