One topic that I wanted to explore from Americanah is the prevalence of extramarital affairs. This stuck out to me as along with first delving into the book, we as a class analyzed Nigeria’s views on moral issues. From this, it was stated that 77% of Nigerians consider these affairs to be unacceptable (Pew Research Center). Despite this stance, we see a plethora of them throughout the course of the book including Aunty Uju’s relationship with The General, and in the end Obinze’s affair with Ifemelu. The very presence of these relationships contradicts that supposed moral stance on the matter of extramarital affairs, and the fact that they were considered somewhat normal, and the different situation each one occurs in further complicates the issue.
Chronologically, the first affair we come to know is the one between Aunty Uju and The General. I believe this was used as a foil to show the corrupt nature of Nigeria, and how being with the right person can yield great things, not unlike Ifemelu’s relationship with Curt. The difference here is that this relationship is between two Nigerians, in Nigeria. Despite the supposed viewpoint that this extramarital affair should be unacceptable, Ifemelu’s parents still allow her to stay with Aunty Uju, and even the affair itself is not that secretive with her living in a house purchased by The General, and his wife aware of his unfaithfulness. After Aunty Uju becomes pregnant, it is even stated that “A relationship with Aunty Uju was acceptable, but such flagrant proof of the relationship was not” (103). This idle acceptance of the affair up until the point it resulted in a pregnancy stands in stark contrast to the supposed strong opposition to affairs for Nigerians.
Then, we have the affair between Obinze and Ifemelu. This is another interesting occurrence, as it once again shows the lack of resistance to enter into an extramarital affair on account of both parties, not to mention that Ifemelu had even cheated in a prior relationship. To me, this made her an unlikable character. It made me question her moral compass, which supposedly should see affairs in the same way we do as Americans, not one of the peculiar situations she writes about in her blog. Once again, despite the supposed taboo status this holds, Obinze’s wife Kosi accepts the situation and wants to stay with him, going so far as to fall to her knees and beg “She was kneeling and begging him not to leave” (572). While Kosi naturally does not like that her husband has been cheating on her, the fact that she is not only willing, but wishes to maintain their marriage, and that Obinze and Ifemelu are okay with the affair strikes me as abnormal despite the love they may have for each other.
ReplyDeleteI also find it very interesting that research shows that most people in African countries view infidelity as morally wrong yet it is very prevalent. I know from personal experience that this is a wide occurring issue in multiple African countries. While I was in Ghana, we learned that most of the country is either Christian or Muslim which do not condone extramarital affairs and they verbally argue that people should not engage in infidelity, however we also learned that infidelity is not uncommon, especially for men. We learned that many men commonly of a higher class in society would have a wife and kids and that would be the family that is seen to the public but they would also have relationships with multiple other women on the side which is a situation that is expressed in Americanah with Aunty Uju and The General. I think that because infidelity is a part of society that is morally looked down upon but accepted that it happens is a big factor in why Ifemelu engages in cheating on multiple occasions. I think it is also interesting that she claims that “the simplest solution to the problem of race in America? Romantic love” (Adichie, 366) yet she herself struggles with accepting romantic love and the duties that it entails such as loyalty, since throughout the novel she engages in cheating on three different occasions. I think it is an interesting moral topic that is displayed in the book but not thoroughly discussed.