Native Speaker Chang-Rae Lee describes the difficult and often discouraging assimilation of a young Korean American, Henry Park. Throughout the novel, Henry struggles to navigate Korean or American culture. His efforts to fashion an identity in a foreign land make him an “emotional outsider…an outsider [and] a follower,” often feeling invisible to those around him (5). Similarly, Chang-Rae Lee manipulates common Asian stereotypes to achieve the goal of her novel. It is no coincidence that the sly, reserved, private, and secretive traits required of a spy also match American expectations of immigrants. Indeed, Lee's choice to entrust Henry with a career as a spy is a cultural convention in itself. Ultimately, Henry's role as a spy serves as a symbol of the American immigrant experience. Chang-Rae Lee goes beyond the one-dimensional nature of a traditional spy novel and, instead, uses Henry's career as a vehicle to express the fractured and conflicting identities brought about by assimilation into American culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Originally from Korea, Henry is the ideal candidate for his profession. Although the exact details of his work are never fully revealed, we learn that he is employed by Glimmer and Co., a shady information company specializing in collecting secret and valuable data on individuals from immigrant communities. . There's no doubt that Lee plays into stereotypes of Asians as sneaky, quiet, and deceptive. Henry's attraction to espionage stems from the "cultural heritage of silence" learned from his parents who were authentically Korean (Chen 639). Almost inevitably, Henry discovers that his “true place in the culture” is his job, especially since his boss “lamented the fact that Americans were generally the worst spies” (118, 160). For his work to be effective, Henry must invent fictitious stories himself so as not to be detected in front of his clients. As a result, the line between Henry's true self and his representation to outsiders is often indistinguishable. Likewise, Lee draws parallels between Henry's physical position as an outsider and spy and his position as an emotional or cultural outsider resulting from his immigrant status. Furthermore, the nature of the impersonation required of a spy echoes the propensity of immigrants to present a facade to those seen as "more" American than the immigrants themselves. The invisibility that Henry practices as a spy “coincides with the in/visibilities of race” (Chen 645). After all, even Henry knows about “this secret life” practiced by foreigners in America (163). For example, his childhood is tormented by memories of customers at his father's grocery store who "didn't seem to see him" and "didn't look at him" because he "was a charming shadow who didn't look at him." threaten them” (49). In this way, Henry and his career become a metaphor for immigrants in general. Additionally, for someone whose sense of self and identity is ambiguous, it is ironic that his job at Glimmer and Co. requires him to investigate, dissect, and summarize the identities and intentions of others. While Henry's career requires him to explicitly portray the identities of others and to invent multiple identities to achieve this goal, he is entirely dependent on those around him to shape his personal identity. His “inability to separate his personal problems from his obligationsprofessional” pushes him to seek self-definition and validation through the eyes of others. Ultimately, his professional secrecy reflected in his personal relationships contributes to his already fractured identity. By the end of the novel, Henry realizes that his deceptive actions and false identities as a spy have compromised him personally. His performance as a spy profoundly affected his self-perception and personal relationships. In general, his "mixture of reality and illusion" comes to represent a broader immigration struggle between American assimilation and ethnic allegiance (Chen 653). Indeed, these struggles become evident in his personal and professional relationships with his wife, Lelia, and his subjects, Doctor Luzan and John Kwang. For example, the story begins with a list of descriptors that Lelia left with Henry before leaving him for the islands, adjectives like, but not limited to, "clandestine, illegal alien, emotional alien, stranger, follower, spy” (5). This list is what triggers Henry's internal conflict over his true identity and makes him realize that he doesn't know who he really is or what culture he belongs to. Lelia's list reveals Henry's lack of autonomy and more generally: “[it] symbolizes his general willingness to let someone else determine who he is” (Chen 165). Instead of protesting Lelia's unflattering descriptions of him, Henry accepts her assessment and spends their separation living up to or being defined by her perceptions of who he is. In crafting this element of the narrative, Chang-Rae Lee highlights the struggle immigrants experience to resist outside ideas about who they are and what defines them as "American." In general, Henry's identity crisis is caused by his "inability to divorce his identity." personal problems of his professional obligations” (Chen 644). During his separation from Lelia, Henry is entrusted with the cover of a psychoanalyst, Dr. Luzan. In order to successfully gather information, Henry must create a pseudo-self, or a “legend,” as he calls it (22). However, when Dr. Luzan asks Henry, "Who, my young friend, have you been all your life?" during the therapy session, Henry realizes that he is “turning the legend back on himself” (205, 22). Thus, Henry's "real" personal narrative becomes intertwined with Henry Park's fictional one, causing him to "become dangerously frank and incoherently schizophrenic" (22). He explains, “When I was sitting in the chair in front of Luzan’s desk, I got completely lost” (22). Right now, Chang-Rae Lee is trying to illuminate the outcome of being from two different cultures but belonging to neither. Since Henry cannot engage with either his authentic self or his fictional narratives, he feels completely isolated and “othered.” Additionally, Henry's relationship with another mission subject, John Kwang, reveals the same kind of ambiguity. If it is Lelia who represents to Henry everything he aspires to be about being American, then it is John Kwang who represents the most valuable aspects of Korean lifestyle and culture. Although Kwang ostensibly represents the same type of Americanness as his political opponent, he is still able to maintain his inner Korean heritage. For Henry, Kwang embodies the kind of seamless assimilation he is incapable of achieving. As with Dr. Luzan, the “legend” Henry writes for himself unfolds as his admiration for Kwang grows. Henry eventually “succumbs to the illusions of his own performances,” and his relationships with Dr. Luzan and John Kwang signify his inability to separate his fictional self from his “real” self (Chen 644). Henry's role as a spy ultimately serves as a symbol of., 1995.