Many interesting events have occurred in the Native Speaker. We have learned more about Henry’s job, his son Mitt, his father, housekeeper, John Kwang, and Lelia, and Hoagland. I have noticed that Henry makes many references to language. I like the ending paragraph on page 130. Henry said “For it was nearness and not touch that had always compelled me. I have only known proximity. She did not move away. I didn’t try to touch her” (130 Lee). Maybe this quote is describing their relationship. He could only come so close to her until they were uncomfortable. Maybe it relates to their language differences. Henry could only come so close to speaking, that perfect English Lelia does, but he can never get any further. He cannot touch that Language part because he will always be half Korean. I found that Henry had an interesting connection with John Kwang. Henry stated about Kwang, “I had ready connection to him of course. He knew I was Korean, or Korean- American, though perhaps not exactly the same way he was. We were of different stripes, like any two people, though taken together you might say that one was an outlying version of the other. I think we both understood this from the beginning, and insofar as it was evident. I suppose you could call ours a kind of romance…”(138 Lee). I find this quote intriguing. Unlike the “proximity” with Lelia, Henry had this “connection” with Kwang. Henry feels that the connection comes from them being Korean. He feels that the connection is so close he describes it as a sort of “romance.” Would Henry have felt this connection or romance if Lelia were Korean? I also noticed that Henry describes Kwangs appearance and clothing quite often. He constantly describes what kind of tuxedo he has on and his physical appearance and actions. Henry describes him as “a family man, that being Korean and old-fashioned made him cherish and honor the institution …”(146 Lee). Kwang is like this traditional Korean man. I feel that Lee uses Kwang, and other characters to tell us more about the Korean customs.
