A recurring theme that has stood out to me throughout
reading Americanah that has not been
discussed much in class is the battle between honesty and deception. From the
beginning of the novel, I noticed that Ifemelu often switched between telling
the truth and lying based on the situation – her lying seemed to occur most
often (and most successfully) in the earlier chapters. For example, when
narrating that she always over exaggerated when asked how long she had been in
America, Ifemelu stated that “lying seemed unnecessary, but she lied anyway,”
(19). This occurred in the hair salon, and no one questioned whether her
statement was true. The part of the novel when the Chief acknowledged that
Obinze is honest, a rarity in Nigeria, occurred soon after (31). There were
many other occurrences throughout the novel of Ifemelu lying, or at least being
deceptive in terms of being herself, in America, like when she used a fake name
to work or acted like people’s comments didn’t bother her. However, earlier in
the novel when Ifemelu met Obinze’s mother, she admitted to not like cooking
and his mother was “charmed by the honesty,” and at the end of the novel, when
she returned to Nigeria, Ifemelu was fully herself again – she did not pretend
to be over-Americanized and was honest about her full feelings with Obinze. She
even went as far as to be honest with Obinze about the tennis coach, which she
had avoided telling him for so many years (542). As I was reading Americanah, I continuously marked parts
where characters were lying versus being honest, but I have not been entirely
confident about what it all means. For Ifemelu, I think that her choices on
when to tell the truth were indicative of her character development and her
feeling of where she was meant to be. When she was young, Ifemelu was bold and
always spoke her mind. This was not entirely lost in America, especially through
her blog and when she spoke out in anger, but I do think that after shutting
Obinze out and feeling lost in her new life, Ifemelu resorted to lying and
overall just not being herself more often. This was a strong part of why her
relationships with Blaine and Kurt did not work out – she was not honest with
them, or even with herself about them. However, it seemed to me that with
Obinze, she was always herself and honest with more ease. I think that this
could be an indication of Obinze representing a sense of “home” or overall
belonging for Ifemelu. When she was around him, she did not pretend to be
someone she wasn’t, or feel things she didn’t. I am curious to hear whether
anyone else noticed how often the write distinguished characters’ deception vs
truthfulness, and to hear other perspectives of what the reasoning and meaning
behind that was.
Your post really called my attention the dishonesty present throughout the book. As you mention, she lies in the hair salon, and reflects that “lying seemed unnecessary, but she lied anyway,” (19). However, she is truthful to others, including Obinze and his mother. My interpretation of her dishonesty is that she uses it as a defense mechanism; she moved to a new country and struggled with finances, her career, love, etc. Lots of things out of her control happened to her- she was assaulted, couldn't find a job, and struggled in connecting with those she was surrounded by. The one thing Ifemelu has complete control over are her words and the morphing of people's interpretation of her. She can easily tell someone a lie and change their perception of her. She has total control over her speech and what she tells people, therefore she uses this to her advantage to feel as if she has some form of agency within her own life. With her lies, she has agency and power for once. I believe that this is the reason she lies so often while living in America. Like you point out, this leads to the breakdowns of her relationships; "she was not honest with them, or even with herself about them". She employs her manipulation of truth as a defense mechanism even with those she loves because it is all she has left in her control. Ifemelu is simply trying to protect herself and her agency.
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