earticle

영어

Han Kang's The Vegetarian is a tripartite novel composed of three interconnected sections- "The Vegetarian", "Mongolian Mark," and "Flaming Trees"-which depict the complex and layered manifestations of violence primarily experienced by the protagonist, Yeong-hye, and also affecting her husband, brother-in-law, and sister, In-hye. This study examines how the novel's central theme-the inherent violence of human nature-is represented in its two Chinese translations, using Appraisal Theory as the analytical framework. It explores the forms of violence embodied by the main characters, identifies key expressions that convey such violence in the original, and analyzes how Appraisal resources shift across the translations. The analysis reveals that both Chinese translations exhibited notable variations in the modulation of Appraisal intensity, particularly in the use of intensification and mitigation strategies. In particular, the dampening of intensity often hinders the representation of violence in the original text, underscoring the importance of accurately interpreting and carefully managing Appraisal intensity in translation. At the same time, these findings suggest that variation in Appraisal can serve as an effective tool for reproducing the core themes of the source text and may be employed as a deliberate translation strategy.