Anushka Bhowal Abel AP English 3 5 September 2012 Native Speaker The book Native Speaker is a novel written by Chang-

- Rae Lee. Henry Park is a second-generation immigrant originating from Seoul, Korea. His father, originally an electrical engineer, is the owner of several Korean shops in New York City. Since early existence, Park was taught by his father to hide his emotions, to feel like an outsider and to remember everything that he learns. His childhood was a cloud of confusion between trying to hold on to his Korean heritage, but still adopt the American ways. Henry grew up ridiculing the aloof and distant nature of his parents. He simply couldnt grasp the concept as to why his parents wouldnt mingle with the rest of the American community. Henry criticized and was often embarrassed of the fact that his parents spoke broken English. His fathers competitive and gruff nature not only fascinated him, but puzzled him. He often compared himself to his American friends and wondered; was he American or was he Korean? Later in the book, Henrys mother passes away from cancer while he is the age of ten. His relationship with his father deteriorates and Henry is plunged deeper into a state of no emotion and detachment. Henry, now an adult is married to an American woman named Lelia and together they have a son named Mitt. Henry is also an industrial spy; his ability to be without emotion and to remember everything he learns makes him excellent at his job. However, this does not help when tragedy strikes and his son Mitt dies at the age of seven. Henrys

withdrawn numbness puts strain on his marriage with Lelia because he is unable to comfort her with her own grief. Lelia, now completely estranged from Henry, decides to take a vacation away from him. The only thing she leaves behind is a letter that says You are surreptitious, B+ student of life, stranger, follower, traitor, and spy. (pg.5) As you can see, Henrys father managed to influence Henry to become a person without emotion and to feel alienated from his surroundings. These characteristics not only influenced his career as a spy, but also influenced his family life and his relationship with Lelia. Henrys restrictive and reserved personality as an adult represents his own restrictive childhood and this defines the meaning of the novel as a whole.