Truth. Obinze himself emphasizes its priority, recognizing "It was honesty that he valued...always wished himself to be truly honest, and always feared that he was not" (Adichie, 41). This deep-seated fear of Obinze's follows him and Ifemelu, as well as other characters in Chimamanda Adichie's Americanah, throughout their lives in Nigeria, the UK, and the United States. However, Obinze and Ifemelu find themselves lying to adapt, to protect their own image, and to avoid difficult conversations. At times, lying becomes a means of survival.
When Ifemelu and Obinze first meet, he tells her that he is attracted to her, partially due to her willingness to "argue," "talk," and "never agree" (Adichie 73). Her ability to speak her mind and firmly stand by her opinion is central to his attraction, and she later longs for someone to be honest and comfortable with like Obinze while in the United States (Adichie 161, 241). Like Ifemelu, Obinze is known for being direct once he has carefully formulated an honest opinion (Adichie 579).
In order to survive in the United States and the UK, Ifemelu and Obinze each find their first jobs through means of deception (Adichie 148, 310). Obinze's entrance to the UK itself is dishonest, as his mother creates a research assistant position for him to accompany her on a work trip (Adichie 290). Both Ifemelu and Obinze remark how significantly isolating and disconnecting it feels to use someone else's identity to find work (Adichie 162, 324). Not only do they lose their ability to identify as themselves, but they must perpetuate a lie regarding something so fundamental to who they are that they feel guilty and even more disconnected with their true selves.
Throughout their stays abroad, Ifemelu creates many lies with the intention of avoiding conflict with others and protecting herself. At the hair salon in Trenton, Ifemelu lies to the woman braiding her hair about how long she has been in the United States, as if it is necessary to earn respect (Adichie 19). She then also lies to say she is going to Nigeria "'to see [her] man,'" noting that this dishonesty was "finally...a comprehensible reason for wanting to move back" (Adichie 21). Knowing the questions and judgement she would receive by telling the truth, Ifemelu has decided to become someone who lies easily to avoid confrontation and a questioning eye. Has she done this out of necessity? She seems to be quite tired of having to explain herself, but do these kinds of lies demonstrate a change in her true character?
While Ifemelu mainly crafts minor dishonesties, Obinze makes them such a large component in his life that he cannot be happy. In the UK, Obinze spends his entire time there working on a 'sham' marriage so that he can get his papers. Once back in Nigeria, his career and marriage to Kosi are unfulfilling (Adichie 26, 41, 572). With Ifemelu's return, he contemplates about what he wants -- living an unhappy lie or enjoying himself with the love of his life (Adichie 572). Once his lies catch up to him and he must make difficult decisions about his life direction, it is as though Obinze truly realizes the gravity of being dishonest.
As Ifemelu and Obinze's stories illustrate, life does not always go to plan. While one may think they will hold certain values forever, they may have to adapt to difficult circumstances to make themselves happy, or even just to get by. Ifemelu and Obinze's relationships with truth and lies becomes complicated as they grow up and are forced into unpleasant situations as immigrants -- and also simply as people. It is impossible to assert that these characters hold exactly the same values after all the trauma and struggle they have been through. However, a reader can hope they regain some of their ability to be honest and outspoken through the rejuvenation of their reunion.
Americanah would have told a very different story without the layer of lies and deception that takes place throughout the novel. As this post says, the lies created new opportunities for the characters, but they also caused problems. Without deception, Ifemelu and Obinze would never have had the same experiences that they did in Nigeria, America, and the UK.
ReplyDeleteThe post discussed the necessity of lying in America and the UK, but beyond those necessary lies, deception continued once the characters were back in Nigeria as well. Obinze was pushed into an unpredictable business life with the Chief, where he was overwhelmed and even “imagined Chief asking him to organize an assassination” (Adichie 34). This new job made him wealthy, but he felt unsatisfied with his life, like it was not his own (Adichie 26). When Ifemelu returned to Lagos from America, she felt that she still had to lie to fit in, because her childhood friends were only interested in the topic of marriage (Adichie 490). She told them that her boyfriend Blaine was coming to Nigeria soon to keep them from asking questions, but “sometimes she believed her own lies” (Adichie 493).
Deception is so deeply rooted in these characters by the end of the novel that they are both different versions of themselves. The novel concludes with the hope for a rediscovery of the relationship that Ifemelu and Obinze once had, despite the changes that they had both undergone.
I think you have raised some very important questions regarding truth throughout this novel, specifically with how it relates to identity and belonging. Throughout the novel both Ifemelu and Obinze struggle to maintain their sense of self in a new and foreign environment. Obinze, in particular, as you mentioned, must go to the extreme in order to remain in the United Kingdom, which is completely outside of the character that has been set up for him in the first part of the novel. This behavior continues even after he moves back to Nigeria. This signifies the unavoidable reality that compromising yourself and your values is necessary in order for people like Obinze and Ifemelu to be successful in a white dominating world. This truth infiltrates all aspects of their lives, not just in the professional realm. It is most notable in Ifemelu's social life and personal relationships. So often we see her shrink or make herself smaller in order to fit into the mold that the people around her have cast for her, what Ifemelu often refers to as making them "comfortable". This is what makes her blog so important, for it is a space just for her own, unique voice, and ultimately, the reason that Ifemelu is able to maintain her identity, or "true character" as you put it. Similarly, I think that Obinze's unhappiness is suggestive of the fact that he is self-aware enough to realize that this version of himself is also not his "true character," but rather a means to an end that will satisfy his competing desire for success. It implies a certain non-permanence and the understanding that he cannot entertain this reality forever, bringing us to the conclusion of the novel in which he must decide between which dream he will fulfill: authenticity in the form of Ifemelu or the success he has been after since he was a child.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both Ifemelu and Obinze have complicated relationships with truth and deception. A large part of their deception has to do with the new environments they are in when they go abroad. One example is the difference between how Ifemelu writes in her blog, versus how she speaks at events. In the blogs, Ifemelu calls it like she sees it. She isn’t afraid to upset people. However, when she is invited to give talks about race, she “began to say what they wanted to hear” (Adichie 378). As you noted, this kind of deception is out of fear and necessity. It can be difficult to monetize online content, and Ifemelu has been poor. She wants to keep the money rolling in from the talks. So, rather than give talks that anger the audience, she makes a business decision and tells them messages like “America has made great progress” rather than messages like “Racism should never have happened” which we see in the blog (Adichie 378).
ReplyDeleteIfemelu’s dishonesty pales in comparison to Obinze’s, as you noted. Before Obinze moves to the U.K., he and his mother are honest people. Obinze’s mom “would not lie” (Adichie 290) before Obinze wants ti move. However, Obinze’s mom is willing to lie for what she feels is a justified cause: getting Obinze out of Nigeria. Coincidentally, this causes Obinze’s whole life to be a lie in the U.K., and causes him to struggle with dishonesty when he moves back to Nigeria. Unlike Ifemelu, Obinze mostly lies to better himself, rather than out of necessity. Obinze was well off in Nigeria, and goes to the U.K. to further himself financially, unlike Ifemelu who has to leave Nigeria if she wants to avoid a life of poverty. Since Obinze is willing to be dishonest in pursuit of money, its not surprising he works for Chief when he moves back to Nigeria, whose business deals are suspicious: “I need somebody to front this deal” (Adichie 32). To summarize, both Ifemelu and Obinze lie for different reasons, as noted by the poster, but Ifemelu usually lies out of necessity, and Obinze usually lies for personal gain.