Mahsa Hashemi

Chang-rae Lee’s Native Speaker and A Gesture Life portray the struggles and aspirations of first-generation and second-generation immigrants as they go through the travails of acculturation. This thesis draws upon Berry’s four-fold model of acculturation strategies, Tajfel’s social identity theory, Phinney’s ethnic identity development model, Bowlby’s attachment theory, and Lazarus and Folkman’s theory of stress and coping to examine the factors that have a substantial impact on the immigrants’ acculturation strategy choice. While integration has been introduced by many social psychologists as the most beneficial acculturation strategy for the host society and immigrants, its fulfillment is obstructed in the societies depicted in Lee’s novels. Quite the contrary, circumstances are such that immigrants are pushed toward marginalization. However, by assuming a more active role in the process of acculturation, immigrants can improve their situation and move beyond their peripheral position. The significance of this study lies in its use of theories that are specifically developed for the investigation of acculturation strategies adopted by immigrants. It is hoped that by making use of social psychology theories, this thesis will offer a more precise look at the determinative factors that affect the immigrants’ acculturation strategy orientation in Lee’s novels.