Crossing the Queensboro Bridge: Gatsby, Automobiles, and Immigrant Mobility in Chang-rae Lee’s Native Speaker

Abstract

Zooming in on the New York boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, Chang-rae Lee’s Native Speaker presents a curiously Gatsbyesque moment that exemplifies the dynamism of physical and social mobility. At the core of the novel is the narrator Henry Park’s observation of John Kwang, a charismatic Korean immigrant city councilman from Queens. Their one-time ride to Manhattan in the pre-dawn hours resonates with a specific moment in The Great Gatsby , calling to mind Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby’s drive over the Queensboro Bridge. Both scenes are mobilized by motion, excitement, and anticipation set against the New York cityscape, gesturing toward social minorities’ upward mobility and inclusion.