The most important takeaway from this book in my opinion is the difficulties immigrants face, especially in America. I knew that immigrants faced many challenges with acclimating to a new culture or society but I did not know the specific battles they went through. Ifemelu dealt with racism that seemed more severe than the racism black Americans experience. She mentions how she never thought about race until she moved to America because she did not have to. This is best explained when she writes in her blog “Dear Non-American Black when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care. So what if you weren’t “black” in your country? You’re in America now” (Adichie, 273). Her words emphasize the separation that she feels between herself and white people in America. She reiterates the idea that Americans only see “black” and don’t care about where they are from because they lump black people in the same category. This also emphasizes the idea that Americans are uncomfortable addressing race. This is best understood by the lady at the store who refused to ask if the woman who had helped her was black, and decided to ask about her hair instead of addressing the obvious, which would have made things a lot easier. In my opinion, white people are uncomfortable talking about race because of the guilt they feel. When Ifemelu was called racist after the diversity workshop it was because "white liberals", as she puts it, often think they are doing all they can to be anti-racist and refuse to consider the possibility that they are not as open-minded as they think. I think the reason this person was so angry was that they felt guilty since deep down they know the privilege they have and they've just now realized that they really haven't done as much for black people as they might have thought.
I think that Dike’s character is the most interesting because being a child and experiencing the difficulties of standing out makes for a troubling upbringing. What concerned me the most about Dike was the neglect of his Nigerian roots. Aunty Uju was cutting him off from his identity because she thought this would benefit him but in my opinion, this was only hurting him. I think that everyone should be allowed an identity and she should have taught him to be proud of where he came from regardless of his differences. If he was confident in himself and his Nigerian roots he could have felt like he belonged somewhere. It is important for people to know that there is a place that feels like home somewhere, especially if you feel like an outsider in the country you are in.
It was important to get the perspective of a child in this book because the reader sees how confusing race and identity can be when you are growing up and already unsure of yourself. Dike’s character gave us insight into what it’s like growing up feeling lost and meeting other people who have certain expectations about you.
It was hard for me to read about Dike’s suicide attempt but it was an important moment because we see just how difficult it must be to feel like you don’t have an identity, or to feel like you don’t belong anywhere. When Ifemelu says “You told him what he wasn’t but you didn’t tell him what he was” (Adichie, 470) this reiterates the fact that as humans it is important to us to feel like we know who we are and where we belong.
Hi! I really liked your blog post. It was intriguing how you mentioned that Ifemelu, as an African immigrant, faces more backlash in America than African Americans. I do agree with that as she was more, in a sense, "lost" with her environment, with people, and other externalities. I also found it interesting how you stated that white Americans are uncomfortable talking about race or, facing race. I never thought about it as feeling a sense of guilt because there has not been much incentive to change racism as history has taught us there is. I feel like it is not just because of guilt, but it is also because there is not a lot of education or acknowledgement of race in society.
ReplyDeleteHi again, I totally agree with your comments about Dike. His character in this novel has touched us all in some way, either we've experienced similar feelings/actions or we've seen in portrayed elsewhere. I do not think it helped that Aunty Uju really separated him from Nigerian culture, as she wanted to make him American, in a sense. He lost his identity. He lost this certain pride one should have about his upbringing and culture. Also, it is so difficult to feel so isolated and have a loss of identity in an environment of racism.
ReplyDeleteI think that Dike is one of the most important characters in the novel, for the reasons you outlined. Having the ability to write a character that is totally disconnected from his native country helps drive home the theme of the forced conformity that many blacks face in America. Much like Ifemelu, Dike feels very lost in America, but unlike Ifemelu, who had the previous experiences in Nigeria, and ability to grow and overcome her obstacles, Dike never had that opportunity. His suicide attempt, difficult as it is to read and come to terms with, demonstrates how difficult it is to conform, and overall be black, in America. Without Dike's character, I feel that a large portion of one of the key themes of the novel would not have been able to be dealt with and understood by the reader. Really enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your perspective on Dike being the most interesting character in this story. The combination and subsequent conflicts of his American African identity, African American identity, and growing up without knowing his father and being in a single parent household all contributed to his sense of not knowing himself. His struggles with assimilating to his school in America, developed by his disconnect with his African roots, as well as his struggle fitting in with African Americans, are a theme that I was not aware of before reading this book. Also, the gravity of his reaction to this lost sense of self, culminating in his suicide attempt, shows the issues faced by immigrants in a similar position to Dike, and how impactful situations like this can be. Dike's story added quite a lot to the overall novel, and was a very impactful part of my reading.
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