Native Speaker - Chang-Rae Lee
[alert-success] Native Speaker
[/alert-success]
[alert-primary] Short Summary [/alert-primary]
[btn href="https://www.speedynotes.in/2024/05/american-literature-ii-msu-ii-ba-iv-sem.html" class="bt" btn]Back to Tansche[/btn]
Introduction
Chang-Rae Lee's debut novel "Native Speaker" was first published in 1995. It was recognized with multiple awards including the PEN/Hemingway Award, the American Book Award, and the American Library Association Notable Book of the Year Award. "Native Speaker" is widely regarded as a seminal work in Asian-American literature and has been studied in academic settings for its exploration of themes such as immigrant identity, cultural assimilation, and the complexities of language and communication.
Throughout the novel, the protagonist, Henry Park, a first-generation immigrant to the United States, faces challenges related to language and identity.
Short Summary
Henry Park, the son of Korean immigrants, serves as the central figure in the novel. By the time Henry entered kindergarten, he had difficulty pronouncing English accurately and came to be known as "Marble Mouth." This was due to the fact that he was speaking Korean language at home during his childhood.
Henry eventually overcame these obstacles and continued to excel in his school life and ultimately entered college. He is now working as a spy in Glimmer & Company, an organization that employs first-generation Americans to conduct intelligence gathering on local residents.
The first-generation employees of Glimmer & Company continue to maintain dual-pronged positions, granting them convenient access to potential catalysts, including labor leaders and radical organizers. Henry calls this job as "ethnic coverage."
Henry's first assignment as a spy is to gain access to the inner circle of John Kwang, a rich businessman and mayoral candidate. Therefore, Henry begins to work at Kwang's campaign headquarters in Flushing.
Recently Henry's wife, Lelia, has left him. She is speech therapist of Caucasian descent. A tragic accident claimed the lives of their seven-year-old son, Mitt. Lelia finds it difficult to understand her husband's aloof and indifferent response to the tragedy. Occasionally, she feels as though she knows nothing about her husband.
Henry and Lelia's firstborn was born just over a year after the death of Henry's father. Henry observed that he appeared less content at the time of his death, when he was a businessman for a grocery store chain and resided in upstate New York, than when he owned a single store and resided in Queens.
His father believed that Henry, being an immigrant, had an obligation to labor ceaselessly, assimilate into American society with minimal difficulty, and conceal his emotions. This led to a strained relationship between Henry and his father. Henry frequently regarded his father with disdain and was uncertain whether he wished to be held to the same standards that his father considered essential for immigrants to the United States.
Henry matures into a person who comes to lament his cynical perception of his father's belief system only after his father has passed away. At the outset, Henry appears oblivious to the fact that his father's austere and reclusive demeanor has become ingrained in him as well.
Lelia and Henry reunite after having a meet at Henry's father's house, One evening, they are informed via the news that Kwang's campaign headquarters have been set on fire. Eduardo, an employee, perishes in the ensuing fire. Upon returning to headquarters to assess the situation, Henry engages in conversation with Kwang, who grants him a position of greater prominence within the campaign.
However, Kwang's campaign begins to wane, and his television appearances reveal him visibly exhausted. One evening, he discloses to Henry that he was aware Eduardo had been subscribing to the opposing mayoral candidate.
Henry laments the outcome of his strategy to attack his own campaign headquarters because he was unaware Eduardo would perish. Subsequently, Kwang and his family repatriate to Korea, ashamed of the deportation of the individuals for whom he had managed a community money club.
Henry because of his assignment as a spy, grapples with his own sense of identity and belonging. Henry departs from Glimmer & Company and begins to work as Lelia's assistant, assisting children in learning to communicate.
Conclusion:
Throughout the novel, Henry navigates between his Korean heritage and the expectations of American society, struggling to reconcile the two. His relationships, both personal and professional, become increasingly complex as he confronts issues of loyalty, cultural assimilation, and the search for authenticity.
"Native Speaker" is a poignant exploration of the immigrant experience, highlighting the challenges of assimilation, the complexities of cultural identity, and the universal desire for acceptance and connection.
[btn href="https://www.speedynotes.in/2024/05/american-literature-ii-msu-ii-ba-iv-sem.html" class="bt" btn]Back to Tansche[/btn]
0 Comments