Friday, June 3, 2011

CIA-like anthropology in Native Speaker

How is one "known" to the Theys who operate in the small room? In Native Speaker, Henry Park thinks of "conspirator" Dennis Hoagland's perspective:

John Kwang, I can hear [Hoagland] saying with a pop in his voice, is not so important a man. At least not individually, as a single human possibility. No one is. If a client is interested at all it is because the man exercises an influence or maybe even grace on some greater slice of humanity. Or most simply, he is representative, easily drawn and iconic, the idea being if you knew him you could know a whole people (334).