Spy Novels

Both the novel Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee and the film The Manchurian Candidate (1962), also based on a novel (by Richard Condon), are essentially spy novels, but underlying the plights faced by the leading characters in each are questions of identity. For the main character in Native Speaker, this issue is related to the immigrant experience. Henry Park is not himself an immigrant, having been born in New York, but he is a Korean-American and must face issues of identity related to his ethnic roots and the treatment accorded Koreans in this country. The main character in The Manchurian Candidate is an American as well, without a secondary ethnic identity, but he faces questions of his own identity in a very terrible way as his mind is made to obey the commands of a foreign conspiracy bent on using him to destroy the democratic structure of the United States. Identity is an essential element of being human, and both character have their humanity tested by the way they have to question their respective identities.

The Manchurian Candidate offers some reasons why the questions of Korean-American identity is so problematic in Native Speaker, given that the main character, Raymond Shaw, played by Laurence Harvey, has been brainwashed while a prisoner in the Korean War. That war left an impression and contributed a certain prejudice in the American public, which did not necessarily distinguish between North and South Koreans. The Manchurian Candidate was in many resp

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comrades, made speeches in support of the North Korean position, and performed similar activities showing that their natural bent had been changed through a form of psychological intimidation and warfare. This was particularly frightening and serves as the basis for much of this film, a film in which a normal American citizen could be turned into a killer who could be triggered as if hypnotized. This is a particularly invasive and terrifying form of mental conditioning, as can be seen in the consequences to the well-being of Raymond Shaw. The question arises as to who Raymond Shaw is when he is acting out orders given to him by his Chinese tormenters. A different way of asking the question is whether he is responsible for his actions when he kills under orders. His true identity is unpleasant, for he is an arrogant and troubled man, but it is not the identity of a murderer or a traitor. Yet, he does murder people and he would betray his country if ordered to do so. His identity has been taken away from him along with his free will. Identity is raised in a different way with Senator Iselin, Raymond's step-father,who serves as a caricature of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Like McCarthy, Iselin is constantly calling out the num

Category: Literature - S