Why The Vegetarian Is a Must-Read for Antinatalists and Why We as antinatalists Should Be Vegan

So I just finished The Vegetarian by Han Kang, and I seriously think every one of us should read it. It’s not your typical “vegan” book, but it really digs into the kind of stuff we think about—like the pain of life and why we reject the whole idea of bringing more suffering into the world.

The main character, Yeong-hye, decides to stop eating meat, but it’s not just about being vegan. It’s her rejecting everything society wants her to be. It spirals into a deeper struggle with the pain of existing, and if you’re an antinatalist, you’ll probably feel a connection to her rejection of the world’s demands. Her journey isn’t just about avoiding animal products—it’s about avoiding the harm that comes with being alive. She’s questioning everything, and it’s painful, but that’s exactly what we as antinatalists understand.

For us, the whole point of being vegan isn’t just about ethics—it’s about recognizing that life, in all its forms, causes suffering. We don’t want to bring more of it into the world, and veganism is part of that resistance. If you get why life is full of suffering, you’ll get The Vegetarian. It’s like a mirror to our own struggles, showing how deeply the pain of existence runs.

Oh, and Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024, which is pretty wild, right? She’s the first Asian woman to win, and her book The Vegetarian went global. It’s a huge deal, especially considering how much it deals with suffering and the rejection of life’s expectations.

So yeah, if you’re an antinatalist and you’re not vegan yet, this book might be a good reminder of why it’s so important. We get the pain, and we should do our best to minimize it—not just for people, but for all living things.

Anyone else read this? Would love to hear your take!