To some, the American Dream might be nothing more than that - a dream. This is the harsh reality that many immigrants are confronted with after living in America, the supposed “land of opportunity”. The novels, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee, trace the journeys of such immigrants and their family or loved ones. In Americanah, these people include Ifemelu and Obinze. In Native Speaker, they include Henry and Henry’s father. While many U.S. immigrants come from different countries, they usually always seek the same goal: to achieve prosperity and a better life in this foreign land. However, along the way, many are faced with unforeseen obstacles - everything from racial prejudice to limited employment
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Ifemelu is one such person who faces this type of struggle. When Ifemelu first arrived in America from Nigeria, she never imagined how difficult it would be for her to get a job. She had, for a time, tried masking over her native language accent by adopting an American accent. She felt she needed to do it out of necessity in order to be offered the same access to opportunities people not of color seemed to obtain easily. While Ifemelu eventually found work as a babysitter, she still reflected back and wondered if her being of color and just being herself was the reason she was denied employment from many of the jobs. One day, after mentioning how communication majors seemed to be a dime a dozen to her then Caucasian boyfriend, Curt, he effortlessly got her an interview for a job she never imagined she would be given the opportunity to have. Although she unconsciously resented how easily he got her that interview, she was also worried that she might be denied once again if she continued to be herself. So, she called her friend, Ruth, for guidance, who responded, “My only advice? Lose the braids and straighten your hair. Nobody says this kind of stuff, but it matters. We want you to get that job” (Adichie 250). Aunty Uju had once advised the same thing, but she …show more content…
In actuality, this phenomenon does not merely represent an American immigrant problem; it is bigger than that - it is a widespread world problem. It is because American immigrants arrive with big dreams which make them an easier target. Many American immigrants, such as Ifemelu, Henry, and Henry’s father, trying to assimilate into their new environment, do so at the expense of compromising their identity, which leads many to question the reality of what it is like to be an immigrant of color in
Ifemelu is one such person who faces this type of struggle. When Ifemelu first arrived in America from Nigeria, she never imagined how difficult it would be for her to get a job. She had, for a time, tried masking over her native language accent by adopting an American accent. She felt she needed to do it out of necessity in order to be offered the same access to opportunities people not of color seemed to obtain easily. While Ifemelu eventually found work as a babysitter, she still reflected back and wondered if her being of color and just being herself was the reason she was denied employment from many of the jobs. One day, after mentioning how communication majors seemed to be a dime a dozen to her then Caucasian boyfriend, Curt, he effortlessly got her an interview for a job she never imagined she would be given the opportunity to have. Although she unconsciously resented how easily he got her that interview, she was also worried that she might be denied once again if she continued to be herself. So, she called her friend, Ruth, for guidance, who responded, “My only advice? Lose the braids and straighten your hair. Nobody says this kind of stuff, but it matters. We want you to get that job” (Adichie 250). Aunty Uju had once advised the same thing, but she …show more content…
In actuality, this phenomenon does not merely represent an American immigrant problem; it is bigger than that - it is a widespread world problem. It is because American immigrants arrive with big dreams which make them an easier target. Many American immigrants, such as Ifemelu, Henry, and Henry’s father, trying to assimilate into their new environment, do so at the expense of compromising their identity, which leads many to question the reality of what it is like to be an immigrant of color in