It is a rare thing for a reader to have the chance to get to know a character in a novel as both a child and as an adult. I've often wondered what Harry Potter would be like in twenty or thirty years-- how would all the knowledge and power he gained as a young man influence the person he would become? And what about Tom Sawyer? Would he forever be the youthful, carefree child always looking for his next adventure? Mark Twain purposely ended the Adventures of Tom Sawyer with Tom as a young teen-- a story for the young, about the young.
Yet, Jamie Ford has given us a special gift with Henry Lee, the main character he created in his novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Not only do we get to know Henry as a 12 year-old young man, but we have the chance to see what becomes of him as an adult...and this dual narrative allows us to wonder just how much of Henry's adult personality is the product of his childhood.
In the first two chapters we read about Henry as an adult, and then the story flashes back to Henry as a teen. As you read chapters 1-4, pay special attention to what you learn about the adult and young Henry Lee. Post a well thought out comment describing Henry Lee as a child and as an adult. At this point in the reading, are you able to make any connections between young Henry's life, and who he is as an adult? Are there any questions that popped to mind as you were reading?
All I could think about while reading this was that I don't know if i'm going to like this novel. I just think the dual narrative thing is for me, maybe to confusing, but as we read i will find out.
ReplyDeletejkricosuavè55
As an adult I would descibe him as lonely. As a child I would descibe him as bullied.
ReplyDeletetsace12
When Henry was a teen I think he was mistreated a lot by his classmates. In the book it tells about how he gives his lunch to the poor guy on the street for a nickel so it doesn't get stolen by the bullies. Also how he sits in the storage closet and eats so he doesn't get picked on. I think Henry as an adult is more laid back. The chapters with him as an adult so far he is just sitting at home when his son, Marty, comes and visits. At this point I don't think there isn't really any connection between Henry as a child, and Henry as an adult. I wonder if he keeps getting bullied as a kid throughout the whole book.
ReplyDeletelfguns7
I love reading this sort of book. I will always try to find out about more of the culture I'm reading about, especially their cooking, because I love to cook. Before I had even finished reading the first page of chapter 3, I was on Google looking for a recipe for water chestnut cake. It looks delicious! I don't quite understand why his parents would reprimand him for speaking Chinese to them when they can't understand English, though. It makes no sense.
ReplyDeletemjaphrodite20
What I have learned about the adult Henry is that he is a widower, he is lonely and misses his wife, I think he doesn't like his son very much because in chapter 1 he said, "The birth of an ungrateful son." and that was the only time he mentioned his son. What I have learned about Henry as a kid, made me come to the conclusion that I think he wasn't treated fairly. I think this because his parents spoke Cantonese and didn't know English well, but they made Henry learn English so then they could not communicate to each other. Henry could understand what they said because he had known Cantonese, but Henry's parents could not understand him because they did not know English. I also think the kids he went to school with did not treat him fairly either because they picked on him, I think because he was Chinese and It was not fair for the kids to treat him that way because of his race. I think how Henry was treated as a kid by his parents makes him treat his son almost the same way. I don't know for sure if Henry doesn't like his son but as I said earlier he said, "The birth of an ungrateful son."
ReplyDeletecichocothunder25
I think that Henry Lee as an adult is trying to figure out what to do with his life now that his wife is dead. I believe this because Henry is retired has no children to look after, (because Marty is in college) so he is pretty much wandering around the city.
ReplyDeleteI think that Henry Lee as a child was bullied a lot because he was Chinese and with the bombing of Pearl Harbor kids thought that anyone Asian was Japanese.
-ampettyfer
As a child, Henry is very independent and stays strong without others helping him. As an adult, he is also independent but he doesn't want to be. I think his patience he had as a kid definitely carried with him throughout his life because he doesn't get mad about things most people would.
ReplyDeletelcpink30
At this point in the reading, I think I am able to make somewhat of a connection of the youth and adult Henry Lee. In the first two chapters, he is lonely man after his wife, Ethel, dies from cancer. In the next two chapters, he is lonely because he is a Chinese boy in a Caucasian school, where prejudice is not stopped much at all. I make the assumption the adult Henry was lonely until he met Ethel, and married her. The young Henry was lonely until he met Keiko, and fell in love with her. I also make the connection that he still enjoys to go to the places he used to as a child, as sometimes people might get sentimental and not want to go back or remember something bad happening there sometime in his life and not want to go back. The one question that popped into mind was, "When does Keiko go out, and Ethel come in?" (transition from child to adult).
ReplyDeleters suprise838
I really like the fact that we get to see Henry as both adult and kid because we get to find out what he became. When Henry was a kid he was bullied, leftout and lonley because he was Chinese. The lonliness doesn't change when he is an adult because his wife,Ethal, passes away so this is why he is the same in some ways.
ReplyDelete-eliamnumber4
Young Henry I think feels very left out and outspoken, I think when your parents don't really understand what your saying I might be hard. When Henry is older he is more lonely and depressed. After his wife died he developed the loneliness and the fact that his son doesnt come around much probably doesnt help. Young Henry and adult Henry are both pretty quiet and a little curious.
ReplyDeleteLK Bertha98
Henry as and adult and as a child did make connections to me. I thought this because when Henry was a child he was always lonely, bullied, and not treated as a normal human. He would sit in the back room and eat left-overs because he had to serve the kids and had no time to eat. He would even miss his recess. When Henry became and adult his wife died. When his wife died he was lonely not know what to do. He was like a piece of paper not knowing what to fo without the pencil. Henry just felt like he was just a random person in the middle of the street with no meaning to be there. So both as a child and an adult he was lonely. Thats how I thought there was a connection.
ReplyDeletemsgemini11
Henry Lee as a kid was treated very poorly. It sounds to me like he is the only Chinese kid in his whole school. The white boys and girls are always picking on him for being Chinese. Even the teachers ignore him and think that because he is Chinese he is lower than them. Also Henry's parents make him speak English even though they can not speak it very well. Henry Lee as an adult seems to be treated much more fairly. It seems there are more Chinese people living in Seattle during Henry's adult life which would make Henry feel a little less out casted. Also more people are starting to respect Chinese people a little more in 1986 than they did back in 1942.
ReplyDelete-ahnighthawk
In the beginning of the book Henry Lee starts off as an adult who is a lonely old man who has recently lost his wife and having alot of memories. As a child Henry Lee was picked on for being different. He was a Chinese-American growing up in America during World War II. A connection I see between his youth and him now as an adult would be that both times in his life he is lonely. I wonder if Henry Lee didn't lose his wife would he still be experiencing some of the same memories that he does now.
ReplyDeleteKnsplash
When we got to hear about Henry Lee as an adult he seemed to not care as much about the world and other peoople except his son and wife. But when he was younger he actually cared about what happened to him, his family, and other people, but he did not really like his parents.
ReplyDeletebs demonking22
As an adult, Henry Lee cares about everyone in his family. He doesn't let his son send his sick wife to a home. His wife has cancer eating through her bones but because he is chinese and he cares about his famliy. When she deis Henry is happy. Happy she doesn't have to go through the pain and Henry doesn't have to caer for her anymore. When he is a kid he doesn't care about family as much because his parents don't want him to talk to them because they want him only to talk in english. He doesn't care about his family but he cares about other people like the jazz player that he gave his lunch to.
ReplyDeleteWhen he was young Henry was a shy misunderstood person who didn't stand up for himself. As an adult Henry was a timid, kind individual. Before this I had an extremely well thought out comment but IT DIDN'T POST!!!!
ReplyDeletesf
sierra foxtrot
This book had me interested since the first chapter and i've already read ahead to the seventh. It is a great book but sad at sometimes. I think that the old and young Henry have very a different out look on life. Young Henry is lost and confused in his life but old Henry is just now questioning his meaning to life. Old Henry doesn't exactly come out and say this but he does say that he is getting bored with life because he is widowed,has an ungrateful son, and is running out of money. The Old and Young Henry do have one thing in common which is that they are both lonely. Old Henry has no one but his son which doesn't even visit often and young Henry only has parents that don't really get him or what he has to go through.
ReplyDelete*lrmusic*
It is very obvious that as a child Henry is not accepted among his peers, but deeper inside it is more than mere acceptance, I'm willing to bet that other people in Henry's school are not accpeted either. No, it is the cruel discrimination and prejudices of people blind to morals, people who focus on the physical appearances. Henry is an outcast in a lonley world.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult Henry has encountered many sorrowful trials. After his beloved wife dies, it seems as though he grows apart from his son and is still stuck in a lonley world. His memories are all that hold his heart in place.
-vb purpledawnraven
It seems to me, that 1942 Henry has more control over his life, as in Henry has a system that works, regardless of the bullies and such. He trades his lunch to Sheldon for a nickel. He eats canned food in school. However, 1986 Henry seems like he has nothing to do or see anymore, and thus does not have such a system. Also, 1942 Henry seems to know more about whats going on. He knows of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria/Manchukuo or the numerous clubs that are springing up everywhere. 1986 Henry, seems only to care about just his own life and his familiy's, not how the world is changing.
ReplyDelete-mbjohann72
I think that as a kid Henry was pretty much a loner, whether it was his choice, or not, I'm not quite sure yet. He went to a white school, instead of going to one of the schools in China town, which automatically made him a target for alot of bullying from his classmates. He may have been alone because nobody wanted to be with him, or because he chose not to even try to be with them, knowing what their reaction would most likely be.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, after his wife died,I think that Henry began to be lonely again, which broght back alot of memories from when he was a kid. He was lonely as a child because the students at his school didn't get along with him well and because his parents barely talked to him at all, due to the language barrier, and probably alot of other reasons. He was lonely,untill Keiko came,that is. And so my inference is that Henry was lonley again once Keiko went from his life, untill he met Ethel, but now that Ethel has died, Henry is lonely once more. I know that he has Marty but, as he had mentioned before, he thought that Marty was "ungrateful." The only questions I had when I was reading were "What happened to Keiko that made her dissapear from Henry's life?" and "Were there any specific events that caused Marty and Henry's relationship be very weak?"
-C.H.Lafandala
As a child I think Henry is more deserving than he is. He acts very mature. Instead of feeding a bully, he ignores his attempts to get a response from him.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, Henry seems very lonely. I think he should find a friend he can talk to. Maybe even buy a pet.
NS r4ndomz
As a child, i think Henry was very mistreated and disrespected. As an adult, I think he was very lonely because his wife, Ethel, died, only leaving him with his son, Martin.
ReplyDeleteGG The Emu42
Great feedback!
ReplyDelete