In the novel, Yeong-Hye immediately feels powerless as her choice to not eat meat is rejected by everyone around her, especially her family. This is only amplified as she is exploited by In-Hye's husband which brings her back into questioning, landing her in a mental institute. Likewise, In-Hye finds that she herself was and to an extent, powerless as most of all her actions/decisions were dictated by society (especially how they pertain to her identities as a wife, mother, sister, and daughter). In the end, she feels envious of Yeong-Hye as Yeong-Hye found the power to truly embrace her own ideals and separate herself from society's choke-hold. While most people around Yeong-Hye labeled her as insane and rejected her from society, In-Hye was the only one who truly realized how powerful Yeong-Hye had become and how free she ended up being.
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