Kosi; Nigeria’s Melania Trump

“She is content rather than curious.”

These are the words used to describe everyone’s favorite lackluster housewife, Kosi Maduewesi. A beautiful woman, one who is both aware of and known for her beauty, married to our beloved Romeo protege, Obinze. Obinze and Kosi’s relationship is completely void of any and all traits a marriage is alleged to have, with their wedlock demonstrating solely unreciprocated love and an overall distance between the pair. As I have discussed in my latest post, Kosi’s purpose in Americanah is to serve as an anchor to reality for Obinze. The disconnect that Obinze feels from his seemingly perfect family can be justified by the fact that he is considered to be a unique man, thoroughly disparate and unlike the other men in the Nigerian business world. Ifemelu can also be said to feel this same disconnect from others, like Curt and Blaine, because she too is considered to be idiosyncratic.

In terms of the similarity of their roles, the most prevalent woman who comes to mind when I think of Kosi, is Melania Trump. The wife of the world’s most infamous orange businessman (with his very own toupee!) who, unlike Kosi, serves as no type of anchor to reality whatsoever for her delusional husband. The First Lady and Kosi both lead extremely domestic lives, with their worlds presumably revolving around their children and the well-beings of their husbands. When Kosi and Obinze attend parties together, it is Kosi who oversells Obinze and her daughter’s achievements, along with her affluent lifestyle activities. In contrast, Melania Trump too often stands idle next to her husband, allowing him to bestow lies and bigoted opinions upon Americans.

However, the plights of both Kosi and Melania can easily be pitied. The plight of Kosi, a poor victim of two selfish lovers in an imperfect world, is one that either evokes total sadness and empathy or zero emotion at all. The role as a domestic housewife is most likely all Kosi has ever known, all she has ever strived for. In Melania’s case, she has what Kosi does not – a husband who continuously overpowers and belittles her into the role of housewife.

A Paradox of a Perfect Ending

Alas, every student’s favorite part of a class-mandated book – the ending. Obinze has come to the unsurprising realization that without Ifemelu, his life lacks beauty and luster. While Obinze is with Edusco brokering a land deal, he thinks of Ifemelu, thus letting his “business man” persona go and letting his guard down, allowing Edusco to have the land for a very auspicious price. Understanding this, readers are finally given a sense of how much Obinze loves Ifemelu, of how much he is in love with her. In his state of infatuation, one he feels when he is with Ifemelu (even when he is thinking of her), Obinze slips out of his role as this powerful business man of Nigeria. Ifemelu has acknowledged the wide discrepancies that existed between herself and Curt and Blaine, doing so makes her past and present relationship with Obinze that much more influential and important in terms of both love and friendship. The proximity and intensity of Obinze and Ifemelu’s relationship allows them to not have to explain things to each other in order for them to understand what the other is saying.

As Obinze is heading back to Lagos, he gets a call from Kosi at the airport, one that brings him back to a harsh reality. A reality in which both an obedient housewife and an innocent child exist, along with a woman from his past who knows Obinze better than she knows herself. The lack of absolute trust and any form of shared “deep” conversation between Obinze and Kosi is what ultimately leads to the decimation of their marriage. Kosi solely served the purpose of acting as anchor to reality for Obinze in an age of practicality and Nigerian cultural norms. Obinze even goes as far as to tell Ifemelu that his marriage to Kosi was one done only out of hastiness and fear of his own vulnerability as a newly wealthy Nigerian man. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Adichie had made it very prominent that although Ifemelu does this herself, readers are not meant to view Kosi and Ifemelu as women of comparison. Their mutual relationships with Obinze exist as precursors meaning to highlight the disparities of actions and characteristics Obinze promotes between each of the women.

Naturally, people never truly want the “correct” or expected ending to a story – they want the exciting, shocking, and scandalous finishes that leave readers wanting more, able to still question. A novel, one that answers all of its own questions and leaves no one to wonder by the time its audience reaches its last page, is not an actual novel. A novel has to spark interest and curiosity, a technique so few writers obtain nowadays, but a skill to which I believe Adichie has artfully mastered. Will Ifemelu and Obinze’s relationship continue? Will it prosper in terms of the creation of a family with the birth of a child? What will happen to Kosi? Obinze’s daughter? And so forth. Adichie has formulated a modern love story straight out of a fairytale, one where two soul mates have been separated only by time, being able to find each other once again despite all odds. The optimists will just have to hope that it all works out, whereas the pessimists will pray that it crumbles to pieces. Cheers to Adichie for leaving us unanswered!

Dike’s Depression; Stuck Between Two Identities

In Chapter 41, as Ifemelu is leaving the hair salon, she receives a call from Aunty Uju informing her of Dike’s suicide attempt. Throughout the novel, readers have been alluded to hints of Dike’s quiet struggles in dealing with his conflicting African and American identities, depression, and a surprising loneliness despite his obvious popularity at school and in social settings. Ifemelu’s dose of reality with Dike’s suicide attempt forces her to put her present actions into perspective; what was she doing while Dike swallowed multitudes of Tylenol alone in a dank and empty basement?

Dike is unlike many of the other characters in Americanah, he does not have a great sense of who he is and where he has come from. Aunty Uju raised him with the mindset that he is not black, nor is he African-American. She insists that Dike is Igbo, yet she refused to teach him anything about the Igbo culture and language for fear of him becoming like the Nigerian Igbos Aunty Uju is used to. Thus, Dike’s character is limited, kept from being able to identify with his family history and from assimilating into American society as a black youth. This ostracization is what led Dike to attempt to take his own life, seeing suicide as the only option for escaping from his involuntary role in society; a young black man, the son of an immigrant expected to take full responsibility of his family and of his future without question. The pressure that Dike feels is most likely similar to the pressure that many children of immigrants in America feel today – to succeed, support, and strive in the land of opportunity that is America. 

Adichie has restricted readers’ access to Dike in order to emulate a false pretense that Dike is only a minor character. The effect of Dike’s suicide attempt on Ifemelu clearly proves otherwise, displaying the magnitude of his role and furthermore his influence on fellow characters. The purpose of Dike’s existence in this novel is to symbolize someone who is not an Americanah nor an American. With parallels such as Ifemelu, the standard Americanah, and Blaine, the American, Dike acts as the perfect sign that Ifemelu needs in order to realize and finalize who she is, especially as to where (and in which) society she belongs. 

The Allure of Self-Sabotage

As soon as Ifemelu cheated on Curt, the relationship was already over before anyone could say it so. Even though Ifemelu slept with Rob because she was desperately searching for emotions and a mindset she could not find with Curt, she cried for days on end over the loss of a safe comfort from her life.

Fast forwarding a few years, Ifemelu has moved on from The Hot White Ex to, what was once just an old memory – Professor Hunk. Blaine, similar to Curt, is everything Ifemelu is not. Blaine is rigidly healthy, disciplined, morally sound, and structurally kind. Perhaps Ifemelu unconsciously seeks out men who have the capability of contrasting with her, highlighting her characteristics in ways unbeknownst to her but strikingly clear to the onlookers of the relationship.

As their relationship develops, Ifemelu is slowly integrated into the friends, family, and social gatherings that occupy Blaine’s life as a Yale academic. The deeper involved Ifemelu becomes in the relationship (as with her past romantic involvements), the more the fortitude of her identity and morals come into question. At the beginning of Chapter 31, Ginika casually diagnoses Ifemelu as a self-sabotager, Ifemelu’s own motives only to be explained by a subconscious belief that she herself does not deserve happiness. An example of Ifemelu’s first act of self-sabotage is clearly her cheating on Curt. The second example is much less extreme, but nevertheless Ifemelu was fully aware of what she was doing and the consequences of her actions. Ifemelu purposely skips Blaine’s racial injustice protest following the arrest of Mr. White. Seeing that the march was considerably important to Blaine, she apologizes and creates the excuse that she slept through her alarm whilst taking a nap. The following day, Blaine discovers that Ifemelu was lying, and instead, had attended the lunch of Boubacar’s friend Kavanagh. Thus follows the couple’s first fight. Ifemelu has obviously recognized Blaine’s persistent uprightness and his impenetrable moral discipline, so her act of skipping the protest was a form of rebellion against his annoyingly perfect values. Blaine calls Ifemelu out for only writing in her blog, rather than actually living for and with what she writes about, exemplified especially by her absence at his march that was focused primarily on systemic racism in America. The criticism Ifemelu receives from Blaine sounds familiar, for she has heard similar snide remarks from Blaine’s sister, Shan. Remarks such as how Ifemelu could never truly understand the struggle of African-Americans in America because she is only African, an outsider looking in on the oppressive society that is America. Ifemelu’s pedigree and African descent does not involve and cannot be compared to the history of cultural oppression and systemic racism that African-Americans have endured in America, a point Blaine uses to attack Ifemelu with. He denounces Ifemelu and her blog for not being angry enough about topics such as racism in America to deserve to write about them. He believes that Ifemelu should no longer write about issues that she herself has not experienced, implying that her life on the internet is one of shallowness with concepts that she cannot actually relate to, simply because she is African in a country where only African-Americans are allowed to be recognized as oppressed.

A World in Black and White

The old adage of “opposites attract” is just that; an overused saying. The detachment of Ifemelu from Obinze acts as the perfect example for when a sling of words detrimentally affects a relationship. Although their initial connection was so intensely passionate that it appeared tenacious, the immigration of both Ifemelu and Obinze to America and London proved otherwise.

When Ifemelu arrived in America, she lacked specific goals as to how, where, and what she wanted her future to be. In contrast, Obinze has had a plan constructed for his future life in America ever since he was a child.

In chapter 23, readers are made aware that Obinze was repeatedly denied a visa, subsequently putting off any and all of Obinze’s plans for an American life after graduating college. Similar to Ifemelu, he retreats into a shell of himself, as the walls that are Nigeria appear to be closing in around him, with his dreams of immigration status denounced and denied. After Ifemelu met with the tennis coach, she encountered a dose of reality that was forced upon her in a time of poverty, eventually succumbing to a state of depression and isolation as her former dream of America crumbles. The disparity that exists between the two protagonists regarding their actions following both of these events emulates perspectives of hope that exist either in color, as Obinze, or in black and white, as Ifemelu.

Obinze is a romantic, a characteristic in which he recognizes and does not shy away from, embracing the title while maintaining a reserved composure. Ifemelu is a realist, furthermore because she is seen as a dominant and independent female, readers and characters alike unconsciously dub her as the “black sheep” of the relationship. Ifemelu could be criticized as selfish and difficult to love for wanting to put the interests of herself before those of others, before those of Obinze. In Ifemelu’s America, the world is black and white; she is either successful – to the extent of her own terms, or she has failed. Obinze focuses less on the matter of making a name for himself when he immigrated to London, rather choosing to focus on following a path where education and success, yes although involved, are not considered to be an ultimatum set up by fate, an action that disagrees with Ifemelu’s viewpoint on reality for the life of an immigrant, whether it be in America or Europe. 

Is It Ever Just Sex?

“Just” is an ironic word. A word used to often describe a situation or concept that is set to deceit and subtly misconstrue by appearing grammatically prior to a noun where the latter part of that combined sentence structure is malignant. For example; it’s just one beer, it’s just one party, and it’s just sex.

So begs the question, is anything ever really just something? Is Ifemelu with Curt just because she’s happy? Do white people feel the need to call Ifemelu beautiful just because she is black? Was Aunty Uju with Bartholomew just because she needed his money in order to become financially stable? And so the list goes on and on.

Rewinding back to the essential prostitution of Ifemelu between her and the tennis coach; to him, the event was just another day, just another warm body. To Ifemelu, it was her hurricane. The frenzied storm that tore apart what little of a life she was trying to build for herself in this land of fabled opportunity and unfulfilled dreams, where failure is never even remotely considered to be an option. Ifemelu’s avoidance of Obinze signifies to readers that what has happened to her was unjustifiable, an act that she could never forgive even herself for doing, as a result of arriving at one of the lowest rungs on the economic ladder. An act that thereafter permanently changes Ifemelu’s outlook on life, life in America, and life back in Nigeria.

Adichie’s implicit comparison of Ifemelu and the tennis coach’s incident to Ifemelu and Obinze’s first time having sex is intriguing and eye-opening to the mysterious and independent woman that is this protagonist. In order for Ifemelu to have sex and legitimately enjoy doing so, she dutifully believes that an emotional connection must exist prior to the act. Perhaps this also represents Adichie’s own personal beliefs, as she is molding Ifemelu from bits and pieces of her own self to create anew.

Nothing and no one are ever really their own original concept. Everyone is unconsciously and consciously influenced and motivated by their peers and their environment, subsequently correlating with the argument that no one is ever just someone. They are themselves, made up of miscellaneous matter involving hundreds of millions of thoughts, images, and beliefs that were never initially their own. Thoughts, images, and beliefs that have been cultivated over time while filling in the parts of the mold purposely left empty. So, it is never just sex because nothing is ever just something. A something must always stem from an everything in order to maintain an existence.

 

The Subdivisions of Cultural Criticism and Censored Classrooms

Censorship, the supposedly benevolent tool utilized in Western culture, has no position in places of education. Ifemelu has come to America in order to learn without restrictions, to experience a life of individuality that is to be achieved through hard work and eventual assimilation. In Ifemelu’s honors history seminar, her and her fellow students watch a few scenes from Roots, a show focused on the brutal reality of the African slave trade. Roots’s use of the n-word, however, was censured from the film, a motive Ifemelu’s fellow classmate, Wambui, found insulting. Wambui, an immigrant from Kenya, addresses the abnormal quietness that falls over the class when she asks as to why the n-word was extracted from its previous position in the film. Wambui’s statement of the n-word as something that should not be censured because of its present existence, as to how it has hurt and continues to cause pain unto others, contrasts starkly with her fellow African-American classmate’s view. Solely because of the torment that the n-word has caused, the African-American student believes that it should not be used or spoken. Now bears the question, what is deemed unacceptable to censor? What is actually appropriate to prohibit from publication?

The competing viewpoints of the two African girls, Wambui and Ifemelu, against that of the rest of the class, specifically the African-American girl and the shaggy white boy, represent one of the significant themes from Americanah. Africans and Americans may have differing ideals on the use of the n-word, but due to the fact that it has been detrimentally applied to more Africans than it has Americans, I find it interesting to see that African-Americans side with the “American” viewpoint. This incident in the classroom further reveals and opens readers to the harsh critiques of each separate culture and in that, its subdivisions. Although no general agreement could be made, Adichie’s purpose of the classroom clash is to advocate the respecting and listening of each opinion stemming from the separate societies. The preconceived notion of America as the melting pot includes the concept that every voice is allowed to be heard and every opinion spoken without restriction – without censorship.

Within the racial hierarchies of America, where poor whites and blacks – rich and poor, are equated, it has become intriguing to see just how deeply Adichie dives into the subcultures and the pre existing, often unspoken, racial tensions that exist between African-Americans and Africans. Furthermore, the ASA and BSU stand as symbols of the African-American and African cultures in all of their similarities and disparities. The mandated choosing of a specific black identity in America by black youth is perpetuated by a stigma that surrounds such a choice, whether it be considered incorrect, by society or by the youth’s own family. Ifemelu questions Dike’s future choice of what and who we will identify with, whether it be with his Nigerian parents or his American upbringing.

Waving Through A Window; An Immigrant’s Assimilation Into Love and Sentient

Ifemelu’s relationships with others have often been refrained, held at arm’s length, and distant, this is purposely done by Ifemelu in an attempt to protect herself. By protecting herself, she is able to prevent anything from chipping away at her character, one of non-conformity and self-fortitude. The amount of time and effort that it has taken Ifemelu to build her character is considered sacred.

Americanah is not only a continuous love story between Ifemelu and Obinze, it is also an ongoing love story between Ifemelu and locality. As Ifemelu develops her own identity, she is deciding where and what she wants to identify with. Whether it be Nigeria or the United States, the protagonist is able to find a sense of satire and solemnity regarding such places and its inhabitants, delighting and entertaining readers immediately. The lack of perspective of a middle-class African woman in highly acclaimed literature makes Ifemelu’s viewpoint contrast starkly with what is expected of the African literature narrative – that of starvation, rape, brutality, and poverty. Literature, such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, has predisposed readers to misconstrued images of African people, culture, and customs that further misconceive the present viewpoint of Africa and its entirety. One of the many purposes Americanah holds is to distinguish the notion that the life of a modern young African woman is no different, in regards to building relationships and a life for herself, than that of a modern woman of Caucasian descent, Indian descent, Asian descent, Hispanic descent, etc.

In Ifemelu’s relationship with Obinze, the pair are both of middle class and bookish. As goes the case for a majority of young adults and teenagers, the first love brings forth the strongest of connections and emotions, often being the first relationship of its kind. In chapter 4, the inadvertent incipient stage of Obinze and Ifemelu’s relationship is revealed, as to how their story began. Obinze says himself that he is not interested in the girls who make no effort to disagree or denounce anyone’s opinions, who always agree solely to appease. An explanation as to why Obinze looks for a powerful woman as a romantic partner can be traced back to his home, where a strong woman in charge was never considered to be out of the ordinary. Obinze’s mother’s iron will, shown through her dominant fight with a fellow professor, has influenced Obinze’s actions in pursuing a love and essentially a conscious. This easily explains Obinze’s distant and placid marriage with Kosi, as to why Obinze suddenly feels the remnants of his intense connection to Ifemelu whenever her name is simply mentioned, and ultimately why her return to Nigeria precariously holds the fate of his and Ifemelu’s futures in its hand.

 

 

Nigerian Taxi Drivers; The Disillusioned and Disenchanted

Americanah presents a non conventional point of view of a smart, successful, and independent Nigerian woman residing in America after immigrating from her native country. Ifemelu’s insightful observations of America and its inhabitants opens the minds and eyes of her audience to worlds they previously thought nonexistent.

In chapter 1, Ifemelu describes her interactions with a Caribbean taxi driver and a few fellow African women in the hair salon. Ifemelu prayed that before she got into her taxi to the hair salon, that the driver would not be Nigerian. I found her motive unique and singular, as Ifemelu sees herself as a Nigerian who has essentially made a name for herself, achieved a high-level education, and further to follow a job considered to be of importance. The previous Nigerian taxi drivers, when in comparison to Ifemelu, most likely think of themselves as lowly and unaccomplished. This necessity to lie about their true self and what they have been unable to accomplish, an experience Ifemelu has had prior to the present Caribbean driver, is interesting pertaining to Ifemelu’s relationships. The contrast that Ifemelu feels exists, between her and fellow Nigerians residing in America, is that she is accomplished by American society’s standards, compared to the majority of Nigerian immigrants she feels are not.

The saddening and realistic lack of availability of a higher-level education offered to immigrants leads to the few options of work with insufficient pay, like taxi driving, precedes the American dream. For Ifemelu, she has broken the mold, so to say, for achieving as much as she has in America. This explains the confusion that stems from the curious who ask Ifemelu why she would ever return to Africa, when she has a life of (sarcastic) luxury in America. The common misconception of America today leaves those with hopes and dreams of a better life disillusioned, disenchanted, and disenfranchised.