The Theme of Identity in Chang-Rae Lee’s Native Speaker

Chang-rae Lees first novel infixed Speaker became a real success. It nominates a significant impact on people, as it touches aeonian questions of identity element search in the contemporary society. The novel won a great number of awards, which include the 1996 Heming delegacy Foundation/PEN Award for front Fiction, the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, QPBs New Voices Award and others. It appeared in The New York Times and The Best American Essays and Chang-Rae Lee was a finalist for Grantas American Novelists. What is remarkable Native Speaker is re in anyy worthy of all these awards.Theme of identity is a central one in Native Speaker. The principal(prenominal) character of this novel is henry Park. His parents were Korean immigrants and so all his spiritedness henry tries to become a real American, a endemic speaker. Henry works as a spy for Glimmer and Associates. His main task is to collect information about non-white immigrants and citizens who have s hadowy past. afterwards his sons death and the break with his wife Leila Henry is immersed into identity crisis. Only by the end of the novel he is able to go back from this crisis and find his true identity. Henry has analyzed all his livelihood and seen roughly things in a new light, he makes a long way full of difficulties, disappointments and despair before he comes to true understanding of his identity. later their sons death Lelia can non understand Henrys reaction, his passionless state. In reality, Henry cannot come in turns with his sons loss, he takes it very hard, but he does not want to show it, he hides his feelings and keep outs in his shell. Before Lelias departure at the airport she gives Henry a brief note, where she describes him You are surreptitious / B+ student of life.Yellow peril neo-Americanstranger / follower / traitor / spy (Lee 12). This pushes him to reproach about his life. Starting analyzing his past Henry understands that his ability to repress e motions, his skills to acquire everything he learns and a tendency to wear a mask to be socially accepted can be explained by his Korean origin. He also understands that these skills help him to be a natural spy. He is an unknown region in America, although he was born here, he does his best to be a true American.He does not admit this fact even in his mind but starting thinking about his parents and his origin he understands that it is true. His profession used to help him feel protected and real American because his main mission is to control non-white people spying is the perfect duty for the person I was, someone who could reside in one dapple and take half steps out whenever he wished . . . I opinion I had finally found my truest place in the culture (Lee 127). At the same time his cold and detached attitude alienates his wife from him. only Henrys thoughts about his past do not surrender him to continue his work, he cannot wear his spy mask any more. He loses his job the n he gets another opportunity to work with lav Kwang, but this work again reminds him about his Korean origin and his father.Henry tires to reconnect with his wife. She is not sure whether she really means anything for him, whether he loves her or save requires as the housemaid, whose name he does not know. Lelia always pushes her husband for the empathetic reflections. He feels that he must overcome this barrier in cultures between them. Henry knows that Lelia cannot hide her feelings as he does and he loves her for this.She must be the worst actor on earth. And perhaps most I love this about her, her helpless way, love it still, how she cant hide a single thing, that she looks excruciation when she is hurt, seems happy when happy. That I know at every moment the specific place where she stands (Lee 158). All in all Henry convinces his wife that she is his life and that she is extremely important for him. He finally is able to be close with Lelia, to build intimacy between them . His perception of the world has changed and so has his identity.At the end of the novel Henry is completely different person with more than broader identity. He has found a balance between American and Korean cultures. He has reached harmony inside of his soul. Now he understands that America does not make fell foreigners aliens but it gives freedom and an opportunity to realize desires and make dreams come true. Henry becomes a native speaker of his self and that helps him to be successful in all his activities. Henry understands that identity is something more than dear American or Korean nationality. It is your informal self and it does not matter where you live and what you do and what language you speak, the only thing that matter is your inner freedom and moral certainty.Works CitedLee, Chang-Rae. Native Speaker. NY Riverhead Books, 1995.