Perhaps the thing that I noticed the most while reading Americanah was simply that many of these problems the characters deal with are not problems I have witnessed, or that I will ever face. This observation isn't meant to flaunt my privilege, but rather to highlight my, and many other Americans', disconnection from the racism still faced today. For us, Americanah serves as a bridge between the two experiences, and should be used to identify the struggles of black people in America in a more practical sense.
The biggest message Adiche tries to teach is that there should not be this taboo around race discussion and understanding. Multiple times throughout the book, characters like Curt become upset over identifiers of race that aren't even racially charged, like a magazine featuring black models (Adiche 364). Ifemelu tries to show him his hypocrisy, but changing the ideals of something so deeply ingrained in someone's mind is hard. But the idea that Adiche is trying to send is the difference between racism and addressing the differences between black people and other races, normally white people.
Why does this problem arise? Speaking from my situation, going to grade school that maybe had 5-10% black students, it's a lack of experience. Many people are likely just too afraid they are going to insult black people that they overprotect like Curt, which as Adiche shows can be just as harmful. Ifemelu's relationship with Curt ends with him expecting her to beg and be grateful for the help he provided that she didn't ask for, even calling her a bitch (Adiche 357). So since being racist IS the problem, and being racially defensive makes the problem worse, what SHOULD people do to interact with black culture healthily?
Well, Adiche answers this question too, through one of the blog posts in the novel. These blog posts are always far more direct and unfiltered than the dialogue, making it feel more like a direct message from the author than anything that should be interpreted in the context of the novel. This specific blog post is over two pages long and discusses racism as a whole concept, but at the end Adiche ends it with this: "...what's to do? ...Try listening, maybe. Hear what is being said. And remember that it's not about you...If you don't understand, ask questions. If you're uncomfortable asking questions, say you are uncomfortable about asking questions and then ask anyway." (Adiche 406). The point here is simply not to assume what black people want from you and to ask them yourselves. Adiche simply wants to be treated like a person who can be listened to and understood, so it is simply our job as outsiders to make them feel like we actually listen and care. It's not going to stop racism, but it will hopefully make everyone feel more welcome.
Alex Bognar
One of the things that resonated with me the most about Americanah was how Adiche sought to inform the reader through Ifemelu’s blog. Americanah is advertised as a romance novel with two lovers that separate and eventually find their way back to each other. But below the surface, Adiche’s main character Ifemelu pushes a narrative that seeks to continue the discussion about race in America; and she accomplishes this by having Ifemelu be her mouthpiece.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you addressed this and expanded on Ifemelu’s blog. I also grew up in an area where I was not exposed to diverse groups until later in life. Growing up in a sheltered community, you’re bound to be ignorant about some topics or cultures. Many discussions about race and culture in Americanah happened because of some ignorant comment or observation that Ifemelu was compelled to touch on.
For example, Curt was supportive of Ifemelu’s blackness but also did not care to learn about specific details of her identity. When she shows him the Essence article, Curt is dismissive and does not understand why they would run an issue of just Black women aside from all women. His ignorant comment leads Ifemelu to post on her blog. She writes, “because that real deep romantic love is so rare, and because American society is set up to make it even rarer between American Black and American White, the problem of race in America will never be solved” (Adiche, pg. 366).
The blog works as a narrative piece for Adiche to comment on race in America through the lens of Ifemelu.
I like how you speak about ignorance in the novel. Curt was ignorant to the hardships that Ifemelu went through because of his ignorance towards racism. I also find that Blaine was ignorant to Ifemelu’s experiences as an African immigrating to America. I, myself, worry that will become ignorant to the problems those who are different than me are facing.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who comes from a small, un-diverse town and is white, Americanah highlights viewpoints and experiences I would never understand. I would never be able to experience first-hand the racism American Blacks face. This novel also gives another viewpoint; Ifemelu experiences racism from the outside. She had never experienced racism before but experienced it once she moved to America. Not only is there the viewpoint of a dark-skinned women, Ifemelu, experiencing prejudice because of her skin color, but also the viewpoint of someone who had never experienced that before. Adichie/Ifemelu makes commentary, specifically in the blog posts, about race in America as someone who isn’t American. It provides a lot of insight into the issues facing Black Americans and non-American Blacks. As someone who, as I said, comes from a town lacking in diversity, I learned a lot throughout the novel. You make this comment as well. For example, Adichie describes the difficulty of Ifemelu finding a hair salon to braid her hair in the beginning of the novel. I, a white woman with blonde hair, do not have that issue.
I also liked how you mentioned the “right” things for people to do that Adichie brings up in the novel. It is very insightful to those who do not want to be ignorant like Curt or Blaine.