Ifemelu has to give up her Nigerian characteristics in order to fit in America and it’s expectations. America is a country where everyone is free to look how they want and act how they want. Nobody should be stripped by the American society of what they came with from their home country. Characteristics people obtain from their home country are precious to them and is something that they cannot easily give up. Accents are an example of a characteristic that people do not know how to give up easily. “Why was it a compliment, an accomplishment, to sound American? She had won; Cristina Thomas, pallid –faced Cristina Thomas under whose gaze she had shrunk like a small, defeated animal, would speak to her normally now. She had won….And so…she resolved to stop faking the American accent”. ( Adichie 215 ). When Ifemelu first came to America she decided to give up her Nigerian accent in order to perfect an American accent. But fortunately she realizes that changing her accent is not the way to go because it was not an accomplishment to be proud of. Everyone should have the ability to be themselves regardless of where they are and who they are …show more content…
The American dream is the ability to have a better education, democracy, civil liberties, opportunities, and equality. The American dream is what drives immigrants to pursue America. It is a shame that not everyone can have the American dream without being judged according to their skin. The American Dream is honestly a mythology that many immigrants should hold onto in order to succeed in America. If immigrants such as Ifemelu hold onto the American Dream because it gives immigrants motivation to work hard everyday in order to obtain their goals. Many people migrate in search for something better, the American Dream gives people a reason to come to America. Ifemelu obtained a part of the American Dream by graduating from Princeton University, she gained a better education at a collegiate level than she would have in Nigeria. As an immigrant Ifemelu is chasing everything that will make her life better in anyway