Native Speaker

Henry Park is the narrator and protagonist of Native Speaker. He is in his early thirties but looks younger, is around 5’10”, and looks more gentle than handsome (99). Only his father and John Kwang use Henry’s Korean name, Byong-ho. Mr. Park uses it when he is angry with Henry as a child, and Kwang uses it as a sign of respect and closeness, calling Henry Park Byong-ho shih (291, 316, 320).

Henry is a first-generation Korean American, having moved to the United States with his Korean parents as a baby. Henry grew up in two worlds. His primary world was the environment of Korean immigrant culture, which he experienced at home and within the Korean community, and his secondary world was his exposure to white mainstream American culture at school and in New York City. Henry grew up ashamed of his accent and hyper-aware of the cadences in native speakers. He tried desperately to speak perfect American English and succeeded.

Henry’s ability to live between worlds leads him to a job as a spy for a non-governmental intelligence firm. This job requires that Henry ingratiate himself to fellow Asian Americans and betray their trust, sometimes with dire consequences.