Debunking Myths: The Modern Middle Passage is Americanah
by Opal Palmer Adisa
An expose, a chronicle, a cleaning out the closet, a love story, Americanah is all these things, written with verve, a love for language and a keen assurance of different voices — Nigerian, other Africans, Caribbean and African Americans as well as Caucasian. Adichie proves to be an adept observe, capable of rendering these myriad characters in sharp authentic dress that they literally walk off the page, and some how as the reader, you care about each — or at the least you want to know what is happening in their lives.
To say that the novel is about Ifemelu, who in traditional western paradigm would be labeled as the protagonist, would be to say a child has no parents, and does not belong to a community, or the community is devoid of people. Adichie deftly shows the world her characters inhabit and successfully plums their psychological landscape, their social interactions, and offers in depth portrayal of each. Because many of the characters immigrate, mainly to the USA, but some like Obinze (Ifemelu’s lover) to England, Adichie reveals the bitter-sweet (mostly bitter) impact of immigration, and more often how-in an attempt to achieve the Metropolis’ dream-these characters often lose social standing and are subject to vile racism, from well meaning whites, and others, who aren’t even aware that they are racists.
An example of this occurs when Ifemelu goes to open the door to the house of Kimberly, whose children she babysits, and the carpet-cleaner is greeted by her, his rage that she could be the homeowner is palatable. Ifemelu, understanding this, and tired of always having to correct whites on their racist behavior, informs the carpet-cleaner of her role and watches the transformation of his face:
“It was like a conjurer’s trick, the swift disappearance of his hostility.
His face sank into a grin. She too was the help. The universe was
once again arranged as it should.” (p. 204)
Americanah’s setting and time frame are present day: President Obama era, modern characters, living in a modern, often uncaring world, and making hard choices to try to mitigate failure, but often failure or set backs occur nonetheless. These failures accompanied by crippling shame, both in the USA as well as Nigeria. First we see this with Aunty Uju, literally chased from her home, when her general lover dies or is killed and she is left with nothing, but her son Dike. We witness this again with Ifemelu as she struggles to attend college in the USA, but is unable to find employment, even using the ID of others, and out of desperation has to submit to sexual perversion in order to pay her rent. Multiple points of views, and attitudes, including the immigrant’s obsession with “America,” and therefore willing to suffer great social and psychological loss just to be here or even there in Nigeria, to appear “American” is examined and lay bare on the table.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie takes it all on in her extensive novel, Americanah, that bristles at almost every page. Blogging is the popular device that she employs to discuss many pertinent topics that impact Blacks or the way blackness is seen in the USA. Adichie explores complex and thorny issues, including interracial dating that provides her the opportunity to highlight class and cultural nuances:
Curt when he fell in love with her, “Her laugh was so vibrant,
shoulders shaking, chest heaving; it was the laugh of a woman
who, when she laughed, really laughed. Sometimes when they
were alone and she laughed, he would say teasingly, ‘That’s
what got me.’ And you know what I thought? If she laughs like
that, I wonder how she does other things.’” (p. 236)
However, I would be remiss if I did not mention the love story between Ifemelu and Obinze that really serves as the base of this novel. Although their relationship meanders, as any relationship, especially when the couple is separated would, and it takes on some typical conventional turns; he is married but they have an affair when she moves back to Nigeria, Ifemelu and Obinze are unique in ways of acceptance of sexual freedom and ultimately of each other. Although Obinze is absent for the majority of the novel he is definitely the hero, manly, honorable and definitely a keeper, so it is understandable the gulf Ifemelu feels when she reflects on her feelings about missing him.
“Each memory stunned her with its blinding luminosity. Each
brought with it a sense of unassailable loss, a great burden hurtling
towards her, and she wished she could duck, lower herself so that
it would bypass her, so that she would save herself.” (p. 584)
As I was reading Americanah, I couldn’t help but think of Buchi Emecheta, the Nigerian, London based novelist who wrote more than twenty novels, and who is perhaps the first African woman writer whose work I devoured and taught in the 80’s; in particular The Joys of Motherhood (1979), my favorite, but also Second-Class Citizen (1974), The Bride Price (1976), and The Slave Girl (1977). Buchi Emecheta’s works scrutinize child slavery, motherhood, female independence and freedom through education, but looks at earlier periods in Nigeria, mostly village life. Some readers believe Adichie is one of the only Nigerian women writers, let me hasten to point out others whose works I also read and taught. Flora Nwapa’s novel Efuru, appearing in 1966, was touted as one of the earlier works by an African female writer, and she has over eleven collections of stories. Then there is also Ifeoma Okoye, who writes primarily for youths and is considered to be very popular with her stories, including the collection: Trial and Other Stories (2005). Nigerian writers (both women, as well as men) have been for a longtime breaking ground and introducing the world to their culture and society.
[The above mentioned Nigerian female writers are all still alive, and it would be insightful to have them in conversation, especially a dialogue between Buchi Emecheta, whom I met at UC, Berkeley when she was an invited guest in the late 80’s, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.]
