For those who grew up in an amicable family, life was often filled with hope and anticipation. But unfortunately, not everyone shares such a privileged existence. Taking Han Kang's book "Vegetarian" as an example, Yeong-Hye's life story illustrates how violence can change a person’s life. By analyzing Yeong-Hye's experience, we can have a deeper understanding of how the violence she experienced-- her family members and In-Hye's husband---affects her perception of life and what are the similarities and differences between these acts of violence.  

Yeong-Hye grew up in a patriarchal society where women in the family were often undervalued. From a young age, her father imposed strict discipline, dictating her every move. As it was said in the book, her father would beat her whenever she went against his wishes — Once lost in the mountains, In-Hye decides to go back as soon as possible for fear of being beaten by her father, but Yeong-Hye thinks it's good to leave home and stay in the mountains, highlighting the familial constraints she felt. (Han Kang 160-161) As Yeong-Hye rebelled, the family became a bondage to her. So when Mr. Cheong calls Yeong-Hye's home, her father and mother's decision is to make Yeong-Hye come home for dinner, to transform her from a vegetarian to a "normal" person. In her family's opinion, eating a vegan diet violates the rules of the house. But ironically, the more feedback she gave, the only thing she got in return was more restrictions and even violence. His father finally beats her when she refuses again to eat the meat that her father fed with chopsticks. “He'd hit her so hard that the blood showed through the skin of her cheek.” (Han Kang 44) At that moment, the temperature in the house dropped to freezing point. Yeong-Hye took a knife and slashed his wrist. Her last hope was shattered by her father's violent behavior, which made Yeong-Hye even more extreme, and chose to commit suicide. Choosing to become vegan is just as much about choosing to commit suicide as it is about choosing the extreme side of something that should have a lot of options. The familial violence alters Yeong-Hye’s perception of the meaning of life and the violence from her father strengthens her determination. 

In the second half of the book, Yeong-Hye is admitted to several hospitals, exposing her to a different form of violence within a clinical setting. Despite the purported concern for her well-being, doctors and nurses imposed coercive measures on Yeong-Hye, such as forceful injections of nutritional fluids and force-feeding. This intervention is ostensibly for Yeong-Hye's health but actually, it is a manifestation of social violence masquerading as caring. “Two carers and a nurse's aide grapple with her struggling form, forcing her down onto the bed. They bind her arms and legs.” (Han Kang 176) The violence is not only physical but also psychological. Physically, Yeong-Hye's fragile body became even weaker, “Yeong-Hye's blood is splashed all over the doctor's white gown, even on his rolled-up sleeves.” (Han Kang 179) Psychologically, she begins to lose sovereignty or control over her own body and she begins to fear everything the doctors and nurses do to her. The violence of the medical staff has a strong impact on Yeong-Hye's understanding of life and reinforces her belief that she should not eat because it is painful to be forced to eat. The doctor's behavior of forcing her to eat makes her hate eating even more. 

Yeong-Hye’s life vividly illustrates the impact of violence on an individual’s perception of life. Raised in a patriarchal society, Yeong-Hye’s was subjected to violence, being forced to maintain compliance with social norms, pushing her to extremes and leading to attempted suicide. The violence she experienced in the hospital further diminished her autonomy and reinforcing her aversion to eating. The similarities between the two types of violence are that they both want Yeong-Hye to live like an ordinary person in the society she is in, they both take away Yeong-Hye's autonomy and make her more determined to rebel against the people around her and even society. The differences are the people who inflicted the violence on Yeong-Hye, one being her closest family and the other being the medical staff who ignored humanitarianism to save lives; and different settings, one within the family, the other in public. But what about the results? Violence will only make people more extreme and lead them down a path of no return, leaving a scar that never heals.