People from different countries have different backgrounds and identities. However, when coming to America, many different people conform to the people that they think America wants them to be. In Americanah Adichie shows the racism that leads to conformity through the sacrifice of culture in her novel.
Adichie explains that foregin cultures do not fit as well as in the United States as some of us think. Just because there are foreign people within the United States does not mean that they are accepted wholly. Aunt Uju answers the phone as “you-joo instead of oo-joo” (128) because it makes living in the United States much easier. She conforms to what Americans think her name should be pronounced. Later in the same chapter, Aunt Uju, for a similar reason to changing the pronunciation of her name, says to Ifemelu “Please don’t speak Igbo to [Dike]” (134). She wants to make life easier for her son, so she only wants him to learn English. Aunt Uju tries to conform to being an American by sacrificing who she is, which is Igbo. However, changing how they sound and what they speak is not the only way people have to conform. They have to change how they look, too. After Aunt Uju passes her medical licensing, she needs to take her braids out and relax her hair because “If you have braids, they will think you are unprofessional” (146). Aunt Uju is willing to sacrifice her hair to succeed in America. Adichie emphasizes that people in America want foreign people to be like other Americans. Ifemelu mentions in her blog that when African people wear their hair out naturally, people, meaning white people, think that “you ‘did’ something to your hair” (367). Through this example, Adichie shows that Americans do not even know or understand what it means to be black in America. If people do not understand a simple thing such as hair, how will people understand the complexity of foreigners living in America? People believe that by not seeing color and avoiding race all together will solve racism. Throughout the novel, Ifemelu mentions how race in the United States is a subject to be avoided and downplayed. I believe that Adichie argues that by not seeing race and not talking about it, people do not actually understand what is to be black in America. They do not understand that foreign people have to change who they are, such as their accents and hair, because Americans do not understand, and if they do not change, they will get judged and lose opportunities. If Michelle Obama had her hair natural, Ifemelu states that “Obama would certainly lose the independent vote, even the undecided Democrat vote” (368). There are many other examples in the text where someone would lose an opportunity if he/she did not conform. Adichie shows that racism still exists because black people cannot be who they want to be and will be judged if they do not conform.
I really liked all of the examples you brought up including Aunt Uju and Ifemelu conforming. I think this is very good insight into what the book is all about, which is bringing up the issue of race in America and how it affects the way foreigners act. Even Ifemelu, who is strong and out there about what she believes fell into hiding her accent for a while in order to conform to what Americans expect and take seriously. I would be curious to know where you think foreigners should draw the line about when to conform, if ever.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Aunt Uju conforms to American culture, but she is also changed by it. From the instant Uju picked up Ifemelu from the airport she could sense a change in her aunt. Her hair was beaten up, and she complained of all that she had to do (Adichie 128). Aunt Uju seemed to have been attacked by America, and she was left with fragments of her old self. Uju even refused to let Nigeria influence Dike’s upbringing, stating that he would be confused by learning Igbo (Adichie 134). This led Dike to have no “group” to belong to when Americans rejected him because of their difference in skin color. Eventually, he nearly died by overdose of Tylenol (Adichie 453).
Dike was stranded between Nigeria, a place that he could not remember, and America, a place that did not accept him as one of their own. Essentially, he was drowning in the middle of an ocean without a clear self identity. Aunt Uju decided when she came to America that her new identity would be American, and she would try her hardest to change. This left Dike constantly trying to conform to his peers but being rejected by African-American stereotypes which confused him because he was an American African. Because Uju continued to change and conform, Dike’s impressions of American culture were gilded at a very young age.
I am not saying that Aunt Uju caused Dike to feel lost and alone. I am stating that because she did not accept herself as a Nigerian in America, Dike was forced to wonder who he was. Like you stated in this post, Aunt Uju only wanted to make Dike’s life easier by making him into an American. So this makes me question, can an immigrant conform to American culture without invoking an identity crisis on their future generations?
Note: I know that Aunt Uju had to conform to get jobs, a home, and a future in America. Her future generations would have to do the same no matter how progressive America could become. My question/conclusion focuses on how her dismissal of her Nigerian roots affected/ would affect those who look to those roots for belonging after being rejected by American stereotypes.
I would agree with your post about conformity in America. The one thing I have noted to be constant throughout the novel is how Ifemelu tries hard to still be connected to her Nigerian roots. She had times of vulnerability where she did conform - changing her hair and accent. When she receives a call from the young, male American telemarketer, he comments upon how she sounds American after saying she is from Nigeria. Ifemelu thinks to herself, "Why was it a compliment, an accomplishment, to sound American?" (Adichie 215). I think she becomes aware of how racism has caused her to conform.
ReplyDeleteIfemelu analyzes the people around her and notices how they come to America and try to assimilate fully into society. Part of me is torn on this concept: because of racism they are given no choice but to do so because they are not able to receive equal opportunities. On the other hand, their conformity does not help others in their same position. This conformity that we see throughout the novel is seen in society today. Due to systemic racism, foreigners feel pressure to change themselves to fit in here. This is an interesting topic to me because I want to know what steps we can take to try and prevent this norm.