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Summary Typed Americanah notes
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Beautifully typed notes on the Americanah novel: chapter by chapter. Deep analysis of the novel with quotes.
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Americanah by Chimamande Ngozi Adichie - Study and Essay Guide
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Grade 12 IEB Americanah Essay (3)
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PART ONE:CHAPTER 1:
IN THE HAIR SALON – Ifemelu recalls her experiences *Hair and Identity
For Ifemelu to exist in America, she has to pretend to be somebody else – journey of self-awareness
o Begin with Ifemelu’s identity unsettled – adopted some American culture – likes to identify with Princeton
o “Princeton had no smell” – absence of any real life / spark – Nigeria = sensory overload
o America has endless options / choice: “affluent ease”, “adorned with certainty”
o Takes note of people’s hair
o Many pseudo liberals throughout novel
o Problematic – makes conversation with people for “something she could use in her blog”
without divulging her intentions – cause for discomfort. She is almost predatory in acquiring information to
sustain her blog: “like a vulture hacking into the carcasses of people’s stories for something she could use”
o Race is so much more complex – not aware of this at the beginning of her journey
o Blog was initially to process her identity – but she eventually loses her authenticity
o Culture clash in America – “things she had learned not to say aloud in America”
o “there was cement in her soul” – uncertainty / instability especially as an immigrant throughout the novel until she
finally moves back to Nigeria as “Nigeria became where she was supposed to be” and without it she felt “the dull
ache of loss” – emotional weight she is desperate to relieve herself from – peruses Nigerian websites and
eventually moves back
o “three years free of crease” in America but an emotional restlessness is growing inside Ifemelu
o Too complicated to explain herself to a fellow Nigerian taxi driver – complicated identity of an immigrant – many
assume new identities
has to prove herself
frustrated identity of immigrant - simultaneously well-educated but doing menial labour (eg. Obinze)
o American accent is prioritised
o Nollywood film culture:
bad quality
perpetuates stereotype of males abusing their wives
o “said hello to a fellow African” in the hair salon – shared understanding, yet a slight arrogance from Ifemelu – she
had “made it” so to speak
o Ifemelu has self-confidence that she did not initially have as an immigrant: “I like my hair the way God made it” ,
“like a halo” – feeds into her identity
o “to hear Nigeria and good in the same sentence was a luxury” – perhaps why she needs to return
o Adichie tries to capture the dialect to capture identities / environments by using “o”
o Learn that: Africa is just as cosmopolitan as anywhere else, not as tribal as expected. In the power play between
USA and Africa – Africans must make the accommodations
o Ifemelu is “feeling reckless” – she will do something impulsive
emails Obinze
decides to move back to Nigeria – makes it more real by writing it to him
o Many negative and harsh perceptions of Nigeria from Nigerians themselves who glorify the West but become
dismissive of their own culture
o Very few immigrants make it by American standards
o Choice – can always return to America now she is a citizen
o “I’m also going back to Nigeria to see my man” – has a desire to reconnect with Obinze
,CHAPTER 2:
Ifemelu’s sexuality
Life in Nigeria from Obinze’s perspective
Both Obinze and Ifemelu seem to have it all but artificially, their lives are both lacking in real fulfilment as they seek
something
o Learn: life is different in Nigeria – depending on who you are
o “Ceiling” – intimacy between Ifemelu and Obinze (early sexual experience) – shows affection: “my eyes were not
open but I did not see the ceiling. This never happened before”
o Ifemelu and Obinze = 2 people in different but very similar situations. Parallel narratives – both are frustrated.
Ifemelu makes a change and Obinze expresses that he wants to change
o “Vivid honesty” – Ifemelu: takes charge of her sexuality and sexual identity, enjoys sexual interactions – unusual in
African literature for a woman to be so open with her sexual identity, her independence is appealing
o Nigeria is not an isolated country – has access to many worldly things: “the undisturbed air of well-being” – Obinze
has financial stability
o Complex love story – Obinze married to Kosi with a child. Kosi needs constant re-assurance unlike Ifemelu
o Kosi is pleased to be “mistaken for half-caste” – never left Nigeria – ingrained sense of being lighter is being better.
Kosi does not challenge him which frustrates Obinze and they have no real connection
o Obinze : “bloated from all he had acquired” – feeling weighted down, unfulfilled like Ifemelu with “cement in her
soul”
o Lagos elite = hustle and corruption : “Lagos is about hustling” especially now that he is “newly back from England” –
culture of success earned through corruption
o “Big men and big women did not talk to people, they instead talked at people”
o Instability in Nigeria leaves people choice-less : “no one knows tomorrow!”
o Abuse of power by wealthy Nigerian men leaves women susceptible to being disempowered like Aunty Uju where
they see that all they have is their sexuality for a wealthy benefactor / male dependence
o Obinze in a stable financial position but frustrated in a life entirely about money : “to have money was to be
consumed by money”. Obinze is “hungry and honest, that is very rare in this country”, he feels that he has been
dishonest and let the hunger overcome him but the Chief tells him: “everybody is hungry in this country, even the
rich men are hungry, but nobody is honest”
o “doors will open for you because you have an oyinbo General Manager” (a Westerner) and “that is how Nigeria
works”
o “with his new bank statements he easily got a visa” – IRONIC: when he was an eager graduate he did not get a visa
but he gets one now as a corrupt businessman – “this was what he was now”
o “his mind had not changed at the same pace as his life”, “he felt a hollow space between himself and the person he was
supposed to be”
o Kosi – vapid and superficial : “a wholesomely agreeable person” but the opposite to Ifemelu who is outspoken and
opinionated
o “he felt like an intruder in his new circle” – lacks the same confidence
o “he spent too much time mourning what could have been and questioning what should be”
o Experiences don’t always fulfil people: “search for something they could never find” (like Dike)
o Obinze thinks about Ifemelu: “the kind of woman who would make a man easily uproot his life, the kind whom
because she did not expect or ask for certainty, made a certain kind of sureness become possible”
o Obinze values honour in marriage, life, work and behaviour – but cannot meet it, not truly honest
o Obinze is mentally tired and exhausted from living an unauthentic life
, PART TWO:
CHAPTER 3:
Complexity of women’s relationship with hair
o Blaine influences her life, even her food choices
o Ifemelu is unable to strike the balance of being an immigrant but also Nigerian – she is arrogant and sees herself
as different from other immigrants yet she is also defensive of her culture
o Importance of hair throughout novel: “Ifemelu had grown up in the shadow of her mother’s hair”, “flowing down her
back like a celebration”
o Ifemelu feels like her mother has lost her identity after losing her hair in a religious conversion – concerning what
the church does to people of religion as they claim that: “relaxed hair offends Him” (God)
o Church exploits people’s desperation for hope – corruption even within the church: “Ifemelu was uninterested in
church”
o Choicelessness in Nigeria: “The other choice was to tumble into a parched wasteland of joblessness. The country was
starved of hope”
o This choicelessness plagues so many Nigerians and leaves them susceptible to exploitation / unhealthy coping
mechanisms, even Ifemelu’s father is faced with this after losing his job
o Ifemelu’s father: “longed for more education than he was able to get”. He spoke in a “formal, elevated English”, “it
was his costume”, “his affected words became his armour” – shield against his insecurities
o Ifemelu frustrated with hypocrisy and the legitimisation of corruption: “doesn’t always know when to keep her
mouth shut”
CHAPTER 4:
Obinze and Ifemelu meet
o Obinze’s mother and Ifemelu get along so well as they are both academic and outspoken
o Social hierarchy: light skin, Western like hair: not “Afro-like”, “foreign accent
o Romance and passion between the two, intellectual connection and mutual respect
o Obinze influenced by strong women. He confides deeply personal aspects of his life with Ifemelu – intimacy
o Ifemelu feels an ease in challenging Obinze unlike how she submits to Blaine
o Ifemelu is independent and capable: “She is too much trouble. She can argue. She can talk” – brashness about her,
learns to balance her vulnerability in America
o Ifemelu is outspoken, takes what she wants and is in control of her sexuality, sexually aware, not subservient
o Their relationship “seemed so natural”, “he made her like herself”, “he wore their relationship so boldly”
o “you know it was love at first sight for both of us” – Obinze calls her out on her aloofness and forces her to
acknowledge her vulnerabilities
o When things are too good Ifemelu makes rash / impulsive moves: “the intimacy frightened her”, “sometimes she
worried that she was too happy”, “her joy would become a restless thing”
o Obinze and Ifemelu speak Igbo – usually diminished but they use it as a measure of worth/ quality
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