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Americah By Ifemelu Essay

827 Words4 Pages

When moving from one’s home to a new place there are always expected differences. The most difficult changes are the surprising ones that are not always easy to handle or fully comprehend. In Americanah, Ifemelu experiences a multitude of cultural differences in the United States including race and exclusion while Lagos has always been Ifemelu’s home and the only place where she can fully be herself. By starting the novel at the end of Ifemelu’s time in the United States, Adichie places the reader in a time of experience and conclusion where Ifemelu is accustomed to the ways of America. She has experienced a journey where she struggled with herself and her identity away from Lagos. By leaving Lagos, she was able to see her life in Lagos from …show more content…

At first, Ifemelu was proud of developing a practiced American accent, but she soon realized how wrong it was to be proud and happy to accept a compliment for her American accent. The subconscious shame associated with her Nigerian accent disappeared as she embraced it and herself. While she learned to love herself in America, Ifemelu knew she could never be completely at ease and happy unless she was in Lagos. In Lagos, some people could not accept that she was mostly the same person, without an American accent. In the end, she was accepted for who she is, an Americanah. These instances of the contrasts between being judged for being herself versus accepted exemplify the meaning of the work as a whole that the United States brought Ifemelu closer to herself. She was able to go back to Lagos with a new appreciation for who she is as a person and how she looks, acts, and feels. Although America became a part of Ifemelu and she was an Americanah, Lagos is inherently a part of her while America has influenced her. All the familiar and natural things about Ifemelu came from Lagos. While Ifemelu had Auntie Uju and Dike in America, most of her family stayed in Lagos. Lagos represents the fundamental parts of Ifemelu such as her passions and values, while America represents the superficial parts of Ifemelu such as her preferences and comforts. America had the freedom of opportunities,

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