Five Decisions Made By Lee

Pick out five decisions that Lee makes and talk about how they change the reader’s perception of the story, its characters, etc.


I think that one decision that Chang-Rae Lee makes that affects how we view the Korean lifestyle is when he is talking about Janice's ex-boyfriends John Kim. It talks about how his silence was probably just as frustrating for him as it was for her (pg. 96) and how it was much more complicated then she thought. This helps us to understand the Korean lifestyle a little better because it shows that Koreans don't stay quiet because they don't feel like talking about their feelings. They stay quiet because that was the way they were taught to handle difficult situations. It's not by choice.
Another decision that Chang-Rae Lee makes our view of the story different is when he starts talking about Mitt (pg. 100). I think that that has an affect on me as a reader because it made the characters seem more human. Their pain and strife made me feel like they had more in common with me. Mitt brought out different aspects of Henry and Lelia during his life and after his death. It's interesting to compare how these are different and the storyline of Mitt brings these emotions out. Chang-Rae Lee also changes our view of John Kwang when he describes him as having his picture in mom and pop stores right by their first dollar they earned, their son's Ivy League diploma, and their U.S. citizenship (pg. 83). This shows us how important Kwang is to his supporters. He is on the same tier as some of the most important things of their lives. He has that much of an effect on people. This seems to cast Kwang in a godlike light. Chang-Rae Lee changes our view of John Kwang again when he shows Kwang yelling at his wife for 10 minutes (pg.145)in their car. This seems to show that even the godlike Kwang has chinks in his armor. This shows us another aspect of Kwang that the public doesn't see. It will be interesting to see what other chinks Kwang has and how the public reacts if they are exposed. The final decision that Chang-Rae Lee makes that changes our view of Korean life is when Henry is talking to his father about the girl he is taking to the dance (pg. 73). His father tells him that the girl is just using him for a free dance ticket and that she doesn't have romantic feelings for Henry. His father can't grasp how a pretty Caucasian girl could like a Korean boy. This gave a different view because it shows how racist Henry's father was. It seems like his father was racist towards himself. He sees himself near the bottom of the races and Caucasians at the very top. It will be interesting to see if Henry forms these views later on in his life or not.