Ethics of Witnessing: Han Kang’s The Vegetarian

The paper examines Han Kang's The Vegetarian as a critique of militarized masculinities, extractivism, and systemic violence. The Vegetarian exposes the limitations of conventional liberalism by problematizing the concept of the ‘human'. It argues that The Vegetarian reveals how South Korea's militarized history and capitalist culture and economy are entangled with patriarchy and extractivism. The paper shows how the novel interrogates anthropocentric and gendered epistemologies and different forms of violence. It also suggests that it is perhaps through empathetic witnessing and ethical engagement that the novel opens up the possibility of hope.