A Gesture Life
Written by Chang-rae Lee Published September 6,1999 "There is something exemplary to the sensation of near-perfect lightness, of being in a place and not being there, which seems of course a chronic condition of my life but then, too, its everyday unction, the trouble finding a remedy but not quite a cure, so that the problem naturally proliferates until it has become you through and through"(Lee 289-290) "And though the implication is that I am the sort who is always careful and preparing, I that that's not right, either' in fact I feel I have not really been living anywhere or anytime, not for the future and not in the past and not at all of-the-moment, but rather in a lonely dream of an oblivion, the nothing-of-nothing drift from one pulse beat to the next, which is really the most bloodless marking-out, automatic and involuntary"(Lee 320-321) |
Testimonial
A Gesture Life, written by Chang-rae Lee, follows the story of a Japanese man (of Korean birth) named Franklin Hata, labeled by most other characters by "Doctor/Doc Hata". Mr. Hata lives in a moderately-sized suburban town called Bedley Run; the community which inhabits the town holds Mr. Hata in high regard for his gentle nature and strong morals. The story begins with Mr. Hata describing his present life, as well as gradually introducing more characters including Liv Crawford and his adopted daughter Sunny whom is small medical supply store is named after. The store, "Sunny Medical Supply", is eventually sold reluctantly to a couple from New York. Later on, Mr. Hata is sent to the hospital after a small fire occurs in his house. During this time, he experiences vivid flashbacks about his time serving as a Japanese medic during the war. He recalls a group of young girls who had "volunteered" to entertain the troops at his base. He remembers one of the girls in particular, one whom he addresses as "K"; he grows close to her, but circumstances were bringing the threat of danger. Upon Mr. Hata getting out of the hospital, he attempts to remedy his relationship with his daughter who had gone off with an irresponsible man. All of these experiences begin to shape his general understanding of things, and how he interprets his situation.
I found the book to be quite enjoyable overall. It starts off slowly and may seem a bit difficult to follow, but when taken into the perspective of what the story is trying to portray, it is truly a great piece of literature. It is written from the first-person perspective of the narrator (Mr. Hata); his humble personality as well as professional command of language is continuously reflected by his dialogue to the reader. The overall story follows two focal points in Mr. Hata's timeline at different places in the book: his present life, and his time serving in the war. Because of this, the writing may be a bit perplexing for some. Overall however, this style of writing gives a unique insight onto the main character's life as well as contributing to a culminating understanding as to what the story's purpose it. Anyone who enjoys stories that reflect regular life and have relatable aspects would most likely find this to be a great reading experience. As a rating, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I found the book to be quite enjoyable overall. It starts off slowly and may seem a bit difficult to follow, but when taken into the perspective of what the story is trying to portray, it is truly a great piece of literature. It is written from the first-person perspective of the narrator (Mr. Hata); his humble personality as well as professional command of language is continuously reflected by his dialogue to the reader. The overall story follows two focal points in Mr. Hata's timeline at different places in the book: his present life, and his time serving in the war. Because of this, the writing may be a bit perplexing for some. Overall however, this style of writing gives a unique insight onto the main character's life as well as contributing to a culminating understanding as to what the story's purpose it. Anyone who enjoys stories that reflect regular life and have relatable aspects would most likely find this to be a great reading experience. As a rating, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
About the Author
Chang-rae Lee was born on July 29th, 1965 in South Korea. He and his family had moved to the United States so that his mother could continue her training in psychiatry. Later on in his life, Lee was accepted into Philips Exeter Academy, and, after graduating, went to Yale University to major in English. His first job was working as an equities analyst on Wall Street, but he found that this was not a good career for him. He was later accepted into the University of Oregon. Later after graduating, he was hired to work at the University as an assistant writing professor, and in the same year married Michelle Branca. He also held a position at Hunter College, and eventually became a professor of creative writing at Princeton. He has received a plethora of rewards for his writings. He still works and lives a normal life with his family to the present day.
Full Biography
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Meta-cognitive Analysis (*SPOILERS*)
Initially I had found this book exceedingly difficult to get into. It seemed a mere description of the main character's life, and there really didn't appear to be a clear purpose--at least not from my initial perspective. Franklin Hata, or more commonly enumerated as "Doc Hata" by the other characters, spends a lot of time in the first chapter elaborating on his general image in the eye of the Bedley Run community; this is not in a self-centered manner as most people would think it to be before reading his dialogue to the reader, but is rather humble about it. The very first line of chapter one starts with the phrase "People know me here"(Lee 1). This is concise statement that alludes the fact that he is comfortable with those around him, and likewise the community shares the same feelings. Given that this story must not have occurred too long after the war (given that Mr. Hata had served when he war younger for the Imperial Japanese Army), it is interesting that those around him treated him so well at this point in history given his ethnicity. Another thing that is noticeable is his frequent explanations dealing with the characteristics of other characters. These are normally all kept within a positive lens, and he rarely ever fully diverges into a person's negative qualities. He is always willing to help those in his community, and goes into how he tried his best to raise his adopted daughter Sunny to the best of his ability. These culminate to express his outward appearance of kindness and morality.
As the book begins to progress, there is a small personal struggle that occurs to Mr. Hata. A perky real estate agent named Liv Crawford seems to be bent on the idea of convincing Mr. Hata to sell his house. He is, at first, outwardly skeptical of the idea, though he later thinks to himself about it and states how he is "[...] nearer to actually selling [his] house than [he's] ever been before"(Lee 21). This could be so not only because of his stated reasoning later in the passage, but rather the memory of his daughter Sunny that seems to trouble his mind occasionally. This is specifically seen in a transition phase between chapters 2 and 3 where Mr. Hata begins to burn old photos and documentation that pertained to Sunny. He had always held high aspirations and expectations for her, but she herself began to rebel in a sense as well as critiquing Mr. Hata's concern for his own reputation. The fire eventually builds enough to where the smoke ends up hospitalizing Mr. Hata. This is where I began to see the first hints of conflict emerging their presence into the story. It is at this point where Mr. Hata begins to reflect/have flashbacks of the past. Here he recalls his relationship and eventual breakup with a woman named Mary Burns. Mrs. Burns had admired Mr. Hata's character and lifestyle, but also seemed invested in attempting to become something of a mother figure for Sunny. Sunny however, is not keen on this idea and essentially never fully opens up to her. This conflict eventually leads to Mrs. Burns getting into an argument with Mr. Hata about the way that he had brought up his daughter and the way that he treated her. He even submits to agreeing with some of her statements, which in all reality just reflects how far they are still from each other. At this point in time, Mrs. Burns drifts away. This made me curious as to whether or not Sunny actually ever wanted her father to marry someone else so that she may have a mother, or if her reserved actions towards Mrs. Burns were intentional in a manner that would reflect her moderate dislike for Mr. Hata. This, however, is only a beginning conflict.
At this point in the story I still couldn't grasp a full understanding of the message; there are, however, many small hints to the idea of Mr. Hata living a life based on actions and perceptions, in other words, a "gesture life". The next conflict of the story seemed to arise when Mr. Hata had encountered a trouble with Sunny when she had gotten into trouble with the law, and as he later found out that she was seeing a reckless group of boys from nearby. Sunny ends up running off to the city with one of them, and it is revealed later in the book that she gets pregnant. Mr. Hata pressures her into getting an abortion, his motive seeming to be more based on his desire to protect his reputation rather than to help keep his daughter safe from issues that may arise down the road if she were to have the baby. This is where I began to understand why Sunny disliked her father so much; it had a lot to do with his constant internal focus on his reputation. Her anger is clearly seen in one particular line:
"I don't want love, and I don't want your concern. I think it's fake anyway. Maybe you don't know, but all you care about is your reputation in this snotty, [expletive deleted] town, and how I might hurt it."(Lee 95)
She continues to debase him by saying that he "[...] make[s] a whole life out of gestures and politeness"(Lee 95), and that no one actually cares about him. Though her sayings are harsh, there is some truth to her argument in that Mr. Hata is always trying to present himself in the best manner possible, and is always doing favors for people. This in and of itself is not a bad thing, but his ulterior motives are what cause this to be a flaw in his character. It really wasn't until later on that I see where this nature may have originated in his life.
Mr. Hata mentions previously that he was a Japanese man of Korean descent. Perhaps the beginning of his lifestyle of perfection had begun with him simply trying to fit in to where he was living as a kid, as well as later adjusting to life in America. A crucial point in the story is when he has flashbacks of his experience as a medic in the war. His encampment had received a group of "comfort women" (basically sex slaves used to entertain the soldiers), and he was in charge of keeping them in good condition to be continuously be brutally abused by many soldiers. As time passes, he notices how their condition becomes progressively worse. There was one of the women in particular that stuck out to him, one that he calls K. His passion for her grew, though it becomes clear that his pursuit of this relationship is a futile attempt given the circumstances. There comes a point where the head doctor, Captain Ono, walks into the operating room where both Mr. Hata and K were talking. K kills Captain Ono with a scalpel, and then begs Mr. Hata to kill her. She yells at him that "[...] if [he] truly loved her, [he[ could not bear to be with [her]. [He] could not see [her] like this, [he] could not stand for one moment longer the thought of [her] even living"(Lee 300). He did not have the capacity to kill her, even though he knew in his mind what could happen to her if he didn't. He ended up shooting Captain Ono's corpse in the head to make it look like a suicide, so that when the guards came there would be little suspicion. It appeared to have put a lot of stress on Mr. Hata, but it represented a time when his own desires had directed his actions. K is later savagely slaughtered by many soldiers, and the full length of guilt sets in with Mr. Hata. This is perhaps one of the biggest things that affects his character, since he constantly feels regret for what happened to K and wants to try and make up for it in a way, all the while trying to preserve his image as a "better person". This was definitely one of the most tragic parts of the book, though it is not the only. The overall course of the book does seem to go upward after Mr. Hata begins to move on from his experience with K.
Further on, Mr. Hata finds out that Sunny has a son, and that she manages a small store in the local mall. In an attempt to remedy his relationship with her, he watches her child every once and a while. During this time, he sees how Sunny has matured much in character since he had last been around her. They both start to become closer once again, and are now able to speak to each other without such hard malice as there had been previously. The story comes to a close, and Mr. Hata finally decides to sell the house. This is very symbolic of how he finally came to terms with the traumatic experiences that he had, and how he wanted to change for the better. He talked about how he might buy his old store, and renovate the upstairs apartment so that Sunny and her son could live there if they so pleased. HIs final closing statement reflects his final peace of mind now that he has come to a better place in his life:
"Let me simply bear my flesh, and blood, and bones. I will fly a flag. Tomorrow, when this house is alive and full, I will be outside looking in. I will be already on a walk someplace, in this town or the next or five thousand miles away. I will circle round and arrive again. Come almost home.
All around, I finally understood that the focus of everything was really about Franklin Hata's progression as a character, and how he would eventually change for the better. It was very difficult to understand throughout the book, but in the end makes a lot of sense. The book had a lot of relatable things within it, and the author did a spectacular job with making the characters intricate and vibrant in character. I am glad that I finished this book to the end, regardless of my previous frustrations.
Discussion Questions:
1.) What other events besides the traumatic experiences in the war could have contributed to the faults in Franklin Hata's personality?
2.) Was the child that Sunny had from the same person that she had initially run of to the city with?
3.) Why do you think Mr. Hata was so attached to his house?
4.) Did Mr. Hata adopt Sunny for her own good, or was it to add to his image?
5.) Why didn't Mr. Hata realize his mistakes earlier (as it is evident that was the reason that Sunny ran from him)?
As the book begins to progress, there is a small personal struggle that occurs to Mr. Hata. A perky real estate agent named Liv Crawford seems to be bent on the idea of convincing Mr. Hata to sell his house. He is, at first, outwardly skeptical of the idea, though he later thinks to himself about it and states how he is "[...] nearer to actually selling [his] house than [he's] ever been before"(Lee 21). This could be so not only because of his stated reasoning later in the passage, but rather the memory of his daughter Sunny that seems to trouble his mind occasionally. This is specifically seen in a transition phase between chapters 2 and 3 where Mr. Hata begins to burn old photos and documentation that pertained to Sunny. He had always held high aspirations and expectations for her, but she herself began to rebel in a sense as well as critiquing Mr. Hata's concern for his own reputation. The fire eventually builds enough to where the smoke ends up hospitalizing Mr. Hata. This is where I began to see the first hints of conflict emerging their presence into the story. It is at this point where Mr. Hata begins to reflect/have flashbacks of the past. Here he recalls his relationship and eventual breakup with a woman named Mary Burns. Mrs. Burns had admired Mr. Hata's character and lifestyle, but also seemed invested in attempting to become something of a mother figure for Sunny. Sunny however, is not keen on this idea and essentially never fully opens up to her. This conflict eventually leads to Mrs. Burns getting into an argument with Mr. Hata about the way that he had brought up his daughter and the way that he treated her. He even submits to agreeing with some of her statements, which in all reality just reflects how far they are still from each other. At this point in time, Mrs. Burns drifts away. This made me curious as to whether or not Sunny actually ever wanted her father to marry someone else so that she may have a mother, or if her reserved actions towards Mrs. Burns were intentional in a manner that would reflect her moderate dislike for Mr. Hata. This, however, is only a beginning conflict.
At this point in the story I still couldn't grasp a full understanding of the message; there are, however, many small hints to the idea of Mr. Hata living a life based on actions and perceptions, in other words, a "gesture life". The next conflict of the story seemed to arise when Mr. Hata had encountered a trouble with Sunny when she had gotten into trouble with the law, and as he later found out that she was seeing a reckless group of boys from nearby. Sunny ends up running off to the city with one of them, and it is revealed later in the book that she gets pregnant. Mr. Hata pressures her into getting an abortion, his motive seeming to be more based on his desire to protect his reputation rather than to help keep his daughter safe from issues that may arise down the road if she were to have the baby. This is where I began to understand why Sunny disliked her father so much; it had a lot to do with his constant internal focus on his reputation. Her anger is clearly seen in one particular line:
"I don't want love, and I don't want your concern. I think it's fake anyway. Maybe you don't know, but all you care about is your reputation in this snotty, [expletive deleted] town, and how I might hurt it."(Lee 95)
She continues to debase him by saying that he "[...] make[s] a whole life out of gestures and politeness"(Lee 95), and that no one actually cares about him. Though her sayings are harsh, there is some truth to her argument in that Mr. Hata is always trying to present himself in the best manner possible, and is always doing favors for people. This in and of itself is not a bad thing, but his ulterior motives are what cause this to be a flaw in his character. It really wasn't until later on that I see where this nature may have originated in his life.
Mr. Hata mentions previously that he was a Japanese man of Korean descent. Perhaps the beginning of his lifestyle of perfection had begun with him simply trying to fit in to where he was living as a kid, as well as later adjusting to life in America. A crucial point in the story is when he has flashbacks of his experience as a medic in the war. His encampment had received a group of "comfort women" (basically sex slaves used to entertain the soldiers), and he was in charge of keeping them in good condition to be continuously be brutally abused by many soldiers. As time passes, he notices how their condition becomes progressively worse. There was one of the women in particular that stuck out to him, one that he calls K. His passion for her grew, though it becomes clear that his pursuit of this relationship is a futile attempt given the circumstances. There comes a point where the head doctor, Captain Ono, walks into the operating room where both Mr. Hata and K were talking. K kills Captain Ono with a scalpel, and then begs Mr. Hata to kill her. She yells at him that "[...] if [he] truly loved her, [he[ could not bear to be with [her]. [He] could not see [her] like this, [he] could not stand for one moment longer the thought of [her] even living"(Lee 300). He did not have the capacity to kill her, even though he knew in his mind what could happen to her if he didn't. He ended up shooting Captain Ono's corpse in the head to make it look like a suicide, so that when the guards came there would be little suspicion. It appeared to have put a lot of stress on Mr. Hata, but it represented a time when his own desires had directed his actions. K is later savagely slaughtered by many soldiers, and the full length of guilt sets in with Mr. Hata. This is perhaps one of the biggest things that affects his character, since he constantly feels regret for what happened to K and wants to try and make up for it in a way, all the while trying to preserve his image as a "better person". This was definitely one of the most tragic parts of the book, though it is not the only. The overall course of the book does seem to go upward after Mr. Hata begins to move on from his experience with K.
Further on, Mr. Hata finds out that Sunny has a son, and that she manages a small store in the local mall. In an attempt to remedy his relationship with her, he watches her child every once and a while. During this time, he sees how Sunny has matured much in character since he had last been around her. They both start to become closer once again, and are now able to speak to each other without such hard malice as there had been previously. The story comes to a close, and Mr. Hata finally decides to sell the house. This is very symbolic of how he finally came to terms with the traumatic experiences that he had, and how he wanted to change for the better. He talked about how he might buy his old store, and renovate the upstairs apartment so that Sunny and her son could live there if they so pleased. HIs final closing statement reflects his final peace of mind now that he has come to a better place in his life:
"Let me simply bear my flesh, and blood, and bones. I will fly a flag. Tomorrow, when this house is alive and full, I will be outside looking in. I will be already on a walk someplace, in this town or the next or five thousand miles away. I will circle round and arrive again. Come almost home.
All around, I finally understood that the focus of everything was really about Franklin Hata's progression as a character, and how he would eventually change for the better. It was very difficult to understand throughout the book, but in the end makes a lot of sense. The book had a lot of relatable things within it, and the author did a spectacular job with making the characters intricate and vibrant in character. I am glad that I finished this book to the end, regardless of my previous frustrations.
Discussion Questions:
1.) What other events besides the traumatic experiences in the war could have contributed to the faults in Franklin Hata's personality?
2.) Was the child that Sunny had from the same person that she had initially run of to the city with?
3.) Why do you think Mr. Hata was so attached to his house?
4.) Did Mr. Hata adopt Sunny for her own good, or was it to add to his image?
5.) Why didn't Mr. Hata realize his mistakes earlier (as it is evident that was the reason that Sunny ran from him)?
Theme Analysis
In the book A Gesture Life, Change-rae Lee appears to emphasize that a life lived by trying to maintain a high reputation will ironically bring a person eventual ruin; it is only if a person take the initiative to change that things will become better.
This theme is seen throughout the entire story. From the very beginning the reader can see how the main character, Franklin Hata, is very much concerned about his own image in front of the people around him in the small town of Bedley Run. He is known throughout the town as "Doc" Hata, though it is clear later in the text that he is not in fact a doctor at all. This name originates both from the fact that he owns a medical supply store, and from his benevolent actions within the community. His service to the community is not bad in itself of course, but it is clear in some of what Mr. Hata says that he is deeply concerned with how people see him. He is distinctly criticized for this by his own daughter, Sunny, while she is in an argument with him after Mr. Hata finds out that Sunny had ran off to the city with an irresponsible boy from another side of town. With regard to Sunny, it could be said that his aspirations and expectations for her are all based on his desire to maintain his positive reputation. It was the perceptions of how he treated Sunny that ended his relationship with Mary Burns, a neighbor of his that he had quickly become intimate friends with not too earlier. Toward the very end of the book, Mr. Hata describes the time that he had pressured his daughter into getting an abortion when she had become pregnant at just 18. His overbearing persistence reflects on how his motive to have her do this was not so much as to help protect her from future problems, but rather yet another defense in protecting his reputation.
Because of this common characteristic of Franklin Hata, he loses relationships with both Mary Burns and his very own daughter. To add to this, his overall mental state seems to be greatly troubled, especially when he recalls the events that happened during the war. There does, however, come a turning point to which he finally realizes his mistakes and decides to remedy the situation. After rethinking through what happened to K in one of his flashbacks, he appears to decide to move on and change for the better. He starts to talk to Sunny once more, and helps her with her new son. At the very end of the book, Mr. Hata makes the decision to sell his house, and contemplates buying back his medical supply store. The change show that there is always the opportunity for change, but only if one is willing to take the chance.
This theme is seen throughout the entire story. From the very beginning the reader can see how the main character, Franklin Hata, is very much concerned about his own image in front of the people around him in the small town of Bedley Run. He is known throughout the town as "Doc" Hata, though it is clear later in the text that he is not in fact a doctor at all. This name originates both from the fact that he owns a medical supply store, and from his benevolent actions within the community. His service to the community is not bad in itself of course, but it is clear in some of what Mr. Hata says that he is deeply concerned with how people see him. He is distinctly criticized for this by his own daughter, Sunny, while she is in an argument with him after Mr. Hata finds out that Sunny had ran off to the city with an irresponsible boy from another side of town. With regard to Sunny, it could be said that his aspirations and expectations for her are all based on his desire to maintain his positive reputation. It was the perceptions of how he treated Sunny that ended his relationship with Mary Burns, a neighbor of his that he had quickly become intimate friends with not too earlier. Toward the very end of the book, Mr. Hata describes the time that he had pressured his daughter into getting an abortion when she had become pregnant at just 18. His overbearing persistence reflects on how his motive to have her do this was not so much as to help protect her from future problems, but rather yet another defense in protecting his reputation.
Because of this common characteristic of Franklin Hata, he loses relationships with both Mary Burns and his very own daughter. To add to this, his overall mental state seems to be greatly troubled, especially when he recalls the events that happened during the war. There does, however, come a turning point to which he finally realizes his mistakes and decides to remedy the situation. After rethinking through what happened to K in one of his flashbacks, he appears to decide to move on and change for the better. He starts to talk to Sunny once more, and helps her with her new son. At the very end of the book, Mr. Hata makes the decision to sell his house, and contemplates buying back his medical supply store. The change show that there is always the opportunity for change, but only if one is willing to take the chance.
Sources
"A Gesture Life." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2016.
"Chang-rae Lee Biography." - Life, Family, Childhood, Children, Parents, Story, Wife, School,
Mother. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2016.
Kakutani, Michiko. "'A Gesture Life': Fitting In Perfectly on the Outside, but Lost Within."
Books. N.p., 31 Aug. 1999. Web. 1 June 2016.
Lee, Chang-rae. A Gesture Life. New York: Riverhead, 1999. Print.
Lee, Chang-rae. Aloft. New York: Riverhead, 2004. Print.
Lee, Chang-rae. Native Speaker. New York: Riverhead, 1995. Print.
"Native Speaker." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2016.
Lee, Chang-rae. The Surrendered. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
"Summary and Analysis - Chapters 1-3." AGestureLife -. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2016.
"Undergraduate Admission." Chang-rae Lee. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2016.
"Chang-rae Lee Biography." - Life, Family, Childhood, Children, Parents, Story, Wife, School,
Mother. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2016.
Kakutani, Michiko. "'A Gesture Life': Fitting In Perfectly on the Outside, but Lost Within."
Books. N.p., 31 Aug. 1999. Web. 1 June 2016.
Lee, Chang-rae. A Gesture Life. New York: Riverhead, 1999. Print.
Lee, Chang-rae. Aloft. New York: Riverhead, 2004. Print.
Lee, Chang-rae. Native Speaker. New York: Riverhead, 1995. Print.
"Native Speaker." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2016.
Lee, Chang-rae. The Surrendered. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print.
"Summary and Analysis - Chapters 1-3." AGestureLife -. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2016.
"Undergraduate Admission." Chang-rae Lee. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2016.