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Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Native Speaker, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Multiculturalism
Silence, Language, and Communication
Racism and Xenophobia
Love, Loss, and Moving On
Summary
Analysis
Henry is set to meet with Pete and Grace to give them the records of Kwang’s ggeh. He’s a little paranoid about when they might appear, constantly asking Lelia if she sees them across the street or on the other side of the subway platform. He hasn’t told her that Kwang was the one responsible for the bombing. But his silence on the matter has nothing to do with secrecy. Rather, he doesn’t tell her as a way of keeping her safe. If she did know vital information, she could be used against him when he finally stops working for Hoagland. However, Henry has already made Hoagland and Jack agree not to involve Lelia if anything goes wrong with the Kwang case. Plus, Hoagland knows Henry wouldn’t tell his wife deep secrets because of his tight-lipped nature and upbringing.
Henry’s thoughts about using secrecy and silence to protect Lelia underscore his awareness that he’s in a potentially dangerous situation. Although he has started opening up to Lelia more as a way of mending their bond, he now recognizes that his silence might be a good way of keeping Lelia safe. On another note, the fact that he gives Pete and Grace the records of Kwang’s ggeh shows that he has given up on protecting Kwang, who seems to have lost Henry’s respect and loyalty by admitting to his responsibility for the bombing that killed Eduardo.
Themes
All the same, Henry has decided not to tell Hoagland that Kwang is responsible for the bombing. He sees this decision as his “final honoring” of Kwang. He doesn’t doubt that Hoagland will still somehow find out what happened, but it won’t be from him. To that end, he’s now quite sure that Eduardo was a second operative working for Hoagland. When he finally meets with Pete and Grace and gives them the file, he briefly feels remorseful. But then he recognizes that this feeling is little more than the same “burden” his father bore when he was alive. His “ugly immigrant’s truth,” he thinks, is that he has “exploited [his] own” people—just like his father did.
Henry feels guilty for spying on Kwang and handing over the information that Hoagland—or, rather, Hoagland’s anonymous client—wanted. His guilt stems from the fact that he identifies with Kwang, so betraying him feels like betraying his own people. But this kind of betrayal, he recognizes, is a common part of the immigrant experience. His own father, for instance, treated his employees harshly and constantly squeezed as much work out of them as he could, and though this behavior certainly isn’t the same as spying on Kwang, it does indicate a certain willingness to prioritize one’s own success over all else.
Themes
