As an individual of Indian descent born and raised in America, with immigrant parents, you would think that I would recognize the major differences in cultural norms between individuals who identify as first-generation Americans versus those who have immigrated to the US but still choose to identify with their home country. Yet, it wasn’t until I read the novel Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, that I truly recognized the cultural shock faced by immigrants in America, regardless of their place of origin. Multiple observations are made by the main character Ifemelu which express the extent to which she differently perceives situations as a Nigerian immigrant from those who identify as African American.
When Imefulu initially moves to the US she lives with Aunty Uju and her son, Dike. He’s been raised in America and through engaging with him Imefelu sees how when children come to America at an early age they are raised with American norms rather than African. Imefelu speaks to Dike in her native language for a moment. Instantly Aunty Uju gets upset with her saying “Please do speak Igbo to him” (134). She then says “Two languages will confuse him” (134). Imefelu is shocked by this comment as it is normal for Nigerian children to grow up learning more than one language. Aunty Uju instantly responds saying “This is America, it’s different” (134). With this exchange, Imefelu begins to understand how Aunty Uju is raising her son as an African American, rather than an African immigrant living in the US. She sees how Aunty Uju is keeping Dike from engaging too closely with his Nigerian background. It is apparent that in Aunty Uju’s mind it is best if Dike is raised as American children are, rather than African.
Later, Imefelu reunites with her childhood friend Ginika, who immigrated to America prior to beginning high school. During their outing to the mall, two employees were helping Ginika and Imefelu as they shopped. One was a white female and the other black. The cashier asked who helped them out and Ginika couldn’t remember the girl’s name. She started naming physical traits of the employees such as dark hair and long hair so Ginika could identify who helped her. This led Imefelu to question why doesn’t the cashier just ask if the black girl or white one helped them, as this is the most obvious physical difference between the two girls. Ginika responds with laughter to this statement saying “Because this is America. You’re supposed to pretend that you don’t notice certain things” (155). This develops the perspective that in the US if you identify as American, your skin color shouldn’t be a point of division. Societal standards are meant to create an expectation that all Americans are equals, providing Imefelu with an initial understanding of why identifying as African American is desirable. She observes firsthand how society is trained to ignore racial differences as long as individuals who look different don’t consistently act differently than the typical white American.
Parul brings up a great point about cultural shock experienced by immigrants is far greater than someone who is of the same descent but was born and raised in America. I can relate to the culture shocks experienced by Ifemelu because crucial parts of my childhood were spent living in India, so moving back to the United States was quite a shock to me. It took me a while to relearn American customs but to this day I find myself learning something new. Adichie thoroughly highlights the process of cultural assimilation through Ifemelu’s interactions with Blaine. Something as simple as flossing is an action “so American to her” (Adichie 384) but she starts doing it anyway. And, Ifemelu realizes just how much of an Americanah she has become when she moves back home. She finds something as simple as the houses of the wealthy ugly even though “she had once found houses like that beautiful” (Adichie 484). Adichie through Ifemelu’s character shows how much being an immigrant in a country can change a person, despite whether or not they want to change. Ifemelu took a major step to reject her Americanah identity when she stopped forcing an American accent, yet she comes home to find that she had become an Americanah after all.
ReplyDeleteCultural shock is a major barrier for most immigrants moving from western to third-world countries or vice versa. Having spent my childhood both in India and the US, the problems of adjustment and adaptation recurred frequently because of the cultural difference. In Americanah, Adichie provides us with cultural perspectives from Nigeria, England and America through scenes that depict the shock the characters faced and their split personalities.
ReplyDeleteWe see two types of rich white Americans: the type to look down upon those who have different skin color and aren’t American and the type who feel sorry for them and do what they can to help “their kind of people” out. “Not every black person is beautiful” (149), the main character Ifemelu expresses this when her employer Kimberly calls every black person “stunning and beautiful” instead of just saying this black. This moment in the book wins the hearts of the readers and Kimberly as well. Normally any immigrant would never go against what an American would say and instead agree and appreciate them. Many white people want to be a part of the solution but don’t want to be told they are the problem as Ifemelu finds out during her first “diversity talk” in America. She receives an email saying, “you should be grateful we let you into this country” (302).
These experiences led to the mental and physical struggle of Ifemelu who tried to stay true to her Nigerian culture and prevent herself from being Americanah.