Love Vs. Culture In Americanah By Adichie

Love vs. Culture Marriage is defined as “the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship.” Although the definition of marriage states that it is the union of two people in a personal relationship, Adichie, in her novel Americanah, delves into how Nigerian society is defined by marriage and how that continues to affect Nigerians abroad. With numerous characters entering unhealthy relationships for a “stable” life and accepting extra-marital affairs, the impact of marriage on the daily lives of Nigerians abroad and at home is clearly shown. Although some of the relationships that the characters in the novel enter are unhealthy, the pull in Nigerian culture for stability and marriage is so potent that characters make poor decisions to follow culture. Nigerian culture focuses on the marital status of the women more than the quality of the relationship and leads women to believe that marriage equals stability and that love is not important in a marriage. Men are judged on their ability …show more content…
Ifemelu settles for contentment in a relationship for a period of time till she sabotages the relationship herself in an attempt to find something more while Aunty Uju entered clearly unhealthy relationships, like those with Bartholomew and The General, to follow her culture, all that she has ever known, and find stability in her marriage or relationship. Obinze marries a girl he knew was wrong for him in the pressures of getting married and later cheats on Kosi with Ifemelu. Nigerian culture places an unhealthy emphasis on being in a relationship rather than a healthy one which causes Adichie’s characters to make poor relationship decisions. The role of marriage in the novel was to serve as a reason for these poor relationship