Essay
Americanah essays
2 Americanah essays on the themes and the structure
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Americanah Essay - Themes:Topic 3
Americanah explicitly grapples with issues of race and African identity. The novel is a sweeping analysis and
critique of race and racism in America, Nigeria and England. At times, however Americanah infuses other
elements such as Ifemelu’s blog which helps highlight issues of race. She also incorporates themes which
are just as relevant such as themes of friendship and love. It is the incorporation of these other themes
which adds context to the issues raised in the novel.
In Nigeria race does not form part of Ifemelu or Obinze’s lives yet their journeys prove otherwise. In
Nigeria Ifemelu does not consider herself as black yet as she travels to America and Obinze travels to
England they discover race to be a much more pervasive part of life. “When [one] make[s] the choice to
come to America, [they] become black” as Ifemelu finds as she “discover[s] race in America”. Racism
pervades these societies with numerous racial incidents occurring. Obinze is mocked for scraping his knee
and called a “knee-grow” and people assume that Curt could not be dating Ifemelu purely based on her
skin colour as “she was not light-skinned, she was not biracial”. It is incidents like these which highlight
racism in society and force Ifemelu to start a racial blog in which she recounts many microaggressions and
assumptions and explains how “American black is always on the bottom” and “whiteness is the thing to
aspire to”. As a “provocative race blogger” Ifemelu is able to point out incidents to the ignorant but also
recount experiencing racial prejudice for the first time. Through the incorporation of Ifemelu’s blog posts
the novel serves to point out racism and humanise it by showing both the victims and perpetrators of
incidents. These posts are the most outward criticisms of race throughout the novel. Whilst race and
racism are complex issues which deserve a sprawling and complex novel to be dissected other themes help
to lighten the novel and provide a greater context and storyline in order to “complicate [the novel] so its
not [about] race alone”.
The incorporation of themes such as love and friendship show how these elements can help overcome
racism and prejudice as seen in the case of Curt and Kimberly. Curt is not overtly racist but he views
Ifemelu as some sort of “exotic species”. “[He] had never been with a black woman” before and
consequently is unable to comprehend certain incidents which occur. Ifemelu’s race results in numerous
microaggressions which Curt is blind to yet as their relationship progresses and eventually comes to an end
Ifemelu has opened his eyes to racist incidents and made him far more aware.
Kimberly has a “clean heart” and is innocent and naïve when it comes to race. Kimberly is “keen to do the
right thing” yet is unsure of what the right thing is and this becomes a sort of ignorance as Ifemelu spends
time working for her. Her world “revel[s] in charity”, Kimberly praises the poor and describes every black
woman as beautiful. It is only when Ifemelu tells Kimberly that she “can just say ‘black’” instead of
beautiful that they form a bond and Kimberly becomes more aware of race. Kimberly is then able to
apologise for her sister’s racial slurs. Race and racism is ultimately overcome to varying degrees of success
through Curt and Kimberly’s individual relationships with Ifemelu.
Although race and racism are the major themes found in Americanah the incorporation of other
components help to bind the novel together by providing background and context. Through the addition of
other factors the novel is not entirely a criticism on race but rather incorporates lighter elements which
delve deeper into a wider variety of the aspects of human life. Ultimately the transcendence of the themes
of race and African identity infuses the novel.
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