Americanah, a novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, follows a narrative about two young lovers torn apart by circumstance and brought back together. Ifemelu, the female protagonist, struggles with making a life for herself in America through university, failed relationships, and encounters with Americans that don’t understand or respect her. One of the most impactful things in Ifemelu’s life is the blog she starts on the intricacies of race in America. This blog, created from Wambui’s recommendation, is something that both propels Ifemelu’s life onto a better, more stable track financially, as well as helps her express her thoughts and experiences about life as a black person in America. She longed to hear the experiences of others in positions similar to her own and to help others with the wisdom she had earned: “… she longed for other listeners, and she longed to hear the stories of others. How many other people chose silence? How many other people had become black in America?” (Adichie 366). The role that the blog plays in the story is not exclusively a narrative purpose, but as a bridge from fiction to the real world. Adiche could have simply used the blogs as a way to recap certain events in the story, to inject certain thoughts Ifemelu had that could not have naturally shared in a situation. However, Adichie used the blog format as a way to ground her story and characters in our reality. Ifemelu blogged about the 2008 election with heavy analysis on the role race plays in the Obama campaign. In “A Michelle Obama Shout-Out Plus Hair as Race Metaphor”, Ifemelu discussed the way Michelle Obama had to essentially “cover” her blackness by not wearing her natural hair as it is seen as unprofessional. She called it a “perfect metaphor for race in America” and talks about how black hair is only ever seen as acceptable if it isn’t in a culturally black hairstyle, like dreads or an afro, but rather relaxed or with a weave (Adichie 367-369). In “What Academics Mean By White Privilege”, Ifemelu recalled an encounter with a poor white man comparing his struggles to those of a black person in America, inciting her to blog a list of criteria that defines white privilege and the way it benefits someone (Adiche 429-431). These blog posts are used to both add to the narrative and go beyond it as well. The election of 2008 was a pivotal point in conversations about race at the time, and even now affect the way we talk about success, and “professionalism” from a black POV. White privilege is a hot topic, especially in today’s world of Black Lives Matter conversations. Many people are having to understand and evaluate their own biases and privilege in the grand scheme of systemic racism. By adding these blog posts, Adichie not only adds to Ifemelu’s thoughts about her current situation but invites the reader to put down the book and analyze how their day-to-day beliefs are built on prejudice.
I think your interpretation of the role in which the blog plays in the novel is spot on. When reading Americanah, one could easily think, "This story is fiction, so these characters are fake and therefore their experiences do not apply to the real world." While Americanah is considered fiction, it does not make the events and ideas surrounding race fictitious. The blog both connects Ifemelu's experiences and our reality while proving that Ifemelu can thrive in America by being true to herself. A central theme in Americanah is disguising one's true self, whether in order to fit the profile of another person's visa or to fit into a predominantly white society. "He did not mention the rage he had felt standing on the street and looking at the cab. He was shaking… But now, sipping the last of his red wine, flowers floating in front of him, he spoke in a tone cleanser of anger, thick only with a kind of superior amusement…" (Adichie, 341). Nearly every black character in the novel at one point had to pretend to be someone they were not. When Ifemelu's blog becomes a popular success, it not only benefits her financially, but proves that her genuine identity, beliefs and work is enough to make a comfortable life in America.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book, the blogposts almost feel like a "breaking of the fourth wall". They are an opportunity for Adichie to tell us explicitly what she wants us as readers to get out of the experiences of her characters, and they are an opportunity for Ifemelu to speak directly to us as an audience as if we existed in her world and could read her blog. A good example of this dual-use is on page 429, where there is a blog posting called "What Academics Mean by White Privilege or Yes It Sucks to Be Poor and White but Try Being Poor and Non-White". The post serves Adichie by making a direct commentary on white privilege. It even includes a small "quiz" at the end to show white people just how many problems they do not face because of their race. The post functions as an overt way of telling us as readers what we are supposed to be getting out of the novel thus far and what we should be looking for in the book moving forward. From Ifemelu's perspective, a post like this is a way for her to not only find some sort of catharsis but for her as a black woman to try to interject her voice into the conversation. Often times conversations about white privilege are hijacked by white people who want to feel sorry for themselves or cannot handle knowing they had some sort of advantage in their life (as seen by the man in Ifemelu's class who swore he had no privilege because he grew up in a poor, rural community). The post does not serve to say that all white people have it easy, but it does say that whiteness gives you an advantage over non-white people in our current society. Both Adichie and Ifemelu use the blog to get this point and many others across to their respective audiences.
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ReplyDeleteThis post does an excellent job of highlighting the blog’s role in Ifemelu’s life. It asserts how Ifemelu connects to current events, and it serves as a medium through which she can connect to others. Instead of reiterating all the above points, though, I want to expand on the role the blog had in Ifemelu’s ability to speak up.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the book, Ifemelu frequently talked herself into trouble by sharing her thoughts. In Chapter 3, she causes a scene at church for speaking out against Chief Omenka. This scene culminates in Aunty Uju explaining, “You should have just made the garland. I’ve told you that you don’t have to say everything. You have to learn that” (page 65). In essence, Ifemelu is encouraged to keep her thoughts to herself for the first half of her life.
For this reason, it is notable that she creates a blog after living in America. From a literary perspective, the blog is important because it grounds the novel in current events and facilitates a more realistic narrative. However, from a character development perspective, Ifemelu creates a channel to communicate with others in a new way. She shares her thoughts on race, gender, and politics. Through that, she generates an engaged audience.
In the blog she starts in Lagos, the blog had "one thousand unique visitors" following the post on the Nigerpolitan Club. This illustrates how Ifemelu’s voice and audience increases throughout the novel, and she affects the lives of a myriad of people as she shares her thoughts.
I agree that the blog plays an important role in this novel and I like the point you brought up about how it serves as a bridge between fiction and the real world. I definitely agree with this and I think that Adichie used the blogs in this novel in a creative way. Through these blog posts, the readers can understand and interpret the meaning of the story and take away important details from this novel that are not explicitly mentioned. Rather than just thinking of the novel as a fictional book, the readers are able to connect it to the real world and understand the viewpoints of non-Americans living in America. A lot of people are aware of the implicit racism in America and have heard stories about it, but they do not really understand from their perspective. This novel changes that and helps readers understand the view of racism through someone else’s eyes. Adichie also makes it more clear by adding the blog posts to the novel. This way, readers can connect the story to the real world and understand how it relates to their lives. There is a lot of inherent racism in America and most people do not notice it, but this book changes that and helps readers realize biases in their daily lives.
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