Obstacles In Moving To America

Traveling to a new country is often viewed as a momentous occasion. The migration is an opportunity to embrace an exciting new setting, new people, new adventures, and numerous other first encounters. For some, traveling to a new country is an experience to die for. For others, the experience almost kills them. The latter is what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illustrates in her book, Americanah. Two characters, Ifemelu and Dike, migrate to America and struggle to adapt in their new country. The story Adichie writes is not a depressing one, however. Instead, Adichie demonstrates how Ifemelu and Dike’s sense of Nigerian identity empowers them to overcome depression that stems from culture shock. Ifemelu, the protagonist of the book, faces a multitude of obstacles that negatively impact her mental health. One of these obstacles is her inability to acquire a job. Ifemelu suffers through a futile job hunt that includes a hostess position at a

For example, Cristina Tomas, a college student who assists with freshman registration, speaks to Ifemelu in an insulting and patronizing manner. At first, Ifemelu is baffled, but then she understands the situation: “and she realized that Cristina Tomas was speaking like that because of her, her foreign accent and she felt for a moment like a small child, lazy-limbed, drooling” (135). The way Cristina Tomas, an American girl, reacts to Ifemelu’s foreign accent causes Ifemelu to shrink. Ifemelu’s reaction is alarming because she is far from infantile; she has spoken English her entire life, she has attended college in Nigeria, and she has led the debating society in secondary school. Nevertheless, her accent is met with light-ridicule, and Ifemelu decides to practice an American accent. Once again, America strips Ifemelu of her agency. She feels compelled to adopt an American accent not of her own volition, but because if she doesn’t, she will be doomed to meet more Cristina