Native Speaker, By Chang-Rae Lee

In any society, values are crucial in establishing their beliefs. Such ideals persist throughout time and shape the lives all inhabitants; For example, in the United States, immigrants and citizens inevitably adopt various values as a byproduct of exposure to American culture. However, many immigrants maintain certain values from their homeland. In this way, all members undergo various degrees of acclimatization. In Chang-Rae Lee’s novel, Native Speaker, the author highlights the American values of privacy, candor in speech and hard work through the protagonist, Henry Park.

In the community, people like the central character often value their right to privacy, an inalienable right implicitly stated in the fourth amendment. However, while

Americans limit privacy to people other than family, Koreans like Henry maintain this throughout all of their relationships. Because he continues to employ privacy even with his wife American wife, Lelia, he appears overly “surreptitious”, thus becoming a “stranger” to the most important person in his life (Lee 5). Lelia’s use of words such as “surreptitious” and “stranger” highlight her lack of knowledge about him, his emotions, and his life despite being married, which results in distance between them. Furthermore, despite the many years that have passed since the death of their son Mitt, Henry has “never really talked about it”, thus furthering his separation from Lelia, justifying his title of “stranger”. Though Park wishes he could express all of his emotions with her, he often keeps his innermost thoughts private.This secrecy is pervasive in all of Park’s relationships and is amplified by the discretion needed for his job as a spy.
Forthrightness of speech, another distinctly American value, is often displayed throughout the protagonist’s arguments with those around him, such as his boss and his father.

In speaking with his boss Dennis Hoagland after a recent malperformance, Henry is forthright about his displeasure with the conversation so far as to say “f**k you”, mirroring the blunt language of American his employer (46). By using expletives with his boss as Dennis had done prior to, Park exhibits a strong sense of candor, thus symbolizing his distinctly American method of communication. Furthermore, Dennis’ lack of response implies that this type of conduct is deemed acceptable in the American corporate world. By contrast, dating back to Henry’s youth, this pattern of behavior sharply juxtaposes with his Korean culture’s ethics of deference. When interjecting in an argument between his mother and father as a child, Henry spoke in “complete sentences about his [father’s] cowardice and unfairness” for which his mother reprimanded him (63). Thus, his mother’s deep rooted adherence to the Korean value of respect juxtaposes both Henry’s forthright conversation habits and Dennis’s reaction to said habits. While Koreans may emphasize subtle ways of delivering negative news or statements, American communication is blunt, therefore illuminating Henry’s adoption of kurt

discussion.
Parallel to Henry Park, many inhabitants of the United States prioritize the virtue of hard work. Later in his career when working on an assignment in Miami for his job as a spy, Henry discovers that his father has passed away. However, because of his strong emphasis on diligence, he returned to Miami “immediately after his [father’s] funeral” (215). Though hyperbolic in nature, Henry’s immense dedication to his assignments exemplifies the importance he instills in hard work. This care and precision is seen in throughout all of his work endeavors, thus signifying a true American.
By the denouement, Henry Park embodies numerous American values such privacy, direct communication, and assiduous work habits; in this way, he highlights the common phenomenon of adopting values as a result of constant exposure to them. Ultimately, the United States shapes the values and beliefs of innumerable people. Thus in many ways, these individuals assimilate into society and become “Americans”.