The saying “money doesn’t buy happiness” definitely seems to have originated from someone with money. Coming from a broke college student, I think money would likely solve more problems than it would cause. However, prior to reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2013 novel, Americanah, I never considered the way that money could change who I am in regards to how others see me and how I see myself. For Obinze in Nigeria, becoming wealthy changes the way others looked at him and the way he looks at himself. For Curt in America, he accepts his wealth and integrates it into his life. Those with money are often looked up to, respected, and admired. I believe this influences how others view those with money, which in turn influences how those
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He appreciates the lifestyle that he is able to live, saying “the rooms would all be cool, air-conditioner vents swaying quietly, and the kitchen would be fragrant with curry and thyme, and CNN would be on downstairs, while the television upstairs would be turned to Cartoon Network, and pervading it all would be the undisturbed air of well-being” (Adichie 26). He is lives in a nice house and can afford to live in luxury. Even though he appreciates the life he is able to live, Obinze struggles with how he views his own wealth. “He was no longer sure, he had in fact never been sure, whether he liked his life because he really did or whether he liked it because he was supposed to” (Adichie 26). By accepting certain aspects of his wealth, Obinze creates an internal conflict about how he views his own wealth. He is expected to enjoy his wealth and his life but he knows that he is not completely comfortable with what he has. I think how he views himself is impacted by how he is viewed by others around him, especially by those he cares about. For instance, he grew up listening to his mother preach about respecting wealth and what you have. In addition, he knows that Ifemelu grew up in poverty, so he worries about what she might think of him now. In my opinion, Obinze does not like how those around him view him which leads him to be uncomfortable with his wealth. Even his childhood friends, who knew him growing up, look at him in a different way, seeing a powerful, wealthy man that has everything he would ever need in life. Those views about him are influencing how he sees himself, making him feel like he should be happy with his money even though he is
He appreciates the lifestyle that he is able to live, saying “the rooms would all be cool, air-conditioner vents swaying quietly, and the kitchen would be fragrant with curry and thyme, and CNN would be on downstairs, while the television upstairs would be turned to Cartoon Network, and pervading it all would be the undisturbed air of well-being” (Adichie 26). He is lives in a nice house and can afford to live in luxury. Even though he appreciates the life he is able to live, Obinze struggles with how he views his own wealth. “He was no longer sure, he had in fact never been sure, whether he liked his life because he really did or whether he liked it because he was supposed to” (Adichie 26). By accepting certain aspects of his wealth, Obinze creates an internal conflict about how he views his own wealth. He is expected to enjoy his wealth and his life but he knows that he is not completely comfortable with what he has. I think how he views himself is impacted by how he is viewed by others around him, especially by those he cares about. For instance, he grew up listening to his mother preach about respecting wealth and what you have. In addition, he knows that Ifemelu grew up in poverty, so he worries about what she might think of him now. In my opinion, Obinze does not like how those around him view him which leads him to be uncomfortable with his wealth. Even his childhood friends, who knew him growing up, look at him in a different way, seeing a powerful, wealthy man that has everything he would ever need in life. Those views about him are influencing how he sees himself, making him feel like he should be happy with his money even though he is