English Literature 9695

Americanah: Relatability to Modern Readers

Q. Consider some of the major concerns 'Americanah' depicts. How far do modern readers find them relatable?

'Americanah' is a modern novel, it exposes both the West and the African societies. It exposes the hardships youth goes through either r because of mistakes made by their elders or when they are forced to look for opportunities abroad. We follow Ifemelu and Obinze from America to UK and back to Nigeria where they reunite and recall their hardships and love for each other.

One f the major concerns Adichie discusses is that of corruption, young people fail to find jobs lawfully in Nigeria and are thus forced to involve themselves in the world of bribery and connections. We see how Obinze is not bale to find a stable footing in Nigeria, we see ho the is rejected visas because foreigners are now scared of young men of colour due to the 9/11 incident. We see how he goes to the Chief who is a 'Big Man' and does business with him in order to become successful.

We are shown how Aunty Uju os give unfair advantage over her medical peers because of the sinful attraction the General has towards her, we also see the consequences of this attraction unfold: unto Uju, once a woman of dignity and strong morals, turns into a love sick woman eager for his attention and even has an illegitimate child with him, her situation is worsened further when the General dies and she is forced to flee to America.

Many young people in modern day life are dragged into life of crime for various reasons, be it desperation caused by poverty or neglect from family and friends. Even today people are often rejected visas based on their appearance and bank accounts, if Obinze had been white skinned or rich like he is later on, his visa would not have been rejected. In fact he receives it once he acquires wealth. Often we see people climbing above others due to unfair advantages like Aunty Uju's being biased by the General and we often see young women's lives being ruined because they invested themselves more in a man than in their careers, education and themselves. Aunty Uju can not be entirely blamed since she is encouraged by her elders to carry on with what she is doing with the General and no one but Ifemelu tries to make her aware of the disastrous outcomes of her affair. Modern readers would perhaps nod at this since many a times decent people go astray because they are not given proper guidance. If Ifemelu had not spent a big chunk f her life resisting her mother's practices and hearing from Obinze's mother maybe she would have ended up like Aunty Uju or her friend Raniyinodo, who depends on a rich man to keep her comfortable as long as she is being submissive towards him. This also is relatable to modern readers as even in 2019 many people face gender bias and have to deal with how man are treated superior to women and are at times force to pretend like the women are helpless and they have to earn the bread for them, this is especially common in developing countries.

Alienation is another major concern that modern readers can find relatable. Adichie emphasises on how racism exists in America and UK to the point where employers are reluctant to employ people based on their skin colour. Studying abroad, Ifemelu is ten to realise how different the two education systems are. Since Adichie has various degrees from both Nigeria and America she is able to sum up the differences well. In Nigeria there are constant strikes, one is not allowed to speak against their elders of question traditions, perhaps this rule is kept in order to see the children from realising the corruption in heading bodies and religious powers like he church and taking action against them, as they reach adulthood they are desperate to survive and have to allow themselves to slow along with the corruption as Obinze has to.

In America meanwhile, students are allowed to voice their opinions and disagree with the professors to which they are given 'encouraging nods.'. Yet in America Adichie has emphasised on the absence of a concern that is not a concern in Nigeria: Racism. We see Ifemelu encounter issues such as people not understanding why she is offended by a racist remark or why she is sentimental about Obama becoming president. Many modern readers of colour can understand this challenge as when they go to Western countries perhaps they suffer the same treatment. In fact Adichie ends 'Americanah' ambiguously giving way to quiet contemplation that racism perhaps has no end or no certain solution, it may exist for a very long time and many may come to endure it.

Adichie weaves modern media elements into 'Americanah' as well, we see when Ifemelu feels wronged by racism directed at her she starts a blog that draws many people with contrasting or similar views. Many modern readers are able to relate as social media plays a huge role in everyday life of a person these days. It has such a prominent affect that it can give you strength and encouragement some days like when Ifemelu receives comments that appreciate her writing r people that funded her, and it can make you feel depressed and insecure on other days like when Ifemelu received comments that were not constructive criticism but rather straight out insults and accusations.

Adichie emphasises on how the dominant American media presents people of colour as criminals as Zamiyani asks Ifemelu and renders her speechless. Modern readers recognise the importance of representation that is why the movie 'Black Panther' (presenting a man of colour as a superhero leading his own film and not just a side-kick) is so successful, people don't want their children feeling left out like Dike did growing up because his teachers accused him of hacking the school system or refused to give him sunscreen due to his skin colour, automatically singling him out from his peers. It resembles how Blaine's mentors pushed him towards athletics rather than academics because that's what they believed he could only excel in because of his skin colour. For a child to never wonder why his people can not be considered superheroes or scholars, representation is important.

The same goes for representation of women. In Nigerian media women are portrayed as submissive wives gladly taking beatings from their husbands. An example of such women is Kosi who felt that Obinze cheating on her is somehow her fault. This is why representation of powerful women in media is important too, if you give little girls superheroes like Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman they will never feel as if they are weaker than, or more dependent on the other sex.

Adichie also emphasises on the themes of love and self-love. Many modern readers can relate with the feeling of being in a pure love like Ifemelu and Obinze's that is free from all constraints of society, they can also relate with the love lost between them due to miscommunication and difficult situations they are put through which force them to make decisions fast and leave behind their past desires like how Ifemelu's shame and depression led her to stop talking to Obinze and how Obinze's situation in both UK and Nigeria forced him into marriages in order to keep his position as a citizen and an important man respectably. Adichie has shown us how Ifemelu practices self-love, which is a very modern idea, when she learns of her worth through her blog and other interactions with people. She stops using chemical on her hair to straighten it and starts nourishing it with natural products instead. She stops using the American accent to gain acceptance of the the people around her. She moves on when she feels dissatisfied in a relation like she did with Curt and Blaine and even with Obinze when he wouldn't confront his wife and be open about his relationship with her. Most importantly we see how she does not blame herself for any of it, despite her society teaching her she is at fault. She is even told by the receptionist at the office she temporarily works in in Nigeria that she is 'a husband repeller' but that is the beauty of her, she refuses to subdue or change herself for neither a man nor to fit into any society, instead she speaks up about what she finds unjust and promotes powerful ideas such as self-acceptance through her blog posts about her hair and why she loves Obama for marrying Michelle and many more.

Adichie has also depicted the race of life. Competition among adults and children and the consequences of this unencessity. She has emphasised Aunty Uju's failures in America based on the unfairness of standardised tests that favour only those who can afford to educate themselves in accordance to them. She has displayed Ifemelu's tines of desperation and her struggles for her education. She shows how families like Nicholas's push their children so much towards excellence that they suffer like Dike did with depression yet Nigerians do not consider depression and such mental illnesses real. While many Nigerians are busy flaunting their wealth, bribing magazines such as Aunty Onenu's to publish their wealth, and debating on the best schools for their kids, the youth that has come fro abroad is in a state of Praxis. They want to do something better for their country like Ifemelu blogs about Nigeria's corruption and Obinze pays for village children's education. Modern readers can relate with this as maybe even they are struggling with their education, family, work or their country. Thus Adichie gives hope that when young people like Obinze and Ifemelu try to make a difference there is a chance for change and betterment.