Many of today's essays, whether they are in newspapers or magazines, contain a central recurring idea stressing the importance of one subject. In Chang-Rae Lee's essay, he uses the dominant theme of a hidden delicacy found in a familiar place. The author uses this figurative food to signify a life that he left behind not that long ago. There is a hidden meaning behind the eating of the sea urchin, this is not an everyday visit to the market for Lee. The author uses an unorthodox technique in the way of the sea urchin to get his point across. Chang Rae-Lee presents the sea urchin to gain the reader's interest, to symbolize his link to his Korean ancestry, and to try to understand his long lost culture ties.
The narrator has many different ways of describing the scene and how he felt before and after eating the sea urchin. His use of imagery of the sea urchin grabs the reader's mind and causes many to think about the relationship behind it. In his introduction he is completely unsure but also curious towards the new and strange substance. He says, "What does it taste like? I'm not sure because I've never had anything like it. All I know is that it tastes alive, something alive at the undragged bottom." Lee is walking around Seoul, a Korean visiting his home for the first time since leaving. He is looking for something new and hidden, something that he has not discovered yet.
[...] The author uses an unorthodox technique in the way of the sea urchin to get his point across. Chang Rae-Lee presents the sea urchin to gain the reader's interest, to symbolize his link to his Korean ancestry, and to try to understand his long lost culture ties. The narrator has many different ways of describing the scene and how he felt before and after eating the sea urchin. His use of imagery of the sea urchin grabs the reader's mind and causes many to think about the relationship behind it. [...]
[...] Instead, it seems, I can eat. I've always like food, but now I'm bent on trying everything.” He seems to be implying that he is willing to do anything that will give him a rush of energy or enthusiasm. Although he is home for the first time in a decade, he still feels disconnected from everyone. He uses the sea urchin to provide excitement, as a chance to do something out of the ordinary. The use of the sea urchin is used to gain the attention of the reader, to symbolize his link to his Korean ancestry, and to find his long lost cultural identity. [...]
[...] He says, “What does it taste like? I'm not sure because I've never had anything like it. All I know is that it tastes alive, something alive at the undragged bottom.” Lee is walking around Seoul, a Korean visiting his home for the first time since leaving. He is looking for something new and hidden, something that he has not discovered yet. Not only are the sea urchins used to symbolize his cultural identity, but they are also used to curb the reader's curiosity. [...]
[...] The sea urchin makes the readers think about what effect it will have on Lee. Will it be a good or bad experience, will he find something new? Although the sea urchin tastes terrible and makes Lee sick, he still get something out of it. Something as minor as an urchin provided an amazing realization and newly found excitement for Lee, despite the fact that ending was not desirable. Works Cited Lee, Change Rae. "Sea Urchin." The New Yorker 19 Aug. 2002: 129. Print. [...]
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