Henry Park: Henry is the main protagonist of Native Speaker. Henry has a wife named Lelia. They had a baby boy together named Mitt, but he died in an accident which I believe caused the temporary drift between Lelia and Henry (they are now together again). He is very reminiscent and thinks a lot about his past. One key thing to remember is that although he does go into his past several times, all of the memories have some connection to a family member or there is some hidden meaning behind his flashback; hidden meanings could include some kind of life message, a characterization of an important character of the novel, or something that reveals Henry's feelings about a certain topic. Also something to note is that many of Henry's memories have to do with his father or his son, both of whom are now dead. "In truth, Lelia's own eventual list was probably just karmic justice for what I made him [his dad] endure those final nights" (49) is an example of a time when he mentions his father's last moments. Henry seems to carry a lot of hidden grief and regret bottled up inside his head which I think serves as a constant theme throughout the whole novel. Henry also works a very dangerous job; he is assigned a person to "study" for a given amount of time, and then he writes a report that might involve juicy secrets for the client who hired him. He eventually gets out of the job which is clearly stated when Lelia said, "You don't work for Dennis anymore" (336). Throughout the novel, Henry has difficulty deciding whether he should act American or Korean; Henry can not speak Korean fluently, but he is always surround with his Korean culture whether it is when he walks down the street to the Korean grocery store or if it is when he eats Korean food. He finally realizes that it is okay to be uncertain about his identity, and that it might even be better to have different cultures inside of you.
Lelia Park: Lelia is Henry's wife. In the beginning of the novel, the two were in a complicated relationship; at the end, Lelia and Henry are together again, happily teaching children with speech impairment. When they first met, she recognizes that Henry is very calculative and secretive. "You look like someone listening to himself. You pay attention to what you're doing. If I had to guess, you're not a native speaker" (12). His enigmatic personality eventually causes Lelia to separate him for a while, but towards the end of the novel, they both realize how much they love each other and begin to undergo the same feelings they had for each other when they first met. "She looks sick for me" (336) is the thought that makes him finally realize that he is her number one priority right now, and he should express it as well instead of keeping it to himself. Lelia and Henry had an unexpected child named Mitt who was the strongest connection between Lelia and Henry. After he died, Lelia and Henry did not talk to one another for a long time, thinking it would be best to leave one another alone. I think a large reason why Lelia spends so much time with kids of different races who can't speak English very well is that she thinks of Mitt and sees him in the children. Lelia is a foil for Henry; their personalities are totally opposite, but they both help one another through harsh situations, resulting in a happy ending.
Mitt Park: Mitt is Lelia's and Henry's son who seemed to be the happiest child on the earth; he was also an accidental baby, but even though Lelia and Henry weren't expecting him, his birth was the happiest thing Lelia and Henry ever experienced together. Even though Mitt was innocent and naive, he hung around the bad kids on the block. In some way or another, one day, Henry came home to find Lelia crying as she held a limp Mitt. Mitt was killed after being suffocated under a dog pile of children from his grandfather's neighborhood. "I ran around the side of the house without turning off the ignition. All the boys were standing there lock-kneed. In the middle of them was Lelia, sitting on the grass, cradling his dead blue head in her arms and lap and rocking on her knees" (105). I think his death caused Henry and Lelia to realize a few things about each other and about life. A lot of regret surrounds Mitt; we see that when Henry constantly takes us to a flashback of a time when Mitt did this or Mitt did that. Henry truly misses Mitt and wishes he was there to prevent his death.
Henry's mother and father: Although Mrs. Park is hardly mentioned, Mr. Park (Henry's father) is mentioned all the time as a strict but typical Korean father. He is mentioned in what seems like half of Henry's flashbacks. These flashbacks range from his father's earlier times when he owned a grocery store to the times when Mr. Park was dying in the hospital. Both his parents are dead. Henry's father also serves as a foil to Henry. His father is seen as an ideal Korean man such as when his mother mentioned what a powerful man his father was: "how he was able to discard his excellent Korean education and training, which were once his greatest pride, the very markings by which he had known himself, before he was able to set straight his mind and spirit and make a life for his family" (333). Even though Henry "berated him for the way he had conduct4ed his life with his mother, and then his housekeeper, and his businesses and beliefs," I think doing that was one of the biggest regrets of his life because later on, he mentions how much he looks up to his father for being so strong and courageous.
John Kwang: John Kwang is the first victim for Henry's job after Dr. Luzan. He is described as what seems to me to be the perfect man. He was "handsome, irreproachable" (23). He is Korean and is potentially running for mayor. He appeals to the minority groups. The first time John and Henry met involved no talking whatsoever, but it seemed like John and Henry had some kind of connection because they were both Korean-Americans. Their relationship gets a little shaky towards the end when John confesses that he ordered the Korean gangs to punish a man named Eduardo for pretending to be his best friend, but becoming a traitor for John's rival, De Roos. Instead, the situation went crazy, and Eduardo and a woman named Helda ended up getting killed when the gangs put the building on fire. This eventually ruins John along with his car accident with an illegal sixteen years old Korean girl who was something like an Asian prostitute. Even so, Henry feels alot of empathy for John, helping him get through the upset crowd at the end which could have, with no exaggeration, literally killed John. "I strike at everything that shouts and calls. Everything but his face...And at the very moment I fall back for good he glimpses who I am, and I see him crouch down, like a broken child, shielding from me his wide immigrant face" (343). His relationship with John eventually leads to Henry finally quitting his job.
Dr. Luzan: Although Dr. Luzan is not one of the major characters of the novel, he has had a huge impact on Henry. Henry's job is to spy on people and write reports to be sent to his boss who will then send them to the client. Dr. Luzan was the first person Henry felt a connection with on the job. Luzan was so good at understanding Henry as a person that Henry began to forget about his job, and he began to love Luzan as a very good friend, even a best friend. Henry was eventually called off the job, but Luzan forever affected his way of thinking. Luzan was drowned, and it is unclear if it was really an accident or a murder. Henry thinks about Luzan; he sees another relationship with John Kwang like he did with Luzan.
Jack Kalantzakos: Jack is Henry's co-worker and very good friend. His wife died, and he has been single ever since. Jack offers alot of insight to Henry; he truly feels that Lelia and Henry were meant to be together, and that the complicated relationship between the two was just an obstacle to overcome. He is also trying to keep Henry on track with his job on John Kwang. He can tell that Henry is starting to like John Kwang as a friend like he did with Luzan. Jack wants to help Henry get through; he can see the troubles that Henry feels, but does not ask what's on Henry's mind, showing that Jack is very sincere and not nosy. Although he is not a major character, he is important because he keeps Henry from getting to emotionally attached to a person who might end up like Dr. Luzan.