The Vegetarian

by

Han Kang

In-hye and her husband’s young son. In the first section, Ji-woo is three, and by the end of the story he has turned six. In-hye primarily takes care of Ji-woo, while the brother-in-law frequently foregoes any kind of fatherly duties. As the story progresses, In-hye, too, considers abandoning her child and shirking the societal obligations she has, but recognizes that Ji-woo is the only thing tethering her to reality.

Ji-woo Quotes in The Vegetarian

The The Vegetarian quotes below are all either spoken by Ji-woo or refer to Ji-woo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Body, Agency, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2: Mongolian Mark Quotes

When it was all over, she was crying. He couldn't tell what these tears meant—pain, pleasure, passion, disgust, or some inscrutable loneliness that she would have been no more able to explain than he would have been to understand. He didn't know.

Related Characters: Yeong-hye, In-hye, The Brother-in-Law / In-hye’s Husband, Ji-woo
Page Number: 87
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3: Flaming Trees Quotes

“I don't know you,” she muttered, tightening her grip on the receiver, which she’d hung back in the cradle but was still clutching. “So there's no need for us to forgive each other. Because I don't know you.”

Related Characters: In-hye (speaker), The Brother-in-Law / In-hye’s Husband, Ji-woo
Page Number: 163
Explanation and Analysis:

If her husband and Yeong-hye hadn't smashed through all the boundaries, if everything hadn't splintered apart, then perhaps she was the one who would have broken down, and if she'd let that happen, if she'd let go of the thread, she might never have found it again.

Related Characters: Yeong-hye, In-hye, The Brother-in-Law / In-hye’s Husband, Ji-woo
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Vegetarian PDF

Ji-woo Quotes in The Vegetarian

The The Vegetarian quotes below are all either spoken by Ji-woo or refer to Ji-woo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Body, Agency, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2: Mongolian Mark Quotes

When it was all over, she was crying. He couldn't tell what these tears meant—pain, pleasure, passion, disgust, or some inscrutable loneliness that she would have been no more able to explain than he would have been to understand. He didn't know.

Related Characters: Yeong-hye, In-hye, The Brother-in-Law / In-hye’s Husband, Ji-woo
Page Number: 87
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3: Flaming Trees Quotes

“I don't know you,” she muttered, tightening her grip on the receiver, which she’d hung back in the cradle but was still clutching. “So there's no need for us to forgive each other. Because I don't know you.”

Related Characters: In-hye (speaker), The Brother-in-Law / In-hye’s Husband, Ji-woo
Page Number: 163
Explanation and Analysis:

If her husband and Yeong-hye hadn't smashed through all the boundaries, if everything hadn't splintered apart, then perhaps she was the one who would have broken down, and if she'd let that happen, if she'd let go of the thread, she might never have found it again.

Related Characters: Yeong-hye, In-hye, The Brother-in-Law / In-hye’s Husband, Ji-woo
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis: