The novel Americanah, written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has a multitude of themes present throughout. Adichie uses the perspective of Ifemelu, as well as Obinze, to highlight the experiences of black Africans in America and Great Britain. Both Ifemelu and Obinze experience their own personal lows while in the foreign countries they have gone chasing success. Ifemelu, however, finds a lucky break after meeting Curt through the babysitting job with Kimberly. Curt is a white, wealthy American who seems to represent the image that is almost always necessary in order to become successful in America. Curt and Ifemulu’s relationship is one of the most fascinating elements of the novel because it allows the reader to look directly at the display of white privilege through the lens of a Nigerian immigrant.
Ifemelu had reached a point in her life in which she had felt deeply disconnected and ashamed after being placed in the horrifying situation with the tennis coach. Her relationship with Curt was certainly a positive bounceback for her life direction and allowed for her to get opportunities that would have never been possible before. Although, it seemed extremely clear as a reader that Curt and Ifemelu would not work together for long. Curt’s character embodied the “privileged white man” exceptionally well in the aspect that there were certain things he just did not understand when it came to the subject of race in America. Yes, on the surface level he may seem like he is a progressive white man who does not let race act as a barrier to who he becomes romantically involved with or befriends. Nonetheless, Curt does not understand the importance of there being an all-black magazine (“Essence”) and in fact thinks it is “racially skewed”, exemplifying the fact that even “woke” white liberals in America do not grasp how large of an issue race still is (Adichie p. 292). On page 289 of the PDF version of the novel Ifemelu says, “It was not that they avoided race, she and Curt. They talked about it in the slippery way that admitted nothing and engaged nothing and ended with the word “crazy,” like a curious nugget to be examined and then put aside” (Adichie). This quote from the novel helps the reader understand the sentiments of Ifemelu while she was in the relationship with Curt. She did not feel like he would ever truly understand her and her identity of being a non-American, black-African in America.
Americanah Blog Post- Sophia Hottois
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Americanah by Adiche tells the story of protagonist Ifemelu as she embarks on a journey from Nigeria to the United States where she encounters a new culture, new love, and new struggles that illustrate the underlying roots of racism in American society. An aspect of racism that is brought up in the book is how all black people are just grouped together. People, mainly white Americans, assume that all black people have had the same experiences. In reality, there is a major difference between black Americans and black Africans. For example, the novel shows how the n word is much more offensive to black Americans than it is to the black Africans. Adiche illuminating this difference in the novel was extremely eye-opening to me as it emphasizes how each individual black person has their own stories and experiences.
Throughout the novel, a recurring theme is the importance of authenticity. In the novel, the importance of authenticity seems to be symbolized through hair. For example, Ifemelu needed to put in some hair relaxer as she prepared herself for her interview. Curt, her boyfriend at the time, did not understand why she felt like she had to do this for her interview. He said that her natural hair was beautiful. Curt was unable to understand that her natural hair was ridiculed and not accepted by the vast majority of American society. However, in America, Ifemelu felt like she could not be herself due to the racism that she endured. She felt like she needed to assimilate and blend in with American culture in order to truly belong, as seen by her relaxing her hair.
An aspect of the novel that I truly admired was Ifemelu’s blog. Not only does the blog educate the readers on the realities of racism, it truly allows Adiche to convey her own thoughts, ideas, and struggles through Ifemelu. I think it was a very clever, perfect way to try and make the reader understand the harsh realities of racism without actually experiencing it. The blog truly brings the novel together as it connects the events in the book with the real world as Ifemelu and Adiche share a perspective.
This novel is extremely informative and insightful. Although I can never fully understand racism, it definitely enhanced my knowledge as well as make me want to listen to the stories of others in order to advocate for them. If more people read Americanah, I truly believe our society would be a kinder, more understanding place.
I agree that the relationship between Ifemelu and Curt was very interesting, and I think that it is one of the most important relationships in the novel thematically. Throughout their relationship, Curt makes himself out to be a very progressive white individual who understands racism and the struggles Ifemelu goes through. In many ways, he listens to Ifemelu and it feels like he truly does love her, as many times throughout the book we can see him mentioning marriage. Yet despite his charmingness and ability to make friends with Dike and Aunty Uju, it is apparent that Ifemelu never truly loves him. After Curt shows up to her apartment, Adichie writes “she did not want to go out, but she did not want to be with him in the intimacy of her apartment… They took a walk, Curt solicitous and full of promises, walking side by side but not touching” (Adichie 211). I think that Curt’s character represents the fortune and positive parts about America that many immigrants want to get when they arrive. Curt's relationship with Ifemelu is similar to how Ifemelu’s relationship is with America as a whole, especially the white Americans. You can feel a disconnect throughout the relationship with Curt much like there is a disconnect to her life when she arrives in America. I do not think that Ifemelu could have found true love in America with an American, as no one there could understand her story or make her feel like herself as much as Obinze did in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteA part of the book is focused on romance, love and relationships. Through different people Ifemelu has dated: same race same place (Obinze), different race different place (Curt), and same race different place (Blaine), we see the culture difference from many perspectives. Her relationship with Curt created the strongest contrast due to how different they were in every way, just as what you put: "Curt and Ifemulu’s relationship... look(s) directly at the display of white privilege through the lens of a Nigerian immigrant". Some people, like Ginika, were very glad that Ifemelu found someone who was understanding of her. For Ifemelu, this level of understanding is not enough, Ifemelu could not feel the attachment, and they are always explaining cultural differences to each other. At some points, Ifemelu wanted to immerse herself in the "Curt" life as she bumped into old friend Kayode but did not say much (224) (I have the hard copy, page number could differ). Other times Curt tried to be sensitive and speak up as he talked to her mother about racism: "What if ten people who look like Ifemelu suddenly walked in here to ear? You realize our fellow diners would be less than pleased?" (295). These efforts are still far from what Ifemelu wanted. She still felt discriminated, sometimes even exemplified because of the relationship.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I recognized Curt's character being an example of white privilege, It wasn't until I read your post that I realized he is also an example of a flawed "ally" or "supporter" of POC's struggles in America. You're statement about Curt's attraction to Ifemelu being sufficient enough to prove him not racist, but then his subsequent lack of awareness for the issues faced by people of color in America is one I wholly agree with. Through the discussions in class, the "why" was evident in Curt and Ifemelu's relationship, but the significance of Curt's character in exemplifying the still flawed perspective of "woke allies" I only realized after passing that point in the reading. The development of Curt's character also brings to attention a serious theme across America, that being accepting of all races is not enough, and that it's on us as fellow members of society to actively try and promote fair treatment for all, while condemning prejudice where we see it. I am as guilty of it too, where by just learning about and being aware of issues, I feel that I have done my share of the work. This is part of why reading Americanah was an important experience for me. It drew to my attention so many facets of racism in our country that I would not have otherwise noticed. Points of discord for POC and society, the most apparent example being the situation regarding natural hair and it's implications in a flawed workplace environment, are topics I wouldn't have realized were an issue. Thus, Curt's character in Americanah brought about one of the most important realizations during my reading, and has made me aware of a conscious change I will make regarding supporting the struggles of POC in this country.
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