Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee
"Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee is a novel that explores the complexities of identity and assimilation through the perspective of Henry Park, a Korean American narrator. Set against the backdrop of New York City during a racially charged period, the story begins with the emotional turmoil of Henry following the departure of his Caucasian wife. As he navigates his personal struggles, Henry is assigned to investigate John Kwang, a Korean American councilman and mayoral candidate, while grappling with his own cultural identity and the expectations tied to it.
The narrative delves into themes of family, loss, and the immigrant experience, as Henry reflects on his upbringing and the impact of his child's death on his life. Through his relationship with John, who sees his staff as a familial unit, Henry confronts his feelings of invisibility and betrayal. The novel also addresses broader societal issues, including racial tensions and the immigrant's pursuit of the American Dream. Ultimately, Henry's journey leads him to personal growth and reconciliation, as he chooses to leave his previous life behind and embrace teaching English to non-native speakers, suggesting a shift toward connection and understanding over alienation.
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Subject Terms
Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee
First published: 1995
The Work
Native Speaker is a Korean American narrator’s probe into who he is. The probe is begun when the narrator’s Caucasian wife leaves him. Native Speaker takes place in New York City during a time when Korean markets are being boycotted by black customers, and a Korean American councilman, John Kwang, is a possible candidate for mayor. The narrator, Henry Park, works for a private, CIA-style agency. Henry’s current assignment is to investigate John. Park does not know the purpose of the investigation or who is paying for it; he imagines the client to be a xenophobe.
Henry was close to his father, who is dead. Henry’s father was an immigrant who did well with a chain of produce markets and believed above all in family. John, onto whose staff Henry insinuates himself as a volunteer, sees his staff as a family. Henry finally betrays John, who feels close to him because he is Korean. John urges him to yell at him, to be disrespectful, to not treat him as a revered father figure. When they are sharing a drink, Henry almost forgets the reason he is with John.
The narrator’s child, before his death, was being reared American-style, “untethered,” allowed to walk all over Korean customs. Henry wanted his child to have “the authority and confidence that his broad half-yellow face could not.” In a sense, Henry was rearing his child to have the confidence he does not have. Henry is devastated by the child’s death, but he acts “serene as Siberia” after it happens. That is part of why his wife has left him. She wants him to acknowledge that having the child and having him die is the worst thing that has happened to them.
He has the impression at times that the politician, John, is not really speaking English but is being dubbed. Henry had had this same impression of himself as a child. He describes himself as “the obedient soft-spoken son” and asks himself whether being an invisible employee at the firm is the assimilation he craves. He has no control over the information he brings in about John. It is used for the detaining, by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), of several dozen immigrants. This INS raid in turn plays a role in the politician’s downfall. The politician’s American Dream ends.
Henry reflects that he has exploited his own and calls that his “ugly immigrant’s truth.” He thinks about his father and decides that his father would choose to see his deceptive behavior toward John “in a rigidly practical light,” that is, as part of the struggle to survive in America. Henry leaves the firm, reconciles with his wife, and joins her in teaching English to non-native speakers.
Sources for Further Study
Booklist. XCI, February 15, 1995, p. 1059.
Boston Globe. April 16, 1995, p. 27.
The Chronicle of Higher Education. XLI, April 7, 1995, p. A6.
Goldberg, Jeffrey. “The Overachievers.” New York 28, no. 15 (April 10, 1995): 42-51.
Klinkenborg, Verlyn. “Witness to Strangeness—Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee.” The New Yorker, July 10, 1995, 76-77.
Library Journal. CXX, February 1, 1995, p. 98.
Los Angeles Times Book Review. March 19, 1995, p. 3.
New Statesman and Society. VIII, August 25, 1995, p. 32.
The New York Times Book Review. C, April 9, 1995, p. 24.
The New Yorker. LXXI, July 10, 1995, p. 76.
Publishers Weekly. CCXLII, January 9, 1995, p. 54.
The Times Literary Supplement. October 27, 1995, p. 23.
USA Today. May 12, 1995, p. D5.