Aishah Ayman 201050198
Dr. Amna Al Ahbabi
LIT 420
11 April 2017
Analysis Americanah
In Americanah (2013) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illustrates the nuances of black experience in America. The novel is the 3rd person point of view, of the main character Ifemelu, a Nigerian living in America who is black with her African American boyfriend, Blain. Ifemelu sees nuances of blacks, African American, Caribbean, black Arabs and Africans. The experience of being black affects race, gender equality, skin color and culture in America. The importance of this because the racism repeals human rights. This research paper will analyze and inform the experience of blackness in America through Adichie’s work. Her novel is a continuation of the observation on …show more content…
Even though African women’s migrant experiences are at the center of the narrative, Adichie tells their stories along with that of their men. Through the characters of Ifemelu and Obinze, Adichie offers a more global perspective on the African immigrant experience both in the U.K. and in the U.S. Through her inclusion of women’s experiences in the African migration narrative, Adichie not only portrays the diversity of the African immigrant experience, one that is usually overlooked and seen as collective in the West, but also highlights the ways in which race, gender, and particularly class shape their immigrant experience. In Americanah, Adichie’s characters and detailed characterization gives importance to the individual stories depicted in the novel. The stories not only focus on Ifemelu and Obinze but also on the other characters, giving the reader a better sense of these global communities where individual experiences are also part of a bigger …show more content…
Obinze also tries to join Ifemelu but it is after 9/11 and America denies him a visa so “he moved to England” (Adichie, 2013a, p. 174) to find a way toward America. Ifemelu and Obinze’s displacements are not categorized as forceful. The only reason behind their movement is a kind of dissatisfaction which they wish to conquer through their prosperity in west. Obinze reveals a sense of belonging toward America before displacement. He cares about American literature and “to him, only American films were worth watching” (Adichie, 2013, p. 175). Even when he thinks about leaving Nigeria he thinks just about “America, only America” (Adichie, 2013, p. 182). But after 9/11, when America denies giving visa to Obinze and he forcefully moves toward Britain, everything changes and he loses his inclination toward America. Fifteen years later, back in Nigeria, when in a friend’s party some women glorify western school’s curriculum, Obinze intervenes and says, “Didn’t we all go to primary schools that taught the Nigerian curriculum?” (Adichie, 2013, p. 21) which indicates his sense of belonging toward Nigeria. In contrast to Ifemelu and Obinze, Uju does not lose her sense of belonging toward America. When she leaves Nigeria, she quickly adapts herself to America lifestyle. She adopts an American accent and straightens her hair. She never loses her sense of belonging and never
Dr. Amna Al Ahbabi
LIT 420
11 April 2017
Analysis Americanah
In Americanah (2013) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illustrates the nuances of black experience in America. The novel is the 3rd person point of view, of the main character Ifemelu, a Nigerian living in America who is black with her African American boyfriend, Blain. Ifemelu sees nuances of blacks, African American, Caribbean, black Arabs and Africans. The experience of being black affects race, gender equality, skin color and culture in America. The importance of this because the racism repeals human rights. This research paper will analyze and inform the experience of blackness in America through Adichie’s work. Her novel is a continuation of the observation on …show more content…
Even though African women’s migrant experiences are at the center of the narrative, Adichie tells their stories along with that of their men. Through the characters of Ifemelu and Obinze, Adichie offers a more global perspective on the African immigrant experience both in the U.K. and in the U.S. Through her inclusion of women’s experiences in the African migration narrative, Adichie not only portrays the diversity of the African immigrant experience, one that is usually overlooked and seen as collective in the West, but also highlights the ways in which race, gender, and particularly class shape their immigrant experience. In Americanah, Adichie’s characters and detailed characterization gives importance to the individual stories depicted in the novel. The stories not only focus on Ifemelu and Obinze but also on the other characters, giving the reader a better sense of these global communities where individual experiences are also part of a bigger …show more content…
Obinze also tries to join Ifemelu but it is after 9/11 and America denies him a visa so “he moved to England” (Adichie, 2013a, p. 174) to find a way toward America. Ifemelu and Obinze’s displacements are not categorized as forceful. The only reason behind their movement is a kind of dissatisfaction which they wish to conquer through their prosperity in west. Obinze reveals a sense of belonging toward America before displacement. He cares about American literature and “to him, only American films were worth watching” (Adichie, 2013, p. 175). Even when he thinks about leaving Nigeria he thinks just about “America, only America” (Adichie, 2013, p. 182). But after 9/11, when America denies giving visa to Obinze and he forcefully moves toward Britain, everything changes and he loses his inclination toward America. Fifteen years later, back in Nigeria, when in a friend’s party some women glorify western school’s curriculum, Obinze intervenes and says, “Didn’t we all go to primary schools that taught the Nigerian curriculum?” (Adichie, 2013, p. 21) which indicates his sense of belonging toward Nigeria. In contrast to Ifemelu and Obinze, Uju does not lose her sense of belonging toward America. When she leaves Nigeria, she quickly adapts herself to America lifestyle. She adopts an American accent and straightens her hair. She never loses her sense of belonging and never