The Silent Scream: Repressive Silence and Subversive Voice in The Vegetarian

Prasad Dumre, Mani; Prasad Pokharel, Bishnu

أطراس
Volume 7, Numéro 1, Pages 377-388
2026-01-15

The Silent Scream: Repressive Silence And Subversive Voice In The Vegetarian

Authors : Prasad Dumre Mani . Prasad Pokharel Bishnu .

Abstract

This study undertakes a critical examination of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (2007), interpreting Yeong-hye’s silent yet powerful dissent as a radical confrontation with the ideological and repressive structures that regulate identity and bodily autonomy. Through the theoretical lens of Louis Althusser’s concepts of the Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) and Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs), the research investigates how institutions such as family, marriage, psychiatry, and cultural tradition function to uphold dominant ideologies and enforce conformity. Yeong-hye’s refusal to consume meat is not merely a dietary choice but a symbolic rupture from patriarchal expectations, heteronormative control, and institutional surveillance. Her passive resistance challenges the coercive systems that seek to discipline her body and silence her agency. The novel reveals how ideological and patriarchal forces confine identity, gender roles, and autonomy. Yeong-hye’s act of refusal shows that even quiet defiance can resist such control. By applying Althusserian theory, the study provides a nuanced understanding of how personal rebellion, especially from a gendered body, becomes a site of political significance. The work invites further exploration into how literature reimagines autonomy and challenges the ideological limits imposed on the individual.