The relationship between a parent and child is incredibly important and can have a significant impact on a child’s overall development. It is often the most influential and important relationship a child will have in their lifetime, as the bond between a parent and child can shape the child’s world. In Chang-Rae Lee’s novel A Gesture Life, conflicts can damage this vital parent-child bond and have a detrimental effect on the child’s overall well-being and sense of identity.
The main protagonist in the novel, Franklin Hata, also known as Doc Hata, established himself as a reputable citizen with a successful medical supply store in the town of Bedley Run. The novel begins with the lines “People know me here. It wasn’t always so” (Lee 1). Doc
…show more content…
Initially, he blamed Sunny for leaving home, but over time he realized that he may have contributed to her feeling unwelcome in his home. He remembers having conflicts about her when he first met her and thinks that she may have picked up on his hesitation. As he tries to reconnect with Sunny, Doc Hata wonders why he has never felt the same unconditional love for her that he believes a parent should have for their biological child. As an adoptee himself, he knows what it is like to show love to an adoptive parent but still feel like an outsider. Doc Hata offers this reflection when it is revealed that he helped Sunny terminate her first pregnancy: “In a way, it was a kind of ignoring that I did, an avoidance of her as Sunny - difficult, rash, angry Sunny - which I masked with a typical performance of consensus building and subtle pressure, which always is the difficult work of attempting to harmonize one’s life and the lives of those whom one cherishes “(Lee 284). He is attempting to justify his avoidance of Sunny, despite being faced with the future of a