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A Gesture Life
Chang-rae Lee
A Gesture Life
Chang-rae Lee
53-page comprehensive study guide
Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis
The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions
Featured Collections
Historical Fiction
Asian American & Pacific Islander Literature
Korean Literature
Summary
Chapters 1-3
Chapters 4-6
Chapters 7-9
Chapters 10-12
Chapters 13-14
Chapters 15-17
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
A Gesture Life Important Quotes
1.
“It’s no secret that the past proves a most unstable mirror, typically too severe and flattering all at once, and never as truth-reflecting as people would like to believe.”
(Chapter 1, Page 5)
From the start of the story, Hata understands that attempting to view the past through one’s own eyes will always be biased and never trustworthy. Despite the belief that the past can reflect the truth, trying to understand oneself by means of analyzing the past will prove too harsh and too flattering.
2.
“For I should say that I know from experience that the bearing of those in extreme circumstances can sometimes by untoward and even shocking, and we must try our best to understand what is actual and essential to a person, and what is by any indication anomalous, a momentary lapse that is better forgotten than considered time and time again, to little avail.”
(Chapter 1, Page 11)
Mr. Hickey acts malevolently towards Hata, as he believes he sold them a business while knowing it would go under. However, he foreshadows the telling of past experiences where he himself, or others close to him, have acted shockingly in extreme circumstances. He most probably has spent time considering such actions to no avail and has learned it is better to forget such anomalous acts.
3.
“I was more than grateful. And I knew even then as a boy of twelve how I should always give myself over to its vigilance, entrusting to its care everything I could know or ever hope for. My Sunny, I thought, would do the same. Not be so thankful or beholden to me, necessarily, but at least she’d be somewhat appreciative of the providence of institutions that brought her from the squalor of the orphanage—the best of which can be only so happy—to an orderly, welcoming suburban home in America, with a hopeful father of life-enough race and sufficient means.
(Chapter 4, Page 72)
The core of Hata’s life of gestures is a deeply embedded sense of gratitude for not just his adoptive parents but for the opportunities he has had throughout life. He seems to mistake an orderly and welcoming life for love and acceptance. Because of this, he expects Sunny to be as grateful as he was for being adopted into better circumstances.
4.
“You make a whole life out of gestures and politeness. You’re always having to be the ideal partner and colleague.”
(Chapter 5, Page 94)
Although Hata admits early on that many have said he seeks approval and consensus too keenly, Sunny confronts Hata directly about his nature and the kind of life he has set up.
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