Isabel answers “Am I the only numb nuts that didn't get...”

Angie Annetts asked this question about The Vegetarian:

Am I the only numb nuts that didn't get the ending?

Isabel I didn't see this as a traditional story with a beginning, middle, climax, and denouement. Instead, it was three portraits of the concept that doesn't…moreI didn't see this as a traditional story with a beginning, middle, climax, and denouement. Instead, it was three portraits of the concept that doesn't get described in exact words until the last section, the "thread" that connects us all to society at large.

For Mr. Cheong, this thread is unbreakable. His entire life, boring and safe, is structured around preserving this thread.

For the video artist, the expected thread exists only in relation to his son, and even that is tentative. Instead, his thread is tied to his art, which is a tether, but not one that is fully understood by the rest of society.

For In-hye, through seeing her sister become completely untethered, sees her own thread, and through becoming aware of it, now has a choice of whether or not to break it. She can walk into the woods with a thick rope looking for a tree and abandon her son, her work, her entire life, or she can continue living as the responsible one, but now with the self-awareness to make that a choice rather than shaping her identity around what her environment demands (first to survive her abusive father and then to take care of her husband/son). (less)

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Dinisha Kadam What a beautiful way to frame it
Jun 26, 2025 12:14PM · flag

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