Lives in Two Languages: An Exploration of Identity and Culture by Linda Watkins-Goffman

A Reader's Guide

These questions will guide you as you read the novels and excerpts from the novels that appear in Lives in Two Languages.

Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee

Questions from the excerpt from Lives in Two Languages (pp. 83-88)

1. Why did the protagonist and his family end up spending the summer in Ardsley?
2. How did Mitt's appearance demonstrate his mixed background? How does the author describe his appearance?
3. Do you think that the prejudice shown by the nicknames used by the neighborhood kids is exaggerated?
4. How could Mitt's death be seen as a metaphor?
5. What do you think happens next to Lelia and Henry?

Questions from the Novel Native Speaker (1996)

1. There are many interesting minor characters in the novel, such as John Kwang and Dennis Hoagland. What is their relationship with Parks?
2. How do the politics in Queens reflect politics in general in the U.S. today?
3. Parks' wife, Lelia, has an important role in shaping his identity. Describe her and discuss her relationship with Parks and his family.
4. How can one's professional or work life impact on his or her identity? Why was this the case in Henry Parks' story?
5. What ideas are expressed in the novel about cultural diversity and racism?
6. How is Henry's story different from or similar to Jing-Mei in Joy Luck Club?
7. How is the language issue different from or similar to that of Rodriguez in Hunger of Memory?

Chang-rae Lee's second novel, A Gesture Life (2000), similarly tackled issues of identity, diversity, and racism.

See also:

Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez
Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman
Something to Declare by Julia Alvarez
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston