Native Speaker II
In the chapters we read this week in Native Speaker, Chang sets the tone for the narration of Henry’s life. So far, we have no information of Henry’s profession other than the fact he deals with Korean immigrants, leading an almost secretive “double life”. Henry brings us back to the beginning of his marriage and the birth of his son. The mood is dark, almost depressing. Henry and Lelia’s first home, as Henry describes as a large dark open space that even the cat hides from, sets a dark dreary mood. I imagine an empty open space with a large window bringing in a dreary rainy day. The word choice may show Henry’s past to be nothing but a big empty space. One particular event was when their son slipped and hit his head on the bathroom floor. Almost believing to be dead, they rushed him to the emergency room to come to the conclusion he was fine and “hard headed”. Many deaths were brought up in Henry’s past. Lelia’s deceased uncle had left them the house and a coworker of Henry’s had lost his wife to cancer. Why is the word choice in this book so dark?
Henry speaks of his profession as tiresome, examining how he went through a time in his life when he was depressed. Henry’s job entitles him to pretend. Put on a false face to those around him by lying cheating and fooling those who should know him best. Lelia had left Henry long ago with her long trips and vacations. If Henry is fooling those around him, does it get to a point where he believes his own lies? We begin to get to know Henry and see inside his mind. So far, he does not seem to explain his feelings in his own words, but from how he explains his life and the people around him.
anna597 said,
March 30, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I never noticed how many deaths were touched upon in this novel. I mainly focused on Mitt’s (I guess because of the way the author brought it up. And because there is something inherently troubling about a child’s death). Now I can definitely see even more of the “dark” vibes and themes that are being put out. I do think that Henry is extremely troubled. Especially since he risked his job and decided to divulge real information about his life. I’m guessing he did this in order to get some help and advice from the psychologist. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out that way.