The topics of morality,
religion, and corruption are interesting and rarely discussed aspects of Americanah.
It fascinates me how religion and conservative ideals are used to claim the moral
high ground in Nigeria, despite corruption in most aspects of life.
One
thing that surprised me about the Nigerian characters in Americanah was
how easy it was for them to lie to one another, even to themselves, about trivial
aspects of their lives. Ifemelu lies to the hair braiders in Trenton, telling
them she’s lived in America longer than she really has. Aunty Uju lies to her
family once she moves to America, telling them everything is going great. Ifemelu
lies to her family and friends when she returns to Nigeria, telling them that
her American boyfriend Blaine will soon move there with her. Obinze lies to his
wife when he cheats on her with Ifemelu. And one of the most poignant lies told
in the book is Ifemelu’s mother’s lie to herself about Aunty Uju’s mentor. She
insists the General is a miracle worker, a mentor for Aunty Uju, who was able
to get her a secure job as a doctor in a hospital. The General is not a mentor,
but a corrupt politician who cheats on his wife.
Ifemelu’s mother’s rejection of anything that went
against her religion was another type of lie. Her religious fervor, her hope
for a better life is materialistic and shallow. Ifemelu notes that her mother would
barter with God “offering starvation in exchange for prosperity, for a job
promotion” (51) because that’s what her church preached. Testimonials from
those who had been graced with God-given success were used to attract the lower-middle
class, therefore increasing offerings made to the church. Even Esther, Ifemelu’s
coworker at Zoe magazine, encourages Ifemelu to come to her church and
listen to testimonials, and insists her pastor can fix Ifemelu’s
husband-repelling spirit. Despite the apparent naivety of religious characters
in Americanah, being stuck in that “oppressive lethargy of choicelessness”
(341) caused by corruption is depressing. It’s nice to believe (or to pretend
to believe) that a power higher than oneself determines one’s success in life.
In the same way that Ifemelu’s mother prayed to God for
miracles, many people appealed to the wealthy. Even honest, humble Obinze couldn’t
make his money legally, and his wealthy friends made their money in the same
way—by appealing to someone more powerful than themselves for help. Almost all
the wealthy characters from Nigeria are corrupt, and “to have money, it seemed,
was to be consumed by money” (31). For many of the characters, money and the will
to survive outweigh the influence of morality. Despite strong social taboos
against divorce, extramarital affairs, and premarital sex, these morally
unacceptable things are common throughout the novel, especially in Ifemelu’s
life, when she cheats on her different boyfriends. The fluctuation between disregard
and devotion to morals is an interesting paradox throughout the novel for which
I struggle to find justification.
This post struck me because it points out two main ideas I also noticed in Americanah: belief and truth. While clearly critiquing the kind of belief that Ifemelu’s mother has in God (49-54), Adiche also points out the importance of hope. The post also points out that many characters in the novel lie, seemingly without compromising their morality. However, the novel does point out the damage caused when characters lie to themselves. In fact, Obinze cannot begin trying to find happiness until he stops living a lie (keeping his life with Kosi while still loving Ifemelu) (588). The double-sided nature of both belief and truth in the novel does at times feel like a paradox, as the original post states. For me, it reinforced maintaining one’s identity as a main theme in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe quotation used in the original post captures well Adiche’s critique of hopelessness calls it the “oppressive lethargy of choicelessness” (341). This lethargy appears for many characters, including Ifemelu herself. She experiences it being poor in America, especially before her encounter with the tennis coach. Aunty Uju falls into this state while unhappily living with Bartholomew (212,272), as does Obinze while unable to succeed in Great Britain (290, 291). Good things only happen to characters when they are able to break out of this lethargy and begin their lives. Ifemelu does this when she ultimately returns to Nigeria, and so does Obinze by rejecting his current life with Kosi.