Racial Identity In In Native Speaker By Henry Park

Racial and ethnic identity are crucial elements in the framework for individual and communal identity in our society. Deep values through religion and family create a sense of racial and ethnic identity and are manifested in sensible ways for many distinct minority populations in the United States. Individuals with these beliefs have different cultural values that are undesirable in mainstream American society. For others, on the other hand, especially white Americans, ethnic and racial identity are virtually invisible because societal normality is usually constructed around their ethnic, racial and cultural values. We commonly refer to them as the “standard American culture.” In Native Speaker, the protagonist, Henry Park, is unable to define himself in American society. This essay will discuss Park’s cultural self and his path to discovering himself in relationship to his family, friends, and the United States, as well as drawing in personal experiences that relate to Park’s. In Native Speaker, Chang-Rae Lee describes Henry Park as a family man, a father, a husband, a US spy, and even a betrayer to his own race. However, Park is the only person in the story who is unable to describe himself. The story begins with a description of Henry written by Park’s estranged wife, Leila. Every character in the story, including Park’s father, Leila,

Henry was ten years old when she died, yet there is very little detail of her, especially compared to his father. Standing next to his mother’s deathbed, Park describes a faint memory of his mother. He says, “I don't remember what I saw in her room, maybe I never looked at her, though I can see so clearly the image of my father standing in the hall…” (Lee 63). This lack of intimacy and interaction is common in traditional Korean culture. This is also evident in his mother’s and father’s relationship since in their culture, women are subordinate to