Americanah
Study Guide by Course Hero
What's Inside
The novel Americanah is told primarily in the past tense.
ABOUT THE TITLE
The title Americanah refers to an unflattering term used by
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1
Nigerians to describe other Nigerians who have spent time in
the United States and come home with annoying American
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 4
idiosyncrasies, such as carrying water bottles everywhere or
complaining about the heat. In speech, the fourth syllable of
the word (-ca-) is drawn out.
h Characters ................................................................................................... 5
k Plot Summary ........................................................................................... 10
c Chapter Summaries .............................................................................. 19
d In Context
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 59
l Symbols ..................................................................................................... 62
Third-Wave Postcolonial
m Themes ...................................................................................................... 63
Fiction
m Motifs .......................................................................................................... 66
Americanah is an example of postcolonial fiction. In the
broadest of terms, postcolonial literature is anything written by
people living in countries that were once colonized by other
j Book Basics
nations. By that definition, works from American, Irish, and
Australian authors might also be considered postcolonial, but
the postcolonial label is generally used to describe works by
AUTHOR
nonwhite writers from regions of the world such as Africa, the
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent. The genre is
characterized by themes of cultural identity, nationality, race,
YEAR PUBLISHED
ethnicity, language, outside influences, and power.
2013
Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is from Nigeria, which was
GENRE
a British colony from 1914–60. Scholars place her work within
Drama, Romance
the third wave of postcolonial Nigerian literature. The first
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR
Americanah is told by a third-person limited narrator who
alternates between the perspectives of the characters Ifemelu
and Obinze.
TENSE
wave, which includes Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua
Achebe (1930–2013) and the poetry of Christopher Okigbo
(1932–67), was published before and directly after
independence from Great Britain. The second wave, which
includes poetry by Niyi Osundare (b. 1947) and poetry and
plays by Femi Osofisan (b. 1946), was published after the
Americanah Study Guide
In Context 2
Biafran Civil War (1967–70). (Biafra, a west African state,
late-19th century, the territory now known as Nigeria was split
proclaimed its independence from Nigeria in May 1967 as a
between unrelated tribes. British forces waged war against the
result of troubled economics, politics, and ethnic conflict and
indigenous peoples to gain control of the land. Nigeria
violence; this declaration resulted in civil war.) The third wave is
remained under British rule until 1960, when it was peacefully
ongoing and includes writers who published their first works as
granted independence. Growing tensions between the
early as the mid-1980s.
different ethnic groups led to the Biafran Civil War, which
lasted from 1967–70.
Although Adichie's work falls within the third wave of
postcolonial literature, it touches upon many of the same
The end of the Biafran war signaled the beginning of military
themes found in earlier postcolonial works, such as race and
rule in Nigeria. A succession of military leaders attempted to
diaspora, a term that is used to describe people who have
return the government to civilian rule until 1979, when the first
been displaced from their homelands—either by force or by
presidential election was held. Right-wing candidate Shehu
choice—and who remember these lands as perhaps better
Shagari (1925–2018) won. Despite public outcry about the
than they actually were. Americanah also touches upon
corruption of Shagari's administration and the nation's
hybridity, which is the state of straddling two cultures—one
continued economic decline, he was reelected in 1983 only to
home and one foreign—without abandoning either; double
be overthrown in a military coup that December, which placed
consciousness, or the black person's self-reflection through a
Major General Muhammadu Buhari (b. 1942) in control of the
white person's eyes; and othering, which is the tendency of
country.
white, Eurocentric populations to treat people of color as
demons or exotic specimens (in Americanah, it is the latter).
Buhari's regime declared the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) to
These points of analysis are also characteristic of postcolonial
restore economic prosperity and end social decay. In reality,
literature.
the WAI was an excuse to jail politicians, journalists, and
opponents of the regime. Buhari was overthrown by another
Early Nigerian postcolonial fiction and poetry was primarily
military coup in 1985, which brought General Ibrahim
written by male authors who, according to literary critic and
Babangida (b. 1941) to power. Babangida seemed like a more
Sarah Lawrence professor emerita Chikwenye Okonjo
compassionate leader and promised to return Nigeria to
Ogunyemi, "[deal] almost exclusively with male characters and
civilian rule. However, he actively worked behind the scenes to
concerns, naturally aimed at a predominantly male audience."
retain his power by nullifying the results of 1993's democratic
This pattern changed with the third wave of Nigerian
elections, which led to his own ousting in August 1993.
postcolonial authors, many of whom are women writing from
the feminine perspective. This group includes Adichie.
Nigeria was then led by an Interim National Government for
Americanah tells the story of a man and a woman, but the
four months until General Sani Abacha (1943–98), Babangida's
majority of it—even the sexual interactions between the two
defense minister, staged a coup and reinstated military rule.
characters—is told from the woman's point of view. Because of
Under Abacha's rule, Nigeria lost most of the economic,
this, Adichie is able to shed light on topics generally ignored in
political, and social gains it had made since 1960. Protesters
male-centric novels, such as female sexual pleasure, the
and opposition leaders were killed, and freedom of the press,
pressure of patriarchal beauty standards, and career
due process of law, and civil and human rights were ignored.
aspirations outside of the home.
Adichie doesn't give specific dates in Americanah, but it
appears that The General, Aunty Uju's boyfriend and
benefactor, worked for Abacha. In the book, it is rumored that
Nigerian Government and
The General's death is engineered by the Head of State in an
Economy
corresponds with Abacha's real-life persona.
effort to get rid of officers planning a coup. This information
Abacha died suddenly in 1998. His replacement, General
Most of the main characters in Americanah, including the
Abdulsalami Abubakar (b. 1942), made good on his promise to
book's two protagonists, Ifemelu and Obinze, are Nigerian. The
return Nigeria to civilian rule. In 1999 President Olusegun
seventh most populous country in the world, Nigeria is located
Obasanjo (b. 1937) was elected; he was reelected in 2003. He
on the west coast of Africa. Before the British arrived in the
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Americanah Study Guide
In Context 3
is in power when the character of Obinze moves to England,
helps achieve more traditionally white European-inspired looks.
returns home, and starts working for Chief.
Relaxers also make hair easier to comb, which some people
find helpful when styling braids, dreadlocks, twists, and coils.
Nigerian Culture
Those styles, as well as straight, flowing styles, are often
enhanced with hair attachments called weaves, which add
volume and length. Although natural (unrelaxed,
There are approximately 250 different ethnic groups in Nigeria.
unstraightened) hair is becoming more popular in the United
Three are dominant: the Hausa-Fulani, who are generally
States, few women in Nigerian cities care for that look. When
Muslim and live in the north; the farming Yoruba of the
Ifemelu decides to let her hair remain natural in Americanah,
southwest; and the Igbo of the southeast. (In Americanah,
she is actually bucking the cultural standards of both her
Ifemelu's and Obinze's family and friends are Igbo.) Rural areas
homeland and her adopted home.
are more likely to be populated by a single ethnic group,
although migration often occurs when new farmland is needed.
Big cities such as Lagos, where much of Americanah takes
place, are more integrated but still trend toward the dominant
tribe in that region.
The Nigerian and American educational systems are, in theory,
quite similar. The school year generally begins in September.
Students are required to attend primary school for six years
and junior secondary school for three years. After this there is
an optional three years of senior secondary school. This is
The overwhelming majority of people who live in Nigeria have
where Ifemelu and Obinze meet in Americanah. University,
darker-toned skin that in the United States would be
vocational, and technical education follow. But education,
considered black. Because the appearance of the population is
particularly at universities and other tertiary schools, isn't
so homogenous, or similar, there are few (if any) divisions
always steady. Since the mid-1990s, Nigerian teachers and
among racial lines. Instead, social and political tensions are
staff unions have often used work strikes as a means of
connected to differences in ethnicity and religion (Christianity
getting their voices heard. Oftentimes, the goal is to secure
versus Islam). It is common for big cities to be separated along
more funding for teacher salaries and to increase monetary
ethnic and religious lines. Clashes between ethnic or religious
support for growing school populations. Campuses that
groups in one part of the nation reverberate throughout the
participate in the strikes completely shut down for weeks and
country, sometimes setting off a chain of riots and fighting.
sometimes months at a time, and students are sent home with
no clue as to when classes will resume. Many students fear
Although skin tone is not the basis for social and political strife
they will not be able to complete their educations at all and
in Nigeria, it is a factor in the culture's beauty standards. As in
pursue opportunities outside of Nigeria. Frequent teachers'
many other places in the world, lighter skin tones are viewed as
strikes are why Ifemelu moves to the United States in
being more desirable than darker skin tones. This attitude
Americanah.
began during British colonialism, when the British deemed
everything associated with white European culture to be
Another ongoing issue in Nigeria is the lack of reliable
superior, and it continues to this day with beauty ideals
electricity. In Americanah, Ifemelu and her friends and family all
propagated by Western (white) culture. According to a 2011
own electric generators to help them get by during the
World Health Organization report, 77 percent of Nigerian
country's frequent energy shortages. Nigeria is rich in energy
women reportedly use skin lightening creams, many of which
sources, such as oil, gas, water, and solar power, but its power
contain harmful ingredients. In Americanah, Ginika believes she
plants only produce a fraction of the power the country's 203.5
was voted the prettiest girl in her class because she is biracial
million inhabitants need on a daily basis. The country's energy
and has lighter skin than her classmates.
infrastructure is mostly to blame—depending on the day, over
half of the country's turbines aren't functional and most run on
Perhaps even more prevalent than the admiration of lighter
gas, which isn't as abundant (or cheap) as other sources of
skin is the desire for long, straight, silky hair. Hair plays a big
energy. Some people also blame those who earn their livings
role in Americanah. In general, a black person's natural hair has
from generator and gasoline sales. The less energy the
more body and less of a smooth texture than a white person's
country produces, the more generators and gas they sell. It is
hair. Many, if not the majority, of Nigerian women smooth and
in their interest that the government doesn't try to solve the
straighten their hair with chemical relaxers and/or heat. This
energy crisis. In the meantime, citizens are paying for
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Americanah Study Guide
Author Biography 4
electricity hookups they rarely use, as well as emergency
through the lives of vivid, unforgettable characters contending
backups. These costs hinder personal and corporate economic
with changing political and economic landscapes. Her play For
growth.
Love of Biafra, published in Nigeria in 1998, is an early
examination of the Biafran war. She began writing her first
novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003), while finishing her bachelor's
a Author Biography
degree. It won the 2005 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best
First Book from Africa and Best First Book overall. Half of a
Yellow Sun (2006), Adichie's second novel, also received
Nigerian Childhood, American
Education
several awards, including the Orange Broadband Prize for
Fiction. A film adaptation was released in 2013.
Adichie was honored with a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship in
2008. The prestigious, highly secretive award (also known as
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born September 15, 1977, into
the "genius grant") is given to creative individuals from a wide
an Igbo family in Enugu, a city in eastern Nigeria that was once
range of fields who are "committed to building a more just,
the capital of the Republic of Biafra. Two of her grandfathers
verdant [green], and peaceful world." The award allowed
died in the war of independence that raged in eastern Nigeria
Adichie to travel more, and she was able to continue her
from 1967–70; many of her relatives survived the war with
annual creative writing workshops in Nigeria, which she began
stories to tell. The fifth of six children, Adichie grew up in the
in 2007.
university town of Nsukka. Both her parents were university
professionals who made history at their jobs: her mother was
the university's first female registrar, and her father the first
Americanah and Beyond
statistics professor in Nigeria. As a child, Adichie was
captivated by Igbo writer Chinua Achebe's acclaimed novel
Adichie's first post-MacArthur work was The Thing Around
Things Fall Apart, which addresses colonial life in Nigeria.
Your Neck (2009), a compilation of short stories that take
place in Africa and the United States. She then spent a 2011–12
Adichie attended secondary school at the university's school
fellowship at Harvard University working on her third novel,
for children of staff, where she was a high-achieving student.
Americanah (2013). Unlike her previous works, which were
After graduating she initially attended the University of Nigeria,
largely about war, Americanah is a love story that spans two
where she studied medicine and pharmacy. She left Nigeria for
decades and three continents. It is also a meditation on race,
the United States at age 19. At Philadelphia's Drexel University
cultural standards, aspirations, and assimilation. Widely praised
she spent two years studying communication on a scholarship
by literary critics and the public alike, Americanah received the
before completing a degree in communication and political
National Book Critics Circle Award in 2013 and was named one
science at Eastern Connecticut State University in 2001. She
of the year's 10 best books by the New York Times.
went on to receive a master's degree in creative writing from
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. From 2005–06, Adichie
Americanah was followed by We Should All Be Feminists
attended Princeton University as a Hodder Fellow, an honor
(2014), an essay that originated as a TEDx talk in 2012. Dear
awarded "to artists and writers of exceptional promise to
Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017)
pursue independent projects at Princeton University." In 2008
is a letter-turned-essay originally written for a dear friend's
she graduated from Yale University with a master's degree in
infant daughter.
African studies.
Adichie currently divides her time between Nigeria, where she
teaches writing workshops, and the United States. She is
Award-Winning Author
Much of Adichie's work examines the postcolonial experience
of Nigerians, tackling questions of identity, ethnicity, and power
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married and has a daughter.
Americanah Study Guide
h Characters
Characters 5
exams, she has little money or patience. Little by little, she
climbs out of poverty and into a modestly successful life, first
by passing her medical exams and then by marrying a fellow
Nigerian immigrant. By the time that marriage ends, she is able
Ifemelu
Ifemelu doesn't shy away from controversy. An only child of
to provide a comfortable life for herself and her son, Dike. As
her anger dissipates, she begins volunteering overseas and
dating a kind and gentle immigrant from Ghana.
middle-class parents, she always says what she means, even
when it might get her into trouble. She always feels a little out
of place at her private secondary school, but she gets good
Dike
grades and hangs out with the popular kids. Ifemelu never
thought she would visit the United States, much less move
there, but she does just that during her second year of
university. She ends up staying for 13 years. Curious and
intelligent, Ifemelu is mystified by the intricacies of race in
America and starts an anonymous blog about race from the
perspective of a non-American black person. As she says in
her blog, she didn't consider herself black until she moved to
the United States.
Dike is the son of Aunty Uju and The General, which makes him
Ifemelu's nephew. Born in Nigeria, he moved to the United
States with his mother shortly after his first birthday. After
second or third grade, Dike and Aunty Uju move from Brooklyn
to small towns in Massachusetts, where he is generally the
only black kid in his class. This takes a toll on Dike, who is
automatically blamed for any trouble that happens at school.
Aunty Uju never talks about Dike's father. Although she tries to
raise him to be Nigerian, Dike is more influenced by American
culture. By the time he is in high school, he considers himself to
Obinze
Obinze has a calm and steady personality. He doesn't call
attention to himself or ask for recognition. Since he was small,
Obinze's goal has been to live in the United States. When
be African American, not African. Dike is always jovial and full
of life when Ifemelu visits, so she's extremely surprised when
he tries to kill himself. No explanation is given for what led him
down that path, but Aunty Uju tells Ifemelu that Dike is
depressed. He never talks about what happened to Ifemelu.
Ifemelu moves there they make plans for him to join her in a
few years. This doesn't work out, and he ends up in England,
where he tries to get by after his visa expires. When Ifemelu
Blaine
returns to Nigeria, Obinze can't stand to be apart from her.
Love and a shared history draw him to Ifemelu, but he's held
back by his marriage and sense of responsibility. People do not
regularly divorce in Nigeria, and he has a duty to his wife. But
Obinze also realizes he has a duty to himself. He hasn't been
happy in a long, long time, perhaps since Ifemelu first left. This
is his chance.
Years before they start dating, Blaine and Ifemelu meet on a
train to Massachusetts. Ifemelu is immediately taken with him.
Blaine's primary purpose in life is to make the world a better
place through thoughtful dialogue and compassionate
understanding. He is attracted to Ifemelu because of her
intelligence and wit, but he is often frustrated that she doesn't
share his views on race.
Aunty Uju
Curt
Aunty Uju is technically the daughter of Ifemelu's father's
brother, but she has always been like an aunt to Ifemelu. Uju is
10 years older than Ifemelu, and when Ifemelu was young
Aunty Uju was the only person who could console and talk
some sense into her. Aunty Uju is subdued by life in the United
States. Working three jobs and studying for her medical
Curt is a software developer from a wealthy white family. He
has had a string of "exotic" girlfriends but seems particularly
enamored with Ifemelu. Curt leads a charmed life. He's
handsome, kind, and has the money and connections
necessary to get anything he wants. This is a foreign concept
to Ifemelu, who has never had much of either. She is happy and
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Americanah Study Guide
content with Curt, who embodies the vision of America she had
before arriving in the United States.
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Characters 6
Americanah Study Guide
Characters 7
Character Map
Obinze
Former
classmate
Nigerian real estate
developer; formerly
obsessed with America
Spouses
Emenike
Kosi
Social-climbing
Nigerian immigrant
Status-conscious Nigerian
Soulmates
Former
classmate
Ifemelu
Nigerian immigrant;
blogs about race
in America
Nephew
Dike
Ex-boyfriend
American-raised teenager
Aunt
Ex-boyfriend
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character
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Aunty Uju
Blaine
Nigerian immigrant and
doctor; single mother
African American
Ivy League professor
Curt
White upper-middleclass businessman
Americanah Study Guide
Characters 8
Full Character List
Character
Ifemelu
Bartholomew
Bartholomew is Aunty Uju's husband.
Originally from Nigeria, he is now an
accountant in Massachusetts.
Bisola
Bisola is Ifemelu's friend and a
member of the Nigerpolitan Club.
Buchi
Buchi is Obinze and Kosi's young
daughter.
Description
Ifemelu is a Nigerian writer living in
the United States who has recently
decided to return to her home
country.
Obinze
Obinze is a wealthy Nigerian
businessman who is deeply
dissatisfied with his life.
Chief
Chief is the well-​connected (and
possibly dangerous) man who helped
Obinze launch his career in real
estate.
Aunty Uju
Aunty Uju is Ifemelu's aunt who
moves to the United States when
Ifemelu is a teenager.
Cleotilde
Cleotilde is the Portuguese-​Angolan
woman who Obinze plans to marry so
he can become an English citizen.
Dike
Dike is Ifemelu's nephew who grows
up in the United States.
Don
Don is Kimberly's handsome husband.
Blaine
Blaine is Ifemelu's African American
boyfriend and a Yale University
professor.
Doris
Doris is Ifemelu's coworker at Zoe.
She attended college in the United
States.
Curt
Curt is Ifemelu's white boyfriend from
Baltimore.
Elena
Elena is one of Ifemelu's roommates
in Philadelphia. She owns a dog.
Ahmed
Ahmed is Obinze and Ifemelu's
secondary-​school friend.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth is Jane and Marlon's young
daughter.
Aisha
Aisha is the Senegalese woman who
braids Ifemelu's hair in Trenton, New
Jersey.
Emenike
Emenike is Obinze's former
classmate who emigrated to England.
Esther
Alexa
Alexa is Emenike and Georgina's
opinionated dinner-​party guest who
thinks African doctors should stay in
Africa.
Esther is the receptionist at Zoe. She
is less sophisticated and educated
than her coworkers.
Allison is one of Ifemelu's roommates
in Philadelphia.
Fred
Allison
Fred is a member of the Nigerpolitan
Club. He and Ifemelu date after she
stops speaking to Obinze for the
second time.
The Angolans
Two Angolan men arrange Obinze's
marriage to Cleotilde for a hefty fee.
The General
The General is Aunty Uju's married
lover and Dike's biological father. He
dies in a plane crash when Dike is a
year old.
Georgina
Georgina is Emenike's white British
wife. She is a lawyer.
Araminta
Araminta is Blaine's best friend from
childhood.
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Americanah Study Guide
Ginika
Characters 9
Ginika is Ifemelu's good friend who
moves to the United States during
secondary school. They reconnect
when Ifemelu moves to Pennsylvania
years later.
Grace
Grace, a Korean American professor,
teaches African American studies at
Yale University.
Sister Ibinabo
Sister Ibinabo is a powerful figure in
Ifemelu's mother's church. She
becomes infuriated when teenage
Ifemelu refuses to make garlands for
Chief Omenka.
Ifemelu's father
Ifemelu's
mother
Ifemelu's father hides his lack of
university education with big words
and pompous proclamations. He is
unemployed for much of Ifemelu's
teenage years.
Ifemelu's mother is a religious fanatic
who believes that her faith in God will
result in increased wealth and social
status for her family.
Iloba
Iloba grew up in Obinze's mother's
village. He helps Obinze navigate life
in England.
Jackie
Jackie is one of Ifemelu's roommates
in Philadelphia.
Jane
Junior
Kayode
Kosi
Kosi is Obinze's wife.
Kweku
Kweku is Aunty Uju's boyfriend. He's
a doctor from Ghana living in the
United States.
Laura
Laura is Kimberly's ill-​tempered sister.
She does not trust Ifemelu.
Marcia
Marcia is a professor at Yale
University. Her husband hosts a
birthday party for her, which is
attended by Blaine and Ifemelu.
Mariama
Mariama owns the braiding salon in
Trenton, New Jersey.
Marie
Marie is the house girl who works for
Kosi and Obinze.
Marlon
Marlon is Jane's husband.
Michael
Michael is an African American
photographer. He attends Marcia's
birthday party.
Morgan
Morgan is Kimberly and Don's angry
preteen daughter.
Nicholas
Nicholas is Obinze's cousin who lives
in England. Formerly wild and
unpredictable, he is now serious and
subdued.
Nigel
Nigel is the white delivery person who
befriends Obinze in England. He later
works for Obinze in Nigeria.
Nna
Nna is Obinze's nephew who lives in
England.
Nne
Nne is Obinze's niece who lives in
England.
Jane is Aunty Uju's neighbor in
Brooklyn. She and her husband,
Marlon, are from Grenada.
Junior is Jane and Marlon's young
son.
Kayode is one of Obinze's wealthy
friends from secondary school. He
moves to the United States sometime
after Ifemelu.
Kelsey
Kelsey is the white woman who gets
her hair braided at Mariama's salon.
Obinze's mother
Obinze's mother is a professor.
Odein
Kimberly
Kimberly is the white woman who
hires Ifemelu to be a nanny for her
children.
Odein is an older student Ifemelu
meets at university. She is charmed
by his pursuit of her.
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Americanah Study Guide
Ojiugo
Plot Summary 10
Ojiugo is Nicholas's wife. Formerly
one of Obinze's mother's brightest
students, she now puts all her effort
into her children.
Ngozi Okonkwo
Ifemelu uses Ngozi Okonkwo's Social
Security card and driver's license to
apply for jobs in Philadelphia.
Okwudiba
Okwudiba is Obinze's best friend in
Lagos.
Chief Omenka
Aunty Onenu
Osahon
Tennis coach
The tennis coach is the man who
hires Ifemelu to help him "relax."
Cristina Tomas
Cristina Tomas is the woman at the
registration desk who assumes
Ifemelu doesn't speak English well.
Because of her, Ifemelu adopts an
American accent.
Tochi
Tochi is Ifemelu's friend from
secondary school. As an adult, she is
quick to tell Ifemelu how much she
dislikes America.
Vincent
Vincent is the Nigerian-​born British
citizen who sells Obinze the use of
his National Insurance number.
Wambui
Wambui is a friend Ifemelu meets at
school in Philadelphia. She is from
Kenya.
Mr. White
Mr. White is the elderly security guard
at the Yale University library. He is
falsely suspected of dealing drugs.
Yagazie
Yagazie is Ifemelu's friend and a
member of the Nigerpolitan Club.
Yinka
Yinka is Kayode's wealthy girlfriend.
She has a British passport.
Zemaye
Zemaye is Ifemelu's coworker at Zoe.
She has lived in Nigeria her entire life.
Ifemelu refuses to make garlands at
church for Chief Omenka, who she
implies is a dishonest businessman.
Aunty Onenu is the owner of Zoe, the
magazine for which Ifemelu works
when she returns to Lagos.
Osahon is Obinze and Ifemelu's
secondary-​school friend.
Paula
Paula is Blaine's white ex-​girlfriend.
Pee
Pee, which is short for Paula, is
Blaine's current girlfriend.
Priye
Priye is Ifemelu's friend from
secondary school. As an adult, she
runs her own wedding-​planning
business.
Ranyinudo
Ranyinudo is Ifemelu's friend from
secondary school. Ifemelu lives with
her when she first returns to Lagos.
Rob
Rob is Ifemelu's neighbor with whom
she cheats on her boyfriend, Curt.
Shan
Shan is Blaine's self-​absorbed and
slyly cruel sister. She is a writer.
Roy Snell
Roy Snell is the kind and generous
warehouse manager at Obinze's
second delivery job.
k Plot Summary
Part 1
Ifemelu takes the train to Trenton, New Jersey, to get her hair
braided. The conclusion of her fellowship at Princeton
University has prompted her to make some dramatic life
changes: she closed her blog about American race relations
Taylor
Taylor is Kimberly and Don's young
son.
from the perspective of a non-American black person; she
broke up with her African American boyfriend, Blaine; and after
13 years in the United States, she is moving back home to
Nigeria. As she sits in the stylist's chair, Ifemelu can't help but
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Americanah Study Guide
Plot Summary 11
think about her high school and college boyfriend, Obinze.
attention Ifemelu gets from the older boys, especially when she
They haven't communicated in years, but she sends him a
is at home in Lagos during the frequent teachers' strikes.
quick e-mail to let him know she's coming home.
Obinze and Ifemelu finally have sex. It isn't anything like Ifemelu
Obinze lives in Ifemelu's hometown of Lagos. He's married to a
imagined, and she is ashamed that they didn't use protection
beautiful woman and has a young daughter. He makes good
and didn't tell Obinze's mother. A week later, she starts getting
money as a property developer, his family lives in a big,
sharp pains in her side. Worried, she goes to a local doctor for
comfortable house, and they socialize with the power players
a pregnancy test. She's not pregnant, but the pains continue.
of Lagos society. However, all these material things leave
Obinze's mother takes Ifemelu to a doctor one night when the
Obinze feeling hollow inside. He's caught off guard by Ifemelu's
pain becomes too much to bear. On the way, Ifemelu
e-mail, which is all he can think about as he and his wife make
confesses that she and Obinze had unprotected sex. Obinze's
the rounds at a swanky society party that evening. He writes
mother lectures them about the importance of condoms after
back as soon as he gets home.
Ifemelu recovers from her appendix surgery.
The teachers' strikes begin occurring more frequently. Aunty
Part 2
Ifemelu is an only child. Her mother is a school principal and
religious fanatic, and her father is recently unemployed. Ifemelu
is closer to her father's cousin, Aunty Uju, than to either of her
Uju suggests that Ifemelu move to the United States to finish
school. Obinze promises to join her there for graduate school.
Ifemelu spends her first summer in the United States in
Brooklyn, New York, living with Aunty Uju and Dike, who is now
in first grade.
parents. Ten years Ifemelu's senior, Aunty Uju recently
Aunty Uju has changed in the years since Ifemelu last saw her.
graduated from medical school and began dating The General,
She has had to work several jobs while trying to pass her
a married military man who serves under the Head of State. He
medical school examinations. As a result, she is tired, ragged-
secures a job for Uju at the hospital and sets her up in a
looking, and always angry. She begins dating Bartholomew, a
beautiful home. He pays for everything and gives her a little
Nigerian accountant who lives in Massachusetts. She doesn't
money of her own.
love him, but she wants help raising Dike and wants another
Ifemelu and Obinze meet in secondary school. He is the new
child. They marry within the year.
boy from Nsukka; she is the smart and stubborn one in the
Ifemelu moves to Philadelphia in the fall to go to college. Her
group of popular girls. Obinze's friends try to set him up with
friend Ginika, who also went to school there, helps her settle in
Ginika, who was voted the prettiest girl in school, but he
and teaches her about American customs and slang. Ifemelu is
chooses Ifemelu. From the very beginning, they are
in the country on a student visa, which means she can't legally
inseparable. Obinze is obsessed with America and tries to get
work. She ends up borrowing the identity of Aunty Uju's friend
Ifemelu to read American novels and listen to American music.
and applies for dozens of jobs. Months go by without any
Ifemelu loves spending time at Obinze's house with his mother,
interest and soon she is unable to afford the rent for the
a professor on sabbatical. After an uncomfortable
apartment she shares with three American roommates.
conversation with Obinze's mother, Ifemelu promises they will
Desperate, Ifemelu calls a tennis coach who offered her a job
wait to have sex. They will let her know when they are ready.
helping him "relax" and says she can start right away. Within
Aunty Uju becomes pregnant with The General's baby, and he
arranges for her to deliver in the United States. She returns to
the hour, she is in his bedroom. They masturbate one another,
he hands her $100, and she cries all the way home.
Nigeria with their son, Dike. When Dike is a year old, The
Ifemelu can't bear to tell Obinze what happened. Until then,
General is killed in a plane accident. His family immediately
they had been talking on the phone and writing letters and e-
lashes out at Aunty Uju and threatens to ruin her life. She and
mails to each other as often as possible. Now she suddenly
Dike flee to the United States.
stops communicating with him altogether. She spends her
Ifemelu and Obinze attend Nsukka University together. He lives
at home, and she lives in a hostel. Obinze is jealous of the
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days in a miserable fog, skips class, and leaves her bedroom
only in the middle of the night. After a few weeks, one of her
roommates brings her the phone. It is Ginika. She, Aunty Uju,
Americanah Study Guide
Plot Summary 12
and Obinze are all worried about Ifemelu. But Ginika has good
States isn't taking any young black men. She arranges a six-
news—the woman who interviewed Ifemelu for a nanny
month visa for him to go to England as her research assistant
position has an opening after all. Ginika thinks Ifemelu has
for a conference. After that, it's up to him to secure citizenship.
depression, which Ifemelu thinks isn't a real thing. She sobs in
Ginika's car and doesn't mention a word about the tennis
Obinze lives with his cousin, Nicholas, and Nicholas's wife,
coach.
Ojiugo, and their children, Nna and Nne. He contacts old
friends to seek help finding work. Emenike, who went to school
Ifemelu works for Kimberly and Don for several years. She's
with Obinze and Ifemelu, is too busy and important to help.
struck by how clueless Kimberly and her sister, Laura, are
Iloba, who is from Obinze's mother's village, hooks him up with
about Africa and what life is like for black people in the United
Vincent, who sells Obinze the use of his National Insurance
States. Ifemelu can't stand Laura, but she feels very protective
number. In return, Obinze has to give Vincent 35 percent of all
toward Kimberly. Ifemelu ends up dating Kimberly's handsome
his earnings.
and wealthy cousin, Curt. Curt adores Ifemelu. He takes her on
vacations, introduces her to his mother, and helps her find a
Obinze's first job is as a janitor at an office building. He
job that will sponsor her employment visa after graduation.
receives Ifemelu's apology e-mail on the day he has to clean
feces off a toilet seat. Furious with her for waiting five years to
Aunty Uju and the career counselor at Ifemelu's school both
contact him and furious that he is expected to clean another
told her that braids, twists, and other traditionally black
human's purposefully placed bowel movement, he quits. He
hairstyles would not be considered professional by her future
eventually ends up working for a delivery company. His boss,
employer. Because of this, Ifemelu relaxes her hair, but the
Roy Snell, is exceedingly kind and always gives him the better-
result doesn't feel like her at all. The chemical relaxing process
paying jobs. He's often paired with Nigel, a white Brit who
is brutal; after a few months, her hair starts falling out. Her
evenly splits his tips with Obinze.
friend Wambui encourages her to cut off the relaxed portions
of her hair and let it grow naturally. Ifemelu is left with a two-
Obinze is terrified that the authorities will discover that he's in
inch-long afro. She hates it at first, but after a few months, she
the country illegally. He enters an arrangement to marry
learns to love her hair just the way it is.
Cleotilde, a Portuguese-Angolan woman. Cleotilde is very nice
and very attractive, but Obinze doesn't want to complicate
Ifemelu and Curt visit Aunty Uju and Dike in Massachusetts.
their business arrangement with romance until after they're
Weeks later, Aunty Uju leaves Bartholomew. She and Dike
married. The Angolans who set up the deal keep asking Obinze
move to a town called Willow in Massachusetts. Aunty Uju
for more and more money, so he finally breaks down and asks
hopes Dike will be treated better at his new school. The staff at
Emenike for a loan. Emenike is glad to oblige and gives him
the old school was always complaining about his behavior.
double the amount he asked for. Obinze is embarrassed to
Aunty Uju is sure it's because he's black.
take it but is too desperate not to. The next night, he attends a
dinner party at Emenike and Georgina's house, where he
Ifemelu runs into Kayode at the mall. Kayode was one of
realizes that Emenike considers himself to be British, not
Obinze's good friends in secondary school. As they catch up,
Nigerian.
Ifemelu learns that Obinze is in England. She hasn't talked to
him for years, yet she feels betrayed that he hadn't personally
Moments before his marriage to Cleotilde, Obinze is arrested
told her about this development. Later that day, she e-mails
for overstaying his visa. He is placed in detention until seats
Obinze for the first time since the incident with the tennis
become available for a flight home. After an unspecified
coach. He doesn't reply.
amount of time, he and seven other Nigerians are deported
home. Three years after leaving, he is back in the same place
Part 3
Obinze makes multiple attempts to get an American visa after
graduating from university, but he is denied every time. His
mother says it's because of the fear of terrorism. The United
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he started.
Americanah Study Guide
Part 4
Plot Summary 13
find common ground in their support of his candidacy. They
watch with bated breath as election day grows closer and
closer, and they celebrate his victory with their friends. Still,
Ifemelu cheats on Curt with her upstairs neighbor. Curt is
Ifemelu knows she and Blaine aren't meant to be together. She
furious and refuses to speak to her. Ginika and Aunty Uju are
accepts a yearlong fellowship at Princeton University but
dumbstruck that she would let someone like Curt get away.
promises not to leave for New Jersey until after Obama takes
Per Wambui's recommendation, Ifemelu begins an anonymous
office.
blog about U.S. race relations from the perspective of a nonAmerican black person. Readership grows quickly. Dissatisfied
In the present, Ifemelu's braids are finally finished. Aunty Uju
with her career and her life, Ifemelu quits her job and focuses
calls while Ifemelu is on the train platform waiting to return to
on the blog full time. She gets sponsors, then advertisers, and
Princeton. Dike took an entire bottle of Tylenol in an attempted
then starts running diversity workshops at businesses and
suicide. He is at the hospital in intensive care. Ifemelu goes to
colleges. Her message is different depending on who she is
him.
talking to. On her blog, she is honest about the racial
inequalities in the United States and tells personal stories
about how race has affected her friends. At the workshops,
Part 5
where the audience is primarily white, she talks about how far
the United States has come in eradicating racism. Business is
At home with his wife and daughter in Lagos, Obinze can think
good, and after a while, Ifemelu is able to buy herself a two-
of nothing but Ifemelu. She doesn't write back for four days,
bedroom condo in Baltimore, Maryland.
and when she does, she doesn't say when she's coming back.
Ifemelu runs into Blaine at a Blogging While Brown convention
in Washington, DC. They actually met once before on a train
before Ifemelu started dating Curt. For years, Ifemelu had
fantasized about Blaine, a good-looking African American
professor at Yale University. She had tried desperately to get
in touch with him immediately after they first met, but he had a
girlfriend at the time. He's single now. They start dating, and
Ifemelu moves into his apartment in New Haven, Connecticut,
after a year.
He tries to find her on Facebook to no avail and then scours
Blaine's website for clues. Despite his inclination to wait a few
days before writing back, he composes a long e-mail about his
mother's death. Ifemelu writes back within the hour. In addition
to her heartfelt condolences, she lets him know that she's
going through something difficult and won't be coming back to
Nigeria as soon as she planned. Obinze keeps writing. He
sends e-mail after e-mail about his time in England, which turns
out to be incredibly therapeutic. He was in such turmoil when
he returned that he never processed what he had been
Ifemelu and Blaine are a good match at first. She admires his
through during those three years and how deportation
intellect and his commitment to social causes, and she feels
affected him.
like she's a better person around him. But there are cracks in
their relationship. Many of them are caused by Shan, Blaine's
self-centered sister who frequently calls out Ifemelu for being
African, not African American. Ifemelu also feels ill at ease
around Blaine's friends, who all have a deeper understanding
of race in the United States than Ifemelu. Ifemelu comes from a
country in which the majority of people have dark skin. She
Ifemelu finally writes back and tells him about Dike's suicide
attempt. Aunty Uju thinks Ifemelu is depressed, but Ifemelu
doesn't really believe in depression. She doesn't know when
she'll be in Nigeria, but she gives Obinze the link to her blog. He
is distressed that her words don't sound like the Ifemelu he
once knew.
never even considered herself to be black until she came to
America. Her blackness doesn't define her, but Blaine's defines
him. This causes an enormous rift between the two of them,
which is exacerbated by Ifemelu's decision not to attend a
protest organized by Blaine. They don't speak for over a week,
and things are tense when they finally do reconnect.
Barack Obama brings Ifemelu and Blaine closer together. They
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Part 6
Ifemelu refuses to leave Dike's side when he gets home from
the hospital. She worries that it's her fault that he tried to kill
himself; then she thinks it was Aunty Uju's fault because she
only told Dike what he wasn't, not what he was. Aunty Uju
Americanah Study Guide
Plot Summary 14
insists that depression is an illness. Ifemelu isn't
let him break up their family. Even his best friend tells him it's
convinced—she thinks it's because of Dike's experiences
ridiculous to divorce one woman because you're in love with
growing up not-African and not-African American in the United
another. Meanwhile, Ifemelu tries to lessen the intensity of her
States.
grief by staying busy with her blog. She calls Blaine and Curt
and has stilted but pleasant conversations with both and ends
Dike turns 17 while Ifemelu is staying with them. She takes him
up dating an ex-American immigrant named Fred, who comes
to Miami for his birthday. While there, Dike tells Ifemelu she
off as a show-off but is actually very nice. Ifemelu wishes she
should go to Nigeria and that he might even visit.
could be in love with him.
Part 7
One Sunday night, Obinze shows up at Ifemelu's door. He
moved out of his house earlier that day and wants Ifemelu to
give them another chance. She lets him in.
Lagos is overwhelming at first. The sights and sounds are
familiar, yet strangely different. For the first few weeks, Ifemelu
stays with her friend Ranyinudo, who calls Ifemelu
"Americanah" every time she complains about something that
all Nigerians are used to, like the humidity. Ifemelu gets a job at
a women's magazine, finds her own apartment, and settles into
Nigerian life once again.
Months pass before she stirs up the courage to contact
Obinze. She tells herself it's because she wants to lose weight
before she sees him, but she's really just scared. By the time
she calls, she has quit her job and started a new blog about
Lagos. Dike has just left for America.
Obinze is in front of Ifemelu within 30 minutes of her phone
call. They meet at a bookshop, where they talk for hours. The
attraction between the two is strong, and Ifemelu can't help
wondering about Obinze's wife, who he never mentions. They
have lunch the next day, sharing a kiss. As Obinze's schedule
allows, they spend part of each day together. Ifemelu grows
increasingly frustrated about Obinze's marriage. She's not sure
what Obinze wants. She suggests they have sex, to which he
responds that their connection has never been about sex.
Within minutes, they are in Ifemelu's bed.
Obinze and Ifemelu are together every possible moment. He
doesn't spend the night—she doesn't want to get used to
waking up next to him—but they are deeply in love. He invites
her to spend the weekend in Abuja. He has a few meetings, but
then it will just be the two of them. She agrees. Days later, he
tells her he should go alone. Things are moving too fast. She
calls him a coward and tells him to go to hell.
Seven months pass. Obinze texts and calls, but Ifemelu refuses
to answer. He tells his wife he wants a divorce, but she won't
hear of it. She knows all about Ifemelu, but she's not going to
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Americanah Study Guide
Plot Summary 15
Plot Diagram
Climax
11
10
9
12
8
Rising Action
Falling Action
13
7
6
14
5
15
4
Resolution
3
2
1
Introduction
9. Barack Obama is elected president.
Introduction
10. Ifemelu texts Obinze that she is moving home to Nigeria.
1. Ifemelu and Obinze begin dating in secondary school.
Climax
Rising Action
11. Dike attempts suicide.
2. The General dies. Aunty Uju moves to the United States.
3. Ifemelu moves to the United States to finish school.
Falling Action
4. The tennis coach pays Ifemelu $100 to touch her.
12. Ifemelu moves back to Lagos but does not tell Obinze.
5. Obinze pays to marry a British citizen to get citizenship.
13. Ifemelu quits her magazine job and starts a new blog.
6. Obinze is arrested and deported back to Nigeria.
14. Ifemelu and Obinze get together and then break up again.
7. Ifemelu cheats on Curt. They break up; she starts a blog.
8. Ifemelu and Blaine have a huge fight.
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Americanah Study Guide
Resolution
15. Obinze leaves his wife for Ifemelu.
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Plot Summary 16
Americanah Study Guide
Plot Summary 17
Timeline of Events
1992
Ifemelu and Obinze begin dating during secondary
school.
Autumn 1994
The General is killed in a plane crash. Aunty Uju and Dike
move to the United States.
September 1995
Ifemelu and Obinze go to university in Nsukka, where the
teachers are always on strike.
Summer 1997
Ifemelu emigrates to the United States to finish her
education. She stays with Aunty Uju and Dike.
Fall 1997
Ifemelu moves to Philadelphia to attend school.
Months later
Ifemelu earns $100 helping a tennis coach "relax."
Depressed, she stops talking to Obinze.
July 2000
Ifemelu meets Blaine on a train.
Months later
Ifemelu and Curt begin dating.
2002
Obinze is denied a U.S. visa four times. He immigrates to
England on a six-month visa.
Around 2003
Ifemelu cheats on Curt. They break up, and she starts a
blog about race in America.
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Americanah Study Guide
Plot Summary 18
2005
Obinze is arrested moments before marrying Cleotilde
and is deported back to Nigeria.
Late 2005
Ifemelu and Blaine reconnect at a blogging conference.
They start dating.
Late 2008
Ifemelu accepts a fellowship at Princeton University.
Summer 2010
While getting her hair braided in Trenton, Ifemelu texts
Obinze that she's moving back to Nigeria.
Hours later
Dike attempts suicide.
A few months later
Ifemelu returns to Nigeria.
Months later
Ifemelu quits her job and starts a new blog about Nigeria.
A month or so later
Ifemelu and Obinze begin an affair.
Within a few weeks
Ifemelu stops speaking to Obinze because he isn't clear
about what he wants.
Seven months later
Obinze leaves his wife and shows up at Ifemelu's door.
She lets him in.
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Americanah Study Guide
c Chapter Summaries
Chapter Summaries 19
Ifemelu share this information with her Igbo boyfriends, Ifemelu
imagines what a good blog post this would have made. She
would have subtitled it, "How the Pressures of Immigrant Life
Can Make You Act Crazy."
Part 1, Chapters 1–2
Part 1, Chapter 2
Summary
Obinze receives Ifemelu's e-mail while in the back of his Range
Rover. In it, she calls him "Ceiling," her pet name for him at
university. The last time she wrote, several years ago, she
Part 1, Chapter 1
called him by his first name. That last letter also mentioned
Blaine, who Obinze looked up on Google. Obinze hated him at
Ifemelu takes the train from Princeton, New Jersey, to nearby
first sight.
Trenton to get her hair braided. Until recently, she was a
professional (and anonymous) blogger on her self-created site,
Obinze has what seems like a perfect life—a gorgeous,
Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks
easygoing wife, Kosi; a sweet daughter; a prosperous career;
(Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black.
and an impressive home. Despite it all, he's not sure "whether
Ifemelu came to the United States 13 years ago from Nigeria
he liked his life because he really did" or because he's
and has recently decided to return to her hometown of Lagos
supposed to like it.
after finishing a fellowship at Princeton University. Most
people, including her Aunty Uju, think she's crazy for moving
back to Nigeria.
That night, Obinze and Kosi attend a party at Chief's
compound. Chief is a "big man" with lots of money and
connections. Several years ago, he gave a struggling Obinze a
The train ride gives Ifemelu time to ruminate about a lot of
job doing "evaluation consulting." Obinze's job is to purchase
things: the negative connotations Americans associate with the
severely undervalued properties at an even lower cost, knock
word fat, how writing blog posts made her feel less sure of
them down, and then build new and very expensive buildings in
herself, her breakup with her boyfriend Blaine, and the
their place. Obinze lives in fear that Chief will ask him to repay
whereabouts of her high school sweetheart, Obinze.
the original favor by doing something terrible, such as
committing murder.
Ifemelu hasn't been to Mariama African Hair Braiding before,
but it looks like all the other African braiding salons she has
The party is full of rich and powerful Lagosians. Obinze
been to in the United States—hot, loud, and full of different
mistakenly interjects his opinion into a conversation about
languages and dialects. Ifemelu tries to read the novel she
where his daughter, Buchi, will go to primary school,
brought with her but ends up having one frustrating
contradicting the advice of two society matrons, one of whom
conversation after another with her braider, Aisha, who is from
advocates for French schooling and the other, British. Kosi,
Senegal and doesn't like Ifemelu's natural hair. Ifemelu turns
who "always chose peace over truth," says she agrees with
back to her own thoughts, mostly about Blaine, who everyone
Obinze—they should also look at some schools that teach the
thinks is following her to Nigeria, and Obinze, who she heard
Nigerian curriculum. Obinze feels guilty and promises they will
was married with a child. Even though the two haven't spoken
look at all the options together.
in years, Ifemelu pulls out her phone and e-mails Obinze to tell
him she's returning home.
After greeting Chief, Obinze wanders through the rest of the
party, avoiding a man who has been trying to get him involved
Aisha can't understand why Ifemelu would want to move home,
in a "shady land deal" and briefly conversing with a young
so Ifemelu lies and says she has a boyfriend there. This makes
journalist who, "in the manner of the true Lagosian ... was
complete sense to Aisha, who is dating two Igbo men. Ifemelu
always hustling." Obinze is eager to go home so he can
is Igbo too, and she tells Aisha that despite what Aisha's sister
respond to Ifemelu's e-mail. He hopes she has broken up with
says, Igbo people can marry non-Igbo people. As Aisha insists
her African American boyfriend, although he knows "she was ...
the kind of woman who would make a man easily uproot his
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Americanah Study Guide
life."
Chapter Summaries 20
In the United States, silky-straight, flowing hair is viewed as
more professional and "classy" than curly, kinky, or voluminous
At home, the house girl, Marie, brings Obinze his dinner in his
hair. These beauty standards are tied directly to race relations
study. Kosi fired the last house girl before she even started
and divisions—white women's hair texture more closely
working for them—she searched the girl's bag when she
resembles the "standard," while black women's hair is the
entered the house, found a pack of condoms, and accused her
"deviation." In other parts of the world, particularly where black
of being a prostitute. The girl said her former employer used to
people form the majority, it is common practice for black
force her to have sex with him, but Kosi fired her anyway.
women to style their hair in long-lasting braids, twists, or
When Marie leaves the room, Obinze composes an e-mail to
dreadlocks for both style and to maintain the health of the hair.
Ifemelu. Moments later, he can't resist checking to see if she
But in places with white majorities—or where white European
has replied.
culture has taken root—many black women "relax" their hair to
make it silky and straight. Chemicals and heat are generally
Analysis
required to achieve this look, both of which can be incredibly
Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is known for shaping
Ifemelu's trip to Trenton, New Jersey, to get her hair braided
fictional stories with political themes. Americanah is no
speaks volumes about where she is and who she is. Back
different. The story deals with race, identity, wealth and status,
home in Nigeria, where the population is almost entirely black,
and the immigrant experience. But at its core, Americanah is
hair braiders were easy to find. But when Americanah opens,
primarily a love story. This was always Adichie's intent. Her first
Ifemelu is living in Princeton, New Jersey. Because she has to
two novels, Purple Hibiscus (2003) and Half of a Yellow Sun
take a train to find a salon that specializes in braids, the reader
(2006), were fictionalized accounts of political strife and war in
can infer that Princeton doesn't have a very large black
Nigeria. According to a 2018 article in the New Yorker, when
population. The reader can also infer that even though Ifemelu
Adichie was ready to begin work on her third novel, she "no
is living in a mostly white city and has lived in the United States
longer felt that she must be a ... literary daughter responsible
for over a dozen years, she doesn't conform to white beauty
for her country's history." She could write what she wanted,
standards. She doesn't even conform to the beauty standards
and what she wanted was a romance.
of the women working in the salon, all of whom have emigrated
The structure of Part 1 emphasizes the importance of Ifemelu's
and Obinze's relationship. The first chapter is told from
Ifemelu's point of view; the second is told from Obinze's. This
helps the reader understand that affection still exists between
Ifemelu and Obinze, despite the 13 years they spent apart.
Adichie positions them as equals who are drifting back
together after separation.
Chapter 1 also introduces two other major themes of
Americanah: race in the United States, and cultural identity.
Adichie addresses race directly through conversations Ifemelu
has with her friends, lovers, and family members, as well as
through her blog posts, which are sprinkled throughout the
book out of chronological order. The blog's name, Raceteenth,
is most likely a nod to Juneteenth, a holiday observed in the
United States by many African Americans and other groups as
the day slavery officially ended. As the story goes, on June 19,
1865, soldiers in Galveston, Texas, learned that the Civil War
was over and all slaves were freed. The date later became
known as Juneteeth.
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painful and can cause permanent damage.
from a variety of African nations. Ifemelu's stylist, Aisha, is
annoyed that Ifemelu doesn't relax her hair—she says it's too
hard to comb. Ifemelu's choice to leave her hair "the way God
made it" doesn't portray her as more Nigerian than American
or more American than Nigerian, but as someone who has no
interest in conforming to standards set by any society.
Halfway around the world, Obinze has settled into a life of
conformity. He has the big house, the beautiful wife, and the
high-paying job, but he's deeply unsatisfied. "His mind had not
changed at the same pace as his life," the narrator observes.
Obinze's wealth happened quickly, and he wears it like a bad
suit. He isn't the type of person to find contentment in money,
status, and comfort. He finds it in relationships, and his
relationship with Kosi isn't satisfying. She's beautiful and kind,
but she doesn't challenge him or engage him the way Ifemelu
used to. Her only priority is "to make sure the conditions of
their life remained the same." This is why she is so concerned
about the women she employs in her household. She doesn't
want scandal, and she doesn't want her husband to be
tempted to cheat.
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 21
Yet, Obinze is tempted—not by Marie, but by Ifemelu. He has
Work at the church. It was led by Sister Ibinabo, "the savior of
never stopped loving her, as he demonstrates by his jealous
young females." Ifemelu didn't like her, nor did she like the idea
Googling of Ifemelu's boyfriend and his impatience while
of making paper flower garlands for Chief Omenka to wear
awaiting her reply. Obinze is a good man, but he isn't perfect.
next Sunday. "Why should I make decorations for a thief?" she
He would risk everything for Ifemelu, even his marriage. Beauty
asked Sister Ibinabo, whose refusal to see things as they really
and youth would never seduce him away from his familial
were reminded Ifemelu of her mother. Ifemelu was sent home
responsibilities, but intelligence, shared values, and deep and
early.
long-standing mutual affection might.
Ifemelu's parents were angry with her and beseeched Aunty
Uju to talk some sense into her. Ifemelu is incredibly close to
Part 2, Chapters 3–4
her aunt, who is 10 years her senior. Uju reminded Ifemelu that
Summary
Part 2, Chapter 4
she doesn't have to say everything that pops into her mind.
Obinze transfers into Ifemelu's secondary school and
Part 2, Chapter 3
immediately takes up with the "Big Guys," who mostly come
from wealthy families. The most popular (and wealthiest) of the
At the salon, the braiders give Ifemelu a hard time about eating
guys, Kayode, decides that Obinze and Ginika, who is always
granola bars. "That not food!" one of them says. Ifemelu
voted the "Prettiest Girl" in their class, should date. He
assures them she's fine. After arranging for one of her
introduces them at a party, but Obinze is much more interested
boyfriends to stop by the salon, Aisha double-checks that
in Ifemelu. Obinze and Ifemelu tease each other all night, and
Ifemelu can speak Igbo. Ifemelu is offended and becomes even
when Ifemelu says his friends will be mad at him for not
more upset when Aisha says her hair is too "hard."
chasing Ginika, Obinze replies, "I'm chasing you." They talk
When Ifemelu was 10, her mother chopped off her own long,
glossy hair, left the Catholic church, and joined a revivalist
congregation. She became obsessed with God and salvation,
going so far as to starve herself in the name of the Lord. After
a "vision" on Easter Sunday, she switched to a new church,
then weeks later, to yet another. The one that finally stuck was
Guiding Assembly, which had a wealthy congregation and
spread messages of hope. Ten-year-old Ifemelu dutifully rose
about books, religion, and their upbringing. Being with him
makes Ifemelu like herself. They kiss. Weeks later, they both
admit they are in love. Obinze joins the debate club to be with
Ifemelu, and she joins the sports club to watch him play. She
likes that he wears "their relationship so boldly, like a brightly
colored shirt." But there are times when she feels like she's too
happy. She gets restless, snaps at Obinze, and feels like
something inside her is trying to escape.
early every morning to pray with her mother, who always made
sure to pray for The General, the married man that she claimed
was Aunty Uju's mentor. Everyone else knew he was much
more than that.
Ifemelu's father was fired from his government job because he
refused to refer to his boss as "Mummy." As the months
passed, the family fell behind on rent, and her father became
listless and depressed. Although he wanted to, he never went
to college. To make up for it, he used formal English to sound
smarter than he really was. As she got older, Ifemelu realized
his manner of speaking was "his shield against insecurity."
Analysis
Ifemelu and Obinze come from very different
backgrounds—her family is relatively uneducated and lowermiddle class, while his mother is a university professor—but the
two of them make an instant connection at Kayode's party. As
in his later relationship with Kosi, Obinze would rather be with
the interesting and vivacious girl rather than the conventionally
beautiful one. This is a new experience for Ifemelu, who has
never been chased by a boy before. Like her friends, she can't
figure out why Obinze would prefer her over light-skinned
On one Sunday morning just hours after the landlord
Ginika. Like many writers before her, Adichie is suggesting that
demanded rent, Ifemelu's mother made her attend Sunday
personality and attitude are just as important in romantic
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Americanah Study Guide
attraction as physical appearance.
Chapter Summaries 22
Part 2, Chapters 5–6
Ifemelu and Obinze connect on many levels. They both love to
read, and they share many of the same morals and values. In
Part 1, Chapter 2, Obinze is ashamed of his association with
Summary
Chief, who isn't exactly an honest businessman. In Part 2,
Chapter 3, Ifemelu refuses to make garlands for a man that
she thinks is dishonest. She tells Sister Ibinabo that Chief
Part 2, Chapter 5
Omenka is "a 419." This is a reference to Article 419 of
Nigeria's criminal code, which is about fraud. Ifemelu is implying
Ifemelu feels bad that Obinze chose her over Ginika, so she's
that the money Omenka gives to the church has been earned
slightly relieved when Ginika announces that she and her family
dishonestly. "Why should we pretend that this hall was not built
are moving to the United States. Ifemelu's friends and the Big
with dirty money?" she asks. She would rather face the wrath
Guys congratulate Ginika, who isn't very happy about going.
of her mother and Sister Ibinabo than pretend the actions of
Everyone compares the passports they have—American is
Omenka and the other 419 men are okay. Honor and honesty
best, but British is pretty good, too—and where they have
are more important to Ifemelu than getting along with others.
traveled. Like she does so many times with her friends, Ifemelu
Ifemelu is a realist. She doesn't hide who she is, how she feels,
or what she believes in. She's truthful to a fault. Her mother
and Sister Ibinabo are on the other end of the spectrum. As the
narrator notes in Part 2, Chapter 3, they don't see things as
they really are, but the way they think they should be. They are
feels distant and different. Her parents don't have passports.
Their house doesn't even have a phone. At times like these,
she worries Obinze will realize he made a mistake and turn to
someone like Ginika instead, causing "this joy, this fragile,
glimmering thing between them" to disappear.
idealists who use their religion to make excuses for immoral
Obinze's mother invites Ifemelu over for lunch. Ifemelu is
people and disappointing situations. For example, everyone
terrified by the prospect—she hasn't even told her parents she
knows that Aunty Uju is dating The General, who is married, yet
has a boyfriend. "What sort of mother in her right mind asked
Ifemelu's mother insists that the relationship is a professional
her son's girlfriend to visit?" Ifemelu asks herself. In Lagos,
one. Even though she considers herself a devout Christian,
coupled teenagers do things together outside the house, not
Ifemelu's mother uses her religion to turn a blind eye to
with each other's families. Ifemelu confides her fears to Aunty
corruption and immorality. It is not a coincidence that Ifemelu's
Uju, who tells her to just be herself. Ifemelu has no idea what
decreasing interest in religion coincides with her mother's
this means.
increasing zealotry.
Obinze's mother is "pleasant and direct, even warm, but there
Aunty Uju makes her first real appearance in Part 2, Chapter 3.
was a privacy about her." Astounded by the honest and close
Of Americanah's main characters, Uju goes through the
relationship Obinze has with his mother, Ifemelu finds herself
greatest transformation over the course of the novel. When the
spending more and more time in their home. She sides with
reader first meets her, she is the fun aunt who makes clothes
Obinze's mother when Obinze starts waxing poetic about
for Ifemelu and teaches her about skin care and sex. She is
America, and Obinze's mother gives Ifemelu advice, even about
more of a mother to Ifemelu than Ifemelu's own mother has
sex. She tells Ifemelu it is up to her to make sure she and
ever been. For the most part, Uju is a realist like her niece.
Obinze wait until they are older and more responsible. "Women
There's only one area in which she veers into idealism: love. As
are more sensible than men, and you will have to be the
seen in future chapters, Aunty Uju's relationship with The
sensible one," she says. Ifemelu can't believe she's talking
General is the one thing she idealizes. However, the
about sex with her boyfriend's mother, nor that she promises
consequences of this are grave.
to tell her when they want to start.
Part 2, Chapter 6
Ifemelu is awed by Aunty Uju's new life. Thanks to The General,
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 23
Aunty Uju lives in a beautiful air-conditioned home and has a
Although Uju would probably consider herself an independent
driver, a gardener, a cleaner, and a maid at her beck and call.
woman and a feminist, she is completely reliant on The
She has the best clothes, the best furnishings, and even the
General. The reader gets the sense that he wants it this way.
best weaves in her hair. Yet, for her part, Aunty Uju is "more
Aunty Uju is smart and attractive. The General knows she
consumed by The General himself than by her new wealth."
could have her choice of younger men with better
She spends her weeknights after work with him and then
personalities, so he tethers her with the only commodities he
lounges alone on the weekends while he goes home to his wife
has—money and power. By taking away her earning potential
and children.
and only doling out a few dollars here and there, The General
traps Uju into staying with him (and sets her up for financial
Ifemelu tries to convince her parents to let her live at Aunty
and social ruin after his death). Uju doesn't see it this way,
Uju's house during the week. Her mother is all for it—it is closer
however. She is blinded by her love for The General. Like
to school and Aunty Uju has reliable electricity, so Ifemelu
Ifemelu, whose love for Obinze boosts her love for herself,
wouldn't have to study by kerosene lamp—but her father
Aunty Uju's self-esteem is also boosted by The General's love.
refuses. Although he sulks when Aunty Uju brings gifts for the
She is no longer a simple village girl "so parochial she kept
family and would never ask for help himself, Ifemelu's father
touching the walls," but a cosmopolitan woman of means. Uju
doesn't decline help when it is offered. It is Aunty Uju, not
thinks more of herself simply because The General thinks so
Ifemelu's father, who pays two years' worth of rent so Ifemelu's
much of her. This—more than the money—is why she stays.
family can keep their home.
Ifemelu and Obinze's relationship has a far more equal balance
Ifemelu is surprised that Aunty Uju asked The General for the
of power. Although Ifemelu often finds herself in awe of her
rent money and is even more shocked to learn that Aunty Uju
boyfriend, he is equally in awe of her. It is actually Obinze's
doesn't have any money of her own. Uju has never received a
mother who upsets the balance of power by putting Ifemelu in
paycheck from her job, which was essentially created for her
charge of the teens' sexual relationship. Once this happens,
because of The General. He pays for everything—the house,
Ifemelu has slightly more power over the trajectory of their
the servants, her clothing, etc.—and only gives her enough
relationship than Obinze, but it is never to the imbalanced
cash for incidentals, such as tipping service people. Aunty Uju
extent of Uju's relationship with The General.
swears she doesn't mind this as she's more attracted to his
power than his money, but she also assures Ifemelu that she
Even though they approach their relationship as equals and
will change him.
share many of the same values, Ifemelu and Obinze come from
wildly different backgrounds. Most of the students at their
Aunty Uju becomes pregnant. She promises Ifemelu and her
secondary school come from families with money, but Ifemelu
parents that "The General is a responsible man. He will take
doesn't. Because of this, she always feels "sheathed in a
care of his child." He's very attentive during the pregnancy and
translucent haze of difference" around her classmates. Even
arranges for the baby, who Aunty Uju names Dike, to be born in
when her friends and the Big Guys are together, she feels
the United States so he will have U.S. citizenship. But just a
separate from the group. Obinze, who is the "new boy" in
week after Dike's extravagant first birthday party, The General
school, immediately fits in because of his mother's esteemed
dies in a military plane crash. Five of The General's relatives
profession and his intriguing "air of calm and inwardness." He
immediately show up at Aunty Uju's gate, threatening her and
joins the group effortlessly and doesn't think twice about his
demanding she leave the premises. Everything she owns is in
position in it.
The General's name and she has no money of her own. Per the
advice of two friends, Aunty Uju and Dike flee to the United
Ifemelu and Obinze also differ in the way they relate to their
States.
parents. Ifemelu is not particularly close to her mother and
father. They don't ask about her life, and she doesn't offer any
Analysis
information. Conversely, Obinze and his mother are extremely
close. This is a completely foreign dynamic to Ifemelu, but it is
also one she likes a lot. Before long, Obinze's house feels more
The relationship Ifemelu has with Obinze is dramatically
like a home than her parents' apartment does, and Obinze's
different from the one Aunty Uju has with The General.
mother becomes more of a trusted adult than Ifemelu's own
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 24
parents. Unlike Ifemelu's mother and father, who are focused
students' union. Ifemelu and Obinze join him at the
on raising their daughter to be a good Nigerian, Obinze's
demonstration against the university, after which Obinze's
mother is raising her son to be an intelligent and independent
mother tells them that "the military is the enemy." She and the
citizen of the world. She wants more for him than Nigeria has
other professors haven't been paid in months. Soon after, the
to offer.
lecturers go on strike. The hostel closes, and Ifemelu has to
return home to Lagos.
Obinze, too, wants more than a lifetime spent in Nigeria. His
obsession with the United States is all-encompassing. To him,
Obinze comes to visit. They fight about Odein, who once drove
America represents personal and intellectual freedom, as well
Ifemelu home after a party. Ifemelu admits she's "curious about
as opportunities for success and happiness beyond what
him" but that nothing will ever happen. Obinze says he isn't
Nigeria has to offer. His interest in the United States borders
ever curious about other girls. When the strike ends and
on the snobbish: he only reads American authors and listens to
Ifemelu returns to Nsukka, she and Obinze are "tentative with
a lot of American music. His devotion to American culture
each other for the first few days."
shapes not only his dreams of the future but how he views his
homeland, which seems small and unsophisticated compared
Ifemelu and Obinze eventually have sex. Ifemelu is surprised
to the fictional representations he consumes at every
there isn't more ceremony to it; afterward, she knows she can't
opportunity.
tell his mother as she promised. "The unplannedness of it all
had left her a little shaken," the narrator says. Ifemelu is even
Obinze isn't the only one who wants to leave Nigeria. Traveling
more shaken a week later when she wakes up to nausea and
abroad, both for vacation and for good, are frequent topics of
sharp pain in her side. Convinced she is pregnant, she calls
conversation among his and Ifemelu's friends. Those who have
Aunty Uju, who is in the United States. Under Uju's instruction,
passports boast about them, and those who don't are jealous.
Ifemelu goes to a doctor in town to get a pregnancy test. She's
It seems like everyone wants to leave Nigeria. Adichie
not pregnant, but she throws up again that night. Obinze's
suggests that this isn't really the case. Once leaving Nigeria
mother takes her to see another doctor. On the way there,
becomes a reality, as it does for Ginika, the thought of living
Ifemelu confesses she and Obinze had sex.
elsewhere seems scary and overwhelming. There is comfort in
one's home, even when it seems small and uninteresting.
It turns out that Ifemelu's appendix is inflamed. She has
surgery the next day. Her parents come to Nsukka and stay in
Obinze's house. After they leave, Obinze's mother chastises
Part 2, Chapters 7–8
both teenagers for not using a condom. Obinze responds by
Summary
Part 2, Chapter 8
saying, "I'm not a small boy!" and leaves the room.
The university strikes happen more frequently, and many of
Part 2, Chapter 7
Ifemelu and Obinze's friends apply for visas so they can go to
school overseas. Meanwhile, Aunty Uju's calls become fewer
Ifemelu and Obinze apply to university in Ibadan and Lagos, but
and further between. She's been in the United States for four
before they can send in their forms, Obinze's mother collapses
years but still isn't qualified to practice medicine there. She
at work. Although Obinze doesn't really want to go back to his
also works three jobs to make ends meet. When she finally
hometown of Nsukka, he decides its university will be his first
does call, she suggests that Ifemelu attend college in the
choice so he can be close to his mother, whose sabbatical in
United States. She can live with Uju and help her take care of
Lagos is ending. Ifemelu changes her applications so they can
Dike.
be together.
Ifemelu doesn't think much of the offer, but Obinze does. He
In Nsukka, Obinze lives in the boys' quarters at home and
tells her to take the SATs and apply for scholarships. Ifemelu
Ifemelu lives in a hostel, where she becomes popular with the
trusts Obinze, who knows everything about America, and
older boys. She is intrigued by Odein, an activist in the
decides to go for it. She is accepted to a school in Philadelphia,
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 25
where Ginika lives, and even gets a partial scholarship. Her visa
seem right. Ifemelu is immediately ashamed not of what they
is secured, and she distributes her most prized possessions
have done but that it didn't happen the way Obinze's mother
among her friends.
instructed them. She placed Ifemelu in charge of the couple's
sexual health, a duty Ifemelu feels like she neglected. Even
Ifemelu doesn't want to go without Obinze, but he insists he will
though she is in university, she doesn't feel like she's ready for
finish university in Nigeria and then join her for graduate
the responsibilities that come with sexual activity and
school. Before she leaves their house for the last time,
adulthood. Obinze feels like he's ready, but his reaction to his
Obinze's mother says, "And make sure you and Obinze have a
mother's admonishment at the end of Chapter 7 indicates he is
plan. Have a plan." Those words comfort her years later, long
not as grown up as he thinks.
after she and Obinze have stopped speaking.
Chapter 8 is about Ifemelu's somewhat hasty decision to
Analysis
continue her schooling in the United States. Prior to meeting
Obinze, she would never have considered moving to the United
States; had Aunty Uju not suggested it, she probably wouldn't
Part 2, Chapter 7, shows the strength of Obinze and Ifemelu's
have thought of it as a solution to the problem of completing
love for each other and the weaknesses that threaten to divide
her education. Since the 1980s, Nigerian university teachers'
them. They have been dating for a few years by the time they
unions have been at odds with the Nigerian government. Even
apply to university, and neither one considers applying to a
though the number of university students has increased
school the other doesn't want to attend. When Obinze
steadily since the 1980s, government funding for universities
suddenly changes his plans and applies to the one school they
remained stagnant and, in many cases, decreased. In the late
weren't considering at all so he would be close to his mother,
1990s, when Ifemelu and Obinze were at university in Nsukka,
Ifemelu changes her plans without a second thought. Their
it was common for teachers' unions to stage local and national
relationship is not one of convenience or simple physical
strikes as a means of demanding more government funding
attraction—they are bound together by something much
and support. Schools and the businesses they supported, such
deeper. Ifemelu's willingness to move to Nsukka, which is
as Ifemelu's hostel, closed down for weeks and sometimes
seven hours away from her own family in Lagos, is an indicator
months at a time. This was incredibly difficult not only for
of just how close she feels to Obinze and his mother. She and
professors and business owners but also for the students
Obinze aren't legally married, but their sense of duty and
trying to complete their education. Those with the means to do
responsibility to each other mirrors that of those who have
so often left Nigeria in search of better and more consistent
taken their marital vows.
education. Ifemelu chooses to go to the United States in part
Obinze intends on spending the rest of his life with Ifemelu.
There is no question in his mind that she is the right one for
him. Ifemelu isn't as certain. She loves Obinze and she often
envisions their future together, but she's also curious about
what else is out there. Part of this curiosity may stem from her
because of Obinze's obsession with it (and his promise that
they will be reunited there) but also because she has a small
support system already there, made up of Aunty Uju and
Ginika. She won't have to navigate this new and unfamiliar land
alone.
own feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. If Obinze suddenly
decided Ifemelu wasn't good enough for him (which she often
worries), would anyone else deem her worthy of their
Part 2, Chapters 9–10
attention?
Obinze and Ifemelu's first time having sex doesn't go as
Summary
Ifemelu imagined. It happens after Obinze learns Ifemelu had
been hanging out with Odein in Lagos. Perhaps Obinze wanted
to assure Ifemelu or himself of how suited they are to each
Part 2, Chapter 9
other, or maybe he was just tired of waiting. In either case,
Ifemelu isn't mentally or physically prepared for intercourse.
In the present, Aisha takes a break from braiding Ifemelu's hair
Neither of them has a condom, and the whole thing just doesn't
to eat dinner. Ifemelu knows the other hairstylists will talk
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 26
about her and laugh "with derision, but only a mild derision"
terrifies her, but Aunty Uju just laughs. "Do you know how much
after she leaves. "She was still their African sister, even if she
crime happens in Nigeria?" she asks.
had briefly lost her way," the narrator says.
The narrative switches back to the past, this time to Ifemelu's
Analysis
first summer in the United States. She first lives in Brooklyn
with Aunty Uju and Dike, who is now in first grade. Aunty Uju
The United States isn't anything like Ifemelu imagined. Movie
works three jobs and studies as much as she can, so Ifemelu
and books portray the nation as a glistening beacon of hope
takes care of Dike. Everything in America seems strange and
and beauty, but in reality, Ifemelu finds it dingy, confusing, and
new: the dingy signs and buildings, the way Aunty Uju now
overwhelming. The language is the same but everything
pronounces her name "you-joo" instead of "oo-joo" because
else—education, employment, crime—is different, and in many
that's how Americans say it. Even the way Americans eat
cases, worse than in Nigeria. This goes against everything
sandwiches for lunch is confusing.
Ifemelu ever heard about the United States from Obinze and
Aunty Uju has changed. She looks worn and tired all the time.
At the grocery store, she buys not what she needs, but what is
on sale. When white people are around she changes her
their secondary-school friends. Hunkered down in front of the
TV in Brooklyn during that first summer, she fears she has
made a terrible mistake.
accent and becomes extremely polite, but when it is just her,
Ifemelu tries to maintain a positive attitude and hopes that the
Ifemelu, and Dike, she quickly loses her temper. She also
"real America" exists beyond the borders of New York City.
forbids Ifemelu from speaking Igbo to Dike. "This is America.
Aunty Uju, who has lived in the United States for four years,
It's different," she tries to explain to Ifemelu.
lost this sense of naive optimism four years ago. Her life in the
Aunty Uju finally admits that she failed her last exam right
before Ifemelu arrived. "I thought by now things would be
better for me and Dike," she says. Ifemelu tries to comfort her,
but her words sound hollow. Ifemelu realizes things have been
bad for her aunt for a while. She's nothing like the carefree
woman Ifemelu knew in Lagos.
United States is vastly different—and arguably worse—than her
life in Nigeria. Like many immigrants with advanced degrees,
she isn't able to practice medicine in America yet. And with no
savings of her own, she has to work multiple jobs to support
herself and Dike while trying to pass her medical certification
exams. The years of fruitless effort have taken their toll. Her
hair is ragged and her skin no longer glows. Frustrated and
irritable all the time, she has lost her sense of humor and fun.
Part 2, Chapter 10
Ifemelu spends her first summer in the United States waiting
for "the real America," the one shown on TV commercials. She
and Aunty Uju's neighbor, Jane, spend the afternoons watching
Dike and Jane's children ride their bikes up and down the
street. Jane and her husband, Marlon, are from Grenada. They
send their daughter, Elizabeth, to a private school and plan on
moving to the suburbs so both she and her little brother,
Junior, can receive a better education. "Otherwise she will start
behaving like these black Americans," Jane says. Ifemelu
doesn't understand what she means.
Ifemelu is surprised that Dike didn't learn division in first grade.
She spends hours teaching him math that summer. Missing
home, she comforts herself with food, both new (McDonald's
hamburgers) and familiar (ice cream, bananas with nuts). She
writes long letters to Obinze and sometimes calls, but she
spends most of her evenings watching TV. The evening news
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"America had subdued her," the narrator says.
Living in the United States has also changed the way Uju looks
at her son and herself in terms of their heritage and
appearance. Before she came to the United States, Uju never
considered herself to be black. She never thought about race
at all. There was really no need to, as the majority of Nigerians
have dark-colored skin. Once in the United States, however,
Aunty Uju becomes acutely aware of the negative stereotypes
of black people and changes her behavior so as not to be
lumped together with African Americans. She speaks
differently, apologizes often, and even changes the
pronunciation of her name to better accommodate the white
American tongue.
Aunty Uju also insists that her son be raised as an American
and not as an African living in America. She knows the only
way Dike will thrive in the United States is if he speaks and
behaves as if he were born there. American society expects
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 27
assimilation from its immigrants—those who don't conform to
get a job. Ifemelu points out she looks nothing like the woman
the status quo live on the fringes of society and are relegated
in the picture. That's okay, Aunty Uju says, "all of us look alike
to low-paying, menial work. Uju desperately wants Dike to fit in,
to white people."
which is why she doesn't allow Ifemelu to speak Igbo in front of
him. It's important to note that Uju wants Dike to grow up like
an upper-middle-class white American, not the stereotype of a
Part 2, Chapter 12
lower-class African American. Her neighbor, Jane, who is also
an immigrant, voices the same concern. Back home in Nigeria,
Ginika picks up Ifemelu at the Philadelphia bus station. She is
race meant absolutely nothing. Here, it is everything. Even
so much thinner than when she lived in Nigeria, and she
people from other countries who look like African Americans
confides to Ifemelu that the other kids in her high school called
accept the cultural negative perceptions of them. None of this
her "Pork" when she first arrived. Through Ginika, Ifemelu
makes any sense to Ifemelu, whose American experience will
begins to learn American slang, beauty standards, social
be defined by her investigations into how American culture
rituals, and the concept of mental illness. Ginika sounds more
builds and maintains racial stereotypes.
American than Nigerian, and Ifemelu doesn't have the heart to
tell her nobody uses the Nigerian slang she inserts into their
conversations.
Part 2, Chapters 11–12
It is Ginika who first clues in Ifemelu to the particulars of race
in America. "There's some [problems] you'll get from white
Summary
people in this country that I won't get," she says, meaning that
Ifemelu's dark skin is more of a hindrance than Ginika's light
skin. Ginika's mother is white and her father is black, which she
never really thought much about until she came to the United
Part 2, Chapter 11
States. "I didn't know I was even supposed to have issues until I
came to America," she says.
Aunty Uju introduces Ifemelu and Dike to her boyfriend,
Bartholomew. Bartholomew came to the United States from
Ginika's apartment is located too far away from campus for
Nigeria 30 years ago and doesn't go back very often. He's self-
Ifemelu to stay there. Just as Ifemelu is about to rent a shabby,
important, vocally disdains American customs and Nigerian
mouse-infested apartment, she hears about a room for rent
women in person and on the Internet, and is completely
with three other college students, Jackie, Elena, and Allison. It's
unworthy of Uju, who cooks for him and acts as if she's
in a terrible part of town and the carpet is moldy, but Ifemelu
auditioning to be his wife. Uju wants another child. When
takes it.
Ifemelu points out that "a man like him" would never even have
the courage to talk to Uju back in Nigeria, Uju retorts that
they're not in Nigeria anymore.
Ifemelu is mystified by her three new roommates and their
American customs. Tipping at restaurants, going bowling,
inviting people to go out for dinner and then not paying for
Aunty Uju receives word that she passed her medical licensing
them, washing without a sponge, and dressing down for parties
exam. Ifemelu doesn't understand why Uju has to take out her
are all foreign to her. Likewise, some of the things she does,
braids and relax her hair before going to job interviews. "You
like showing no interest in Elena's dog, are foreign to them.
are in a country that is not your own," Uju reminds Ifemelu.
Perhaps strangest of all is the way people go out of their way
"You do what you have to do if you want to succeed." Ifemelu
to avoid talking about the color of a person's skin. "This is
feels like Aunty Uju "deliberately left behind something of
America. You're supposed to pretend that you don't notice
herself, something essential," when she came to the United
certain things," Ginika says.
States.
Ifemelu moves to Philadelphia at the end of the summer. Aunty
Analysis
Uju has given her the Social Security card and driver's license
of someone named Ngozi Okonkwo, which Ifemelu will use to
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Ifemelu is quickly learning the rules of assimilation in the United
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 28
States, but she doesn't always agree with them. Aunty Uju's
Ginika also helps Ifemelu get a better understanding of race in
decision to take out her braids and relax her hair before job
the United States, particularly about the way people react to
interviews is a good example. Ifemelu thinks it's crazy that
different skin tones and the language people use to describe
"there are no doctors with braided hair in America," but Uju just
their heritage. As in Nigeria, American culture prizes light skin
shrugs it off. She's willing to do anything to fit in so she can
over dark skin. Ginika has light skin, and it's likely that she
finally succeed, even if it means adopting nonsensical cultural
could be mistaken for a race other than black. However,
standards. Although Ifemelu is curious about American culture,
Ifemelu doesn't have this luxury. Ginika's nonchalant
she isn't yet willing to abandon the familiar practices of home,
description of race in America is also a warning that Ifemelu
even things as little as washing with a sponge. She's
may have a harder time fitting into American society than her
determined to maintain her sense of self as long as she can.
friend. This isn't a new concept for Ifemelu—in her experience,
men always found "half-caste" girls like Ginika more
Aunty Uju no longer cares about who she was in Nigeria. That
attractive—but the idea that she should feel insecure about the
woman disappeared when The General died. Now she is just
color of her skin is. She didn't realize her relocation to the
trying to get by in a country that has become no less confusing
United States would bring with it a whole new set of
or hostile with the passage of time. From her point of view, the
insecurities about things she cannot change.
best way to do this is to find a partner who can share the
duties of parenthood and help bring in money. Ifemelu is
shocked that Uju would even be interested in Bartholomew,
who is considerably older than Uju and has no visible
Part 2, Chapters 13–14
redeeming qualities. But Uju isn't looking for love. She had that
before with The General and it only led to heartache and social
and financial ruin. Still, Ifemelu is disappointed that her aunt
Summary
"settled merely for what was familiar," especially since Uju
would never have played the role of dutiful, subservient wife if
she had stayed in Nigeria.
Part 2, Chapter 13
Bartholomew is an interesting character. He doesn't appear
Ifemelu applies for an endless number of jobs—waitress, host,
much in Americanah, but he represents an important archetype
bartender, cashier, and even home health aide. She forgets her
in immigrant life. Even though he has lived in the United States
fake name—the one that matches the borrowed Social
for 30 years and rarely gets the chance to go home, he
Security card—during her first interview and vows never to do
considers himself an expert on all things Nigeria.
that again. Still, her meager bank account continues to dwindle.
She takes comfort in Obinze's calm, supportive voice,
Ginika is the opposite of Bartholomew. Because she came to
especially when she receives her tuition bill. "With him, she
America "with the flexibility and fluidness of youth, the cultural
could feel whatever she felt" and forgo the cheery voice she
cues had seeped into her skin." She understands everything
feigned when speaking on the phone to her parents. Phone
that confuses Ifemelu, from bowling to the faux pas of double-
calls to Dike cheer her, too, as does her first piece of junk mail.
dipping. Her speech patterns and slang are different, and she
The credit card preapproval letter makes her feel "a little less
has accepted American attitudes and beliefs as her own. It is
invisible, a little more present. Somebody knew her."
Ginika who introduces the concepts of mental illness and
American beauty standards to Ifemelu. Mental illness, including
depression and anorexia, is a motif that runs through
Part 2, Chapter 14
Americanah. Although knowledge and treatment of it are
widespread in the United States, it's somewhat of a foreign
Ifemelu's first semester at school gets off to a rough start. The
concept in Nigeria. Ginika's attitude about her struggles with
woman in charge of registration, Cristina Tomas, treats Ifemelu
body image when she first came to the United States suggests
as if she doesn't speak English, which makes Ifemelu feel very
that she believes in the concept of mental illness, which more
small. Because of this, Ifemelu begins practicing her American
closely aligns her with American culture instead of Nigerian
accent.
culture.
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Americanah Study Guide
Ifemelu wants to learn everything about America and its
Chapter Summaries 29
white people.
culture. Obinze suggests that she read some books written by
American authors. She starts with James Baldwin's The Fire
Ifemelu's class is the first time she experiences the cultural
Next Time. This sparks something within her, and soon she is
divide between Africans and African Americans. It never
spending every free moment in the library, reading everything
occurred to her that African Americans would resent people
she can. She finally understands why Obinze is so drawn to
from Africa for selling their ancestors into slavery 200 years
American literature, and their relationship takes on "a new
ago, nor did it occur to her to look at racism in the United
intimacy" as they discuss what she has read. Every book brings
States as something that was happening in the present. She
her closer to understanding America's mythologies and cultural
never would have fathomed that race would be a taboo topic,
touchstones.
even among the people it affected the most. To her, the
concepts of racism and slavery were historic and academic,
Although easy, her classes also shed light on areas of
something to be acknowledged and debated. She didn't realize
American culture Ifemelu finds confusing. In one class, the
that people in the United States—and in many ways, all of
teacher shows a clip of the movie Roots, which Ifemelu once
American society—were still affected by it today. This is one of
watched with Obinze and his mother. Afterward, a strident
the many instances in Americanah where Adichie juxtaposes
voice that belongs to an African woman questions why the
the African American experience with the African experience.
word nigger was bleeped out. She and Ifemelu don't think the
Each time, she points out that sharing a skin tone is not a
word is always hurtful but the two African American girls in the
guarantee of shared values, attitudes, and experiences.
class don't think it should ever be used. One of them blames
Beyond appearance, they have very little in common.
Africans for the transcontinental slave trade, but the other,
whose name is Wambui, corrects her.
Ifemelu finds comfort and common ground with the members
of the ASA. Even though they are from different countries with
Wambui introduces Ifemelu to the African Students
different native languages, cultures, and histories, they are all
Association (ASA). For the first time since she arrived in the
bound by the similarities of their homelands and their
United States, Ifemelu finds a group that makes her feel at
experiences as foreigners in a new place. Their outsider status
home. Her new friends help her look for jobs and teach her and
brings them together. Because of this, Dike probably won't fit
the other African freshmen the differences between Africa and
in at an ASA when he goes to college. He grew up in the United
the United States. Ifemelu wonders whether Dike will join an
States and has yet to visit Nigeria. But he's also not truly
ASA in college or if he will join a Black Student Union (BSU)
African American because he was born in Nigeria. He's in some
instead. He might get to choose, but it's more likely that "what
in-between area. As his identity forms, society will decide
he was would be chosen for him," the narrator says.
which group he belongs to.
Aunty Uju calls. She and Dike are moving to Massachusetts
Ifemelu knows she belongs in the ASA, but she's also eager to
because Dike got caught showing his "private parts" to a girl at
learn everything she can about American life. She doesn't
school. Uju blames his day care. "All those wild children with no
necessarily want to change herself into the prototypical
home training," she says. They're moving to the town where
American—she just wants to understand the history of the
Bartholomew lives.
country in which she lives and the people who call it home. Her
interest in American literature turns her into an amateur
Analysis
anthropologist, or person who studies the development of
human culture and societies. Figuring out why the United
States is the way it is will help her understand her place there
Chapters 13 and 14 focus on the harsh realities of immigrant
and the possibilities for her future.
life in the United States. Ifemelu can't get a job using her own
name because foreign visitors who come to the United States
on student visas aren't allowed to work. That's why she has to
"borrow" someone else's identity. Ifemelu is very worried that
she's going to get caught lying, but Aunty Uju was right in Part
2, Chapter 11—all black people look pretty much the same to
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Part 2, Chapters 15–16
Americanah Study Guide
Summary
Chapter Summaries 30
her she has an emergency phone call: it's Ginika. Ginika tells
Ifemelu that Obinze and Aunty Uju are worried about her and
that Kimberly wants to hire her—the person she hired on
Part 2, Chapter 15
Ifemelu answers an ad looking for a "female personal
assistant" and ends up going to an interview in a strange man's
basement. The man is a tennis coach, and he tells her the job is
to help him "relax" and that the pay is $100 a day. Ifemelu can
Laura's recommendation didn't work out. When Ginika picks
her up the next day, she suggests Ifemelu has depression.
Ifemelu denies it, but Ginika promises it's a real affliction even
though people in Nigeria don't talk about it. Ifemelu wishes she
had told Ginika about the tennis coach, and she begins to sob
uncontrollably.
tell she's not the first woman he's talked to about administering
"massages." She says she'll think about it, and her eyes fill with
tears as she waits for the train home.
The longer Ifemelu goes without a job, the more she thinks
about the devil her mother believes in. Obinze sends her $100
even though she thinks "it should be the other way around."
Ginika arranges for Ifemelu to interview for a nanny position
Part 2, Chapter 16
Every mention of Nigeria reminds Ifemelu of Obinze. She gives
herself a month "to let her self-loathing seep away," yet when it
is over she still can't bring herself to contact him. She ignores
his e-mails and refuses to read the letter he sent.
with a white woman named Kimberly, who loves "multicultural
Ifemelu starts working for Kimberly, who gives Ifemelu a
names because they have such wonderful meanings, from
"signing bonus" on the first day. The children are fine—Taylor is
wonderful rich cultures." Kimberly's prickly sister, Laura, is also
an elementary-school-aged boy; Morgan is a preteen girl.
there, and Kimberly's smooth and flirtatious husband, Don,
Ifemelu doesn't really understand why Morgan is so cold and
shows up at the end. Ifemelu pities Kimberly for being saddled
rude to everyone, even her father. Perhaps it's because her
with them. As she leaves, Kimberly suggests that Ifemelu is her
parents are so lenient with her. She at least respects Ifemelu,
first choice. The next day, Ginika tells her she didn't get the job.
who doesn't baby her or give her a lot of choices.
Ifemelu doesn't have money for rent. She considers answering
Laura lives close by and is always over at the house, making
an ad for an escort service even though Ginika tells her it's a
pointed observations about articles she read about Nigeria and
bad idea. Terrified of what will become of her if she doesn't get
its people. One day, she tells Ifemelu she is privileged because
a job, she calls the tennis coach who wanted her to help him
she got to come to the United States while other people in her
"relax." He guides her to his bedroom, takes off his shirt, then
country "live on less than a dollar a day." Laura tells Ifemelu she
lays on the bed. He agrees they won't have sex and then asks
once knew a woman from Africa who didn't get along with
her to lie next to him. They masturbate each other, he gives her
African Americans because "she didn't have all those issues."
the $100, and she cries all the way home. She hates
Ifemelu points out that the woman's father may have had a
herself—the fingers that touched him, the clothing she
high-powered job in his home country at a time when black
wore—and she can't even think about Obinze. She calls Aunty
people weren't allowed to vote in the United States. "You need
Uju, who is not at all interested in how Ifemelu earned $100.
to understand a bit more history," Ifemelu says. Laura storms
After hanging up on Uju, Ifemelu listens to messages from her
upstairs. Ifemelu apologizes.
parents and Obinze and then fantasizes about killing the tennis
coach.
Ifemelu is invited to Kimberly and Don's party. When
introduced, the other guests tell her about their trips to Africa
Ifemelu falls into a deep depression, "bloodless, detached,
and their donations to orphanages and other charitable
floating in a world where darkness descended too soon" as the
organizations. As they talk, Ifemelu realizes she desperately
winter days grow shorter. Nothing matters anymore, not even
wants "to be from the country of people who gave and not
Obinze. She stops calling and writing and doesn't even read his
those who received." After the party, Ifemelu calls Aunty Uju,
e-mails. Classes are skipped, and she only comes out of her
who says Dike has been asking about his last name. He wants
room when her roommates are asleep.
to know who his father is but Uju doesn't want him to know she
One day, Ifemelu's roommate Allison bangs on the door to tell
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and The General were never married.
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 31
Aunty Uju is no longer pleased with life in Massachusetts.
standpoint of sexual faithfulness and from his unerring belief
Dike's grades are falling, and he keeps getting in trouble at
about her inherent goodness. No matter what anyone says,
school for being "aggressive." She's certain it's because he's
Ifemelu is convinced she is no longer a good person.
one of only two black kids in school, but the principal insists
they don't see him as being different from anyone else. She
Ifemelu's isolation, loneliness, sense of self-loathing, and
complains about her residency and, later, her patients. She
financial despair coalesce into depression. She doesn't
never mentions Bartholomew.
recognize it as such because mental illness isn't commonly
spoken about in Nigeria. "Depression was what happened to
Americans, with their ... need to turn everything into an illness,"
Analysis
the narrator says. This is not to say that people who live in
Nigeria don't suffer from depression—they simply don't name it
Ifemelu knows perfectly well that the tennis coach who needs
as such. The problem with this is that things that aren't named
help relaxing wants to hire her for more than just a massage.
are impossible to treat. Ifemelu instead bottles up her feelings
She doesn't want to work for him, but she has no other choice.
until "her self-loathing ... hardened inside her." This is why she
Aunty Uju doesn't have any money to spare, nor do her
shuts out Obinze.
parents, and she would be too embarrassed to ask Ginika. This
isn't the life Ifemelu imagined for herself in the United States.
She thought she would be sending money home to her family
and Obinze, not the other way around. Unfortunately, Ifemelu's
situation isn't unusual for immigrants in the United States.
Many who come with the hope of earning money to send home
to family struggle to support just themselves, especially in big
cities where jobs are hard to find and rent is high.
Working for Kimberly shows Ifemelu the different mindsets
white Americans have about Africans and African Americans.
Laura is the type of person who likes to think she knows all
about life in other parts of the world, but even though she has
been researching Nigeria, she has no idea how Nigerians
actually live. She speaks to Ifemelu as if American society as a
whole is doing her a favor by letting her live in its country. Still,
Laura views Ifemelu as being better than African Americans. In
In addition to financial pressure, Ifemelu is also struggling
her internal hierarchy, African Americans are at the bottom,
under the pressure from her family and friends back home. Her
native Africans (or other dark-skinned people) are in the
parents and Obinze expect her to thrive in the United States
middle, and white people are at the top. Racial hierarchies
just as she did in Nigeria—to be at the top of her class, have
don't make a lot of sense to Ifemelu—where she is from, skin
lots of friends, and pave the way for a successful future. So
color does not determine the way a person is treated. She also
many people back home would have done anything to move to
doesn't understand why white Americans blatantly ignore the
the United States, and Ifemelu feels that she is letting them all
historical events and attitudes that have placed African
down. She also feels like she's letting down Aunty Uju, who
Americans at a disadvantage and white Americans in a position
seems irritated every time Ifemelu tells her she hasn't found a
of privilege.
job yet. The emotional pressure of finding steady employment
is almost as great as the financial pressure.
The dinner party guests also have incorrect impressions of
African nations. Like Laura, several of Kimberly's guests talk
The incident with the tennis coach is the lowest moment of
about the poor living conditions in some African nations. They
Ifemelu's life and the impetus for her estrangement from
speak of the continent as if it were one homogenous land and
Obinze. She may not have had sex with him, but she allowed
not dozens of distinct countries. For example, several people
him to touch her in a sexual way and reciprocated. Ifemelu
tell Ifemelu about their charitable contributions. Kimberly's
keeps telling herself she wasn't raped, but she also didn't go
friends are good-hearted, but they are also ignorant about the
into the situation completely willingly. She was scared, worried
entire continent they claim to support. It's also important to
that he may have locked the door or had a gun. "The power
note that while Kimberly's friends brag to Ifemelu about their
balance was tilted in his favor," the narrator says, and Ifemelu
good works abroad, nobody mentions any efforts to help
had no opportunity to tip it back her way. She touched him
impoverished communities of color in the United States. Like
because she was afraid not to. In doing so, she gave up control
Laura, perhaps they are blind to the way institutionalized
of her sexuality, which had until then been reserved for Obinze.
racism affects economic and political power in the United
She feels as if she has betrayed Obinze, both from the
States. Or maybe their position of privilege allows them to
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Americanah Study Guide
simply not care.
Chapter Summaries 32
braids. She asks Mariama if women are allowed to vote in her
country and tells her how lucky she is for getting to raise her
Part 2, Chapters 17–18
children in America. Ifemelu is instantly irritated by Kelsey,
even more so when Kelsey says she didn't like the book Things
Fall Apart because it was "quaint" and didn't help her
understand "modern Africa." She likes A Bend in the River a lot
Summary
more. "It's just so honest, the most honest book I've read about
Africa," says Kelsey, who has never been to Africa. Ifemelu
thinks Kelsey is completely wrong and tells her so. As Ifemelu
Part 2, Chapter 17
Three years into her stay in America, Ifemelu drops her
American accent. It doesn't feel like her. One afternoon, while
on the train to visit Aunty Uju and Dike, she meets Blaine. She
wonders if ending her relationship, closing her blog, and
moving back to Nigeria is a good idea, Kelsey is stunned to
learn that black women often add fake hair to their braids. She
decides to use just her own hair, which is quickly turned into
seven long cornrows.
can tell at once that he is African American, not African. He's
The narrative jumps back to the past when Ifemelu meets Curt,
an assistant professor in comparative politics at Yale. He has
Kimberly's nephew, and Ifemelu's first American (and white)
the kind of voice—educated and white—that she just gave up.
boyfriend. He later says he fell in love with her instantly
They flirt and tease each other all afternoon, and Ifemelu
because of her laugh, but Ifemelu doesn't notice his attraction
conjures elaborate fantasies about what he would be like as a
at first. She still thinks about Blaine. Curt doggedly pursues
lover and partner. He gives her his number, which Ifemelu calls
Ifemelu during his visit, and they go out to dinner. He's from a
compulsively all weekend to no response.
wealthy family, has traveled extensively, and by the end of the
Dike goes to day camp during Ifemelu's visit. He comes home
upset on the first day because his counselor told him he didn't
need sunscreen. "I just want to be regular," he says. Ifemelu
buys him a tube of his own, which he never opens.
The chapter ends with a blog entry, "Understanding America
for the Non-American Black: American Tribalism." In it, an
anonymous Ifemelu explains that there are four kinds of
tribalism in the United States: class, ideology, region, and race.
She describes the racial hierarchy: white Anglo-Saxon
Protestants (WASPs) are always on the top, and black people
first date, he decides they are officially dating. Kimberly is
delighted, but Morgan, who has a crush on Curt, doesn't take
the news well at all.
Curt is fascinated with Ifemelu's body. She does everything in
her power not to mention or even think of Obinze. Little by
little, her life transforms. Curt makes her "a woman free of
knots and cares." They go out for drinks, go on hikes, and take
vacations. As the narrator says, "his optimism blinded her." He
believes in everything that is good because it never occurs to
him that things could be any other way.
are always at the bottom. Even though Jewish people look
white, they sometimes fall into the middle. Ifemelu thinks it's
impossible to tell who is Jewish and who is not, but apparently
some people can.
Analysis
Most of Part 2, Chapters 17 and 18, is about Ifemelu's love life,
but Adichie does sneak in commentary about race and cultural
Part 2, Chapter 18
understanding at the beginning of Part 2, Chapter 18. Kelsey,
In the present, a South African woman getting her hair braided
stereotypical clueless white girl who thinks she knows a lot
talks about how terrible Nigeria and its people are. The stylists
about black and/or African culture. Everything she knows
are all impressed by the woman's American accent. Ifemelu
about Africa comes from novels. The one she derides, Things
ignores the woman's cruel words and Aisha's inquiry as to why
Fall Apart (1958), is one of the earliest examples of
she doesn't have an American accent.
postcolonial fiction. Its author, Chinua Achebe (1930–2013), is
the white woman who gets her hair braided, is the
a fellow Nigerian and one of Adichie's literary heroes. He wrote
A young white woman named Kelsey comes in and asks for
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Things Fall Apart from the perspective of an Igbo leader during
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 33
the early years of British colonialism in what is now Nigeria.
her after just a day or two together. She has no power over
The book Kelsey loves, A Bend in the River (1979), is told from
Blaine, who ignores her many phone calls. Perhaps his
the point of view of a Muslim Indian who moves to a small town
unavailability is part of his allure, as she's still thinking about
near the Congo River. Ifemelu, who has read both books,
Blaine while Curt is trying to get her attention. There is no
privately thinks A Bend in the River, written by V.S. Naipaul
mention of Obinze during Ifemelu's musings about men and
(1932–2018), is about "the longing for Europe" by a man who
romance—she has completely written him out of her life.
desired to have been born there and takes on a "knowingly
haughty attitude to the African." By having Kelsey prefer the
latter book, Adichie is implying that white people prefer the
Part 2, Chapters 19–20
European version of Africa to the real Africa.
Part 2, Chapter 17, is the first time readers are shown one of
Ifemelu's blog posts. She doesn't start the blog until after she
Summary
breaks up with Curt (Part 4, Chapter 31), but excerpts from her
posts are peppered throughout the novel until she returns to
Nigeria. In addition to allowing the reader the opportunity to
see Ifemelu's thoughts in her own words, the blog posts also
connect to specific events in the associated chapter. The blog
post at the end of Part 2, Chapter 17, is about the different
"tribes" in America and how they are not immediately
recognizable to people who have not lived in the United States
for very long. The concept of tribes connects to Dike's
experience at day camp. He is treated differently than the
other campers because of his race, not because he is Nigerian.
This is one of the many instances of othering, or the treatment
of a person or group of people because they are believed to be
different, in Americanah.
Wealthy, handsome, and seemingly charmed, Curt is the
embodiment of the American Ifemelu hoped to find when she
left Nigeria. He is the kind of person shown smiling and
laughing in commercials; his glamorous and easy life is the one
shown on movie screens. She is attracted to him and thinks
he's a good person. But she also loves the way she feels when
she is with him. Thanks to Curt, Ifemelu's life seems beautiful
and easy too.
Curt is not the type of man with whom Ifemelu thought she
would end up. If she had her choice, she would have picked
intelligent and dry-humored Blaine, who is very much an
American version of Obinze. He is serious, he reads a lot, and
Part 2, Chapter 19
Ifemelu effortlessly falls into Curt's way of life. They have
Sunday brunch with his mother, who tolerates her son's
dalliances with foreign girls. They spend all their free time
together and even host Morgan for the weekend at Curt's
apartment in Baltimore. Ifemelu has "slipped out of her old
skin" thanks to Curt's "gift of contentment, of ease." She
doesn't tell her parents about him, nor does she tell them she's
worried about her job prospects after graduation. She wonders
if she should have majored in engineering—nobody will hire a
communications major who needs a visa when there are
thousands of Americans with the same qualifications.
Aware of her worries, Curt gets Ifemelu an interview with a firm
his dad once did business with. Ifemelu heeds the advice of her
career adviser and gets her hair relaxed. It burns, and she
doesn't recognize herself after the process. "The verve was
gone," the narrator says. Curt doesn't seem to like it much,
either, and he vocally rails against the cultural standards that
make Ifemelu feel she has to be someone she's not. She gets
the job.
The chapter ends with another blog post. This one is about
how minorities in the United States aspire to be WASPs.
Ifemelu wonders what WASPs aspire to be.
he has a good heart. Even during their first encounter, Ifemelu
teases and jokes with him the way she did with Obinze. She is
on firm ground with him—even though he's a Yale professor
Part 2, Chapter 20
and she's a student and nanny, they speak to each other as
Ifemelu moves to Baltimore for her new job. She has a place of
equals. That's not the case with Curt, who treats Ifemelu as if
her own but basically lives with Curt. They're always doing
she is a goddess to be worshipped at the altar. Ifemelu has
something or going somewhere—Mexico, England,
emotional power over Curt, who is head over heels in love with
Bermuda—and she takes great care to let him know how much
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 34
she likes him and how much fun they're having together. She
it all off and allow it to grow naturally represents her dismissal
senses a fragility to him, "lighter than ego but darker than
of those same standards. After trying to be someone she's not,
insecurity, that needed constant buffing, polishing, waxing."
Ifemelu comes to love who she actually is.
Ifemelu's hair starts falling out from using relaxers. Wambui
Curt and Ifemelu have similar reactions to Ifemelu's sleek
convinces her to cut it all off. "You're always battling to make
hairstyle but for different reasons. Ifemelu is upset because
your hair do what it wasn't meant to do," Wambui says. Ifemelu
she no longer recognizes herself in the mirror. Curt is upset
hates her two inches of natural hair so much that she calls in
because he is now dating a woman who looks like everyone
sick to work the next day. She reaches for Curt's computer so
else. He has a penchant for "exotic" women, and Ifemelu loses
she can look up a natural hair website Wambui recommended.
her appearance of "otherness" when she takes out her braids
Curt jumps into full defense mode and insists the e-mails on his
and relaxes her hair. She becomes less interesting to him. In
screen mean nothing. Ifemelu reads them. They're from a
the same vein, she becomes much more interesting after she
woman who, by the looks of it, has long, flowing hair. This
lets it grow naturally. Curt likes that Ifemelu is different from
upsets Ifemelu more than the thought of Curt cheating, which
everyone else he knows, so much so that it almost seems like a
he swears he didn't do. She believes him.
fetish, or a fixation. This is what the man at the farmer's market
is referring to when he talks about Ifemelu being "all jungle."
Ifemelu goes back to work after three sick days Her coworkers
He's suggesting that Curt doesn't like Ifemelu for her
ask if her tiny afro "means" anything, like a political stance or
personality but for her otherness. It's not a compliment.
that she's a lesbian. At the farmer's market, a black man walks
past Ifemelu and Curt and asks, "You ever wonder why he likes
Ifemelu may be wrong when she assumes that Curt wants her
you looking all jungle like that?" Curt doesn't hear this, and
to have the long, silky hair of the woman from the flirtatious e-
Ifemelu is too shocked to respond. That night, she goes to the
mails, but she's correct that he thrives on praise and attention.
beauty supply store and looks at the row of weaves. She
Curt is like a spoiled little boy. He can have whatever he wants
remembers the encouragement from the other women on the
whenever he wants, and he expects constant praise and
natural hair website and leaves without buying anything. It
admiration from others. Ifemelu isn't one to constantly praise
takes a few months, but by the spring, Ifemelu has fallen in love
people—she's more likely to correct them or tease—but she
with her hair.
finds herself purposefully altering her behavior to let Curt know
he's appreciated. She never did that with Obinze. Obinze also
The chapter ends with a blog post titled "Why Dark-Skinned
never looked at other women, let alone flirted with them. The
Black Women—Both American and Non-American—Love
difference is that his self-confidence wasn't affected by
Barack Obama." Written during the 2008 presidential election,
anyone's view of him. Curt's self-confidence hinges entirely on
it praises Obama for marrying a dark-skinned black woman
the approval of others.
instead of the lighter-skinned women many white and African
American men seem to prefer.
Part of the reason life is so easy for Curt is because of his
privilege. Ifemelu talks about this in her blog post at the end of
Analysis
Part 2, Chapter 19. She says people of color aspire to be
WASPs (white Anglo-Saxon Protestants) not because they
want to be white but because of the privilege that comes along
Hair is a recurring motif in Americanah, related to the theme of
with it, like being able to walk through a store without being
cultural and personal identity. Like Aunty Uju before her,
followed by security. She didn't understand what a privilege it
Ifemelu understands that braids or her natural hair will not be
was to be free from constant suspicion and disdain until she
viewed by white Americans as "professional." If she wants a job
moved to the United States and experienced discrimination
that will allow her to utilize her communications degree, she
herself.
needs to straighten her hair. The process of straightening isn't
new to Ifemelu—although she has never done it, it is very
The blog post at the end of Part 2, Chapter 20, is also about
common in Nigeria, where relaxed hair is more valued than
race, but this time in relation to beauty standards. It connects
natural hair. Ifemelu's decision to relax her hair signifies her
to Ifemelu's attempt to Americanize her hair but also brings up
acceptance of Western beauty standards. Her decision to cut
salient points about the hierarchy of skin colors (light is most
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 35
desired, dark is the least desired) and how people with darker
The chapter ends with a blog post that informs non-American
skin colors are portrayed in the media. "They never get to be
black people that they are indeed black. "So what if you
the hot woman, beautiful and desired and all," Ifemelu writes.
weren't black in your country? You're in America now," Ifemelu
She knows the media is wrong—after all, she, a dark woman,
anonymously writes. Being black in America means being
dated a white man who found her incredibly attractive—but she
offended by common slurs and stereotypes, even if they are
has also seen how those types of messages affect the psyche
unfamiliar and don't make sense. Black women must always be
of darker-skinned women. Her blog post suggests that people
described as "strong" and black men must be "hyper-mellow"
aren't voting for Barack Obama just because they like his
so that people don't think they're going to pull out a gun. "Do
politics. They're also voting for him because he embraces a
not be angry. Black people are not supposed to be angry about
version of black beauty rarely celebrated in the United States.
racism," Ifemelu cautions.
Part 2, Chapters 21–22
Part 2, Chapter 22
Ifemelu runs into Kayode, Obinze's good friend from high
Summary
school, at the mall. He lives in the Washington, DC, area. He
says Nigerians are so prevalent in Maryland that it's almost like
being back home. Ifemelu has not had the same experience.
Part 2, Chapter 21
It turns out that Obinze had heard Ifemelu was in Baltimore and
asked Kayode to check on her. Obinze himself moved to
Ifemelu and Curt visit Aunty Uju and Dike. Uju adores Curt
England last year. Even though she was the one who cut off all
immediately, but it takes Dike a little time to warm up to him.
contact, Ifemelu feels "deeply betrayed" by this news. She
While Curt and Dike play basketball, Aunty Uju complains to
brushes off Kayode and makes an escape before they can
Ifemelu about Dike's school and her marriage to Bartholomew.
exchange contact information.
She also doesn't like Ifemelu's new hairstyle. "There is
something scruffy and untidy about natural hair," she insists.
Curt can tell something is upsetting Ifemelu, but she doesn't
want to talk about it. Instead, she writes Obinze an e-mail for
Aunty Uju is simultaneously concerned about and irritated with
the first time in years, apologizing for shutting him out and
Dike. He wrote an essay about not knowing "who he is," a
promising to tell him everything. "I have missed you and I miss
concept she blames on the American school system and the
you," she says in closing. He doesn't reply.
American emphasis on emotional health. She also has to keep
reminding him not to talk out of turn or do anything that would
Curt books her a massage that afternoon. When she thanks
possibly get him in trouble at school. "He has to tone it down,
him and calls him a sweetheart, he seems agitated. "I don't
because his own will always be seen as different," Uju tells
want to be a sweetheart," he says forcefully, "I want to be the ...
Ifemelu.
love of your life."
As for Bartholomew, Aunty Uju is disgusted that he wants her
to give him her salary. He's trying to start a business but can't
Analysis
get a loan. "Did anybody force him to come here?" she asks
rhetorically, "Did he not know we would be the only black
The men Aunty Uju refers to in Part 2, Chapter 21, "Buhari and
people here?" She rails about the discrimination she faces
Babangida and Abacha," are former Nigerian leaders. Major
from patients and the local pharmacist, blaming it all on "Buhari
General Muhammadu Buhari (b. 1942) came to power after a
and Babangida and Abacha because they destroyed Nigeria."
coup on December 31, 1983. Under his leadership, politicians
Ifemelu notices that Uju never mentions The General during
and journalists were arrested and jailed. A coup against
her many rants.
Buhari's government in August 1985 brought General Ibrahim
Babangida (b. 1941) to power. Although he promised the public
Aunty Uju leaves Bartholomew sometime after Ifemelu and
Curt's visit. She and Dike move to a town called Willow.
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a return to civilian government rule, he banned governmental
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 36
candidates from politics and annulled election results. He was
and look like an African American, they will be treated as an
forced out in August 1993. An interim civilian government
African American. It's a steep learning curve for people who
existed for four months before military rule was reinstated that
had never before been treated differently because of the color
November by General Sani Abacha (1943–98). Under Abacha's
of their skin. All of a sudden, the immigrant black person is
leadership, the nation crumbled. Human rights, freedom of the
supposed to understand the history of American racism and
press, and due process of law weren't enforced, and violence
black culture and share the same reactions to offensive jokes
was used to silence critics. Nigeria finally returned to a civilian
and slurs. The message here is that black immigrants need to
government after Abacha's death in June 1998, but the
become familiar with the nuances of race relations in the
damage had already been done. Corruption was rampant,
United States and adopt the African American position as their
infrastructure was decaying, and many Nigerians left the
own. Ifemelu offers these tips not because she feels that
country for better educational and employment opportunities.
African Americans have the moral high ground or are always
Aunty Uju blames these men for forcing her out of Nigeria even
right but because not knowing the proper reactions to racist
though she never would have left if she hadn't met The General
comments or acting "inappropriately" around white people can
and he hadn't died. Her inclination to rewrite her own history
be socially damning or even physically harmful.
suggests two things: she is either still angry at herself for
getting mixed up with a married government figure, or she has
Ifemelu writes the blog post in the future while dating Blaine.
put him out of her mind completely. The General was the love
Part 2, Chapter 21, begins before that, when she is still with
of Aunty Uju's life (and the father of her child), so it is probably
Curt. They have been together for a year or two and are mostly
the former.
happy. Ifemelu's chance encounter with Kayode threatens to
disrupt this, however. She has done her best not to think of
Ifemelu's story is the positive version of the immigrant
Obinze for several years, but one mention brings everything
experience. She struggles at first but eventually finds a job,
rushing back. Despite their estrangement, Ifemelu still feels
falls in love, and assimilates. Aunty Uju's story is the opposite.
connected to him. Even though Curt doesn't meet Kayode and
She came to the United States with nothing, worked tirelessly
Ifemelu never mentions Obinze, Curt can tell something in their
to raise her child and earn the appropriate certifications to
relationship has changed and it makes him angry and insecure.
practice medicine, settled for a man she didn't love, and faced
Ifemelu has never seen this territorial side of him before, nor
daily discrimination and racism at work. Nothing has gone her
his desperation to be the best thing that ever happened to her.
way since she came to the United States. But she also has no
interest in returning to Nigeria. There is nothing left in Nigeria
Ifemelu's brief conversation with Kayode also highlights just
for her, and America is her son's home. Since she can't leave
how secluded she is in Baltimore. Kayode's social circle is full
the country, she does the next best thing and leaves the man
of Nigerians, but Ifemelu's social circle is limited to Curt's (most
who is holding her back.
likely white, upper-middle-class) friends. With the exception of
Wambui, she cut herself off from everyone that reminded her
Aunty Uju's decision to leave Bartholomew is symbolic of her
of home. This was in part because everything even remotely
unconscious decision to embrace the American way of life.
connected to Nigeria reminded her of Obinze but also because
She originally tried to solve her problems by doing things the
she wanted to assimilate into Curt's picture-perfect American
Nigerian way—marrying a Nigerian man and taking on the role
life. Surrounding herself with other African immigrants would
of the subservient caretaker—in hopes that someone else
only remind her of the struggles she faced during her first year
would share the load. But she didn't love Bartholomew and she
and the man she had lost.
ultimately found no pleasure in adhering to the traditional
marital roles. Bartholomew was a stepping stone to get Uju and
Dike out of Brooklyn. They will be fine on their own.
Part 3, Chapters 23–24
The blog post at the end of Part 2, Chapter 21, connects to
Aunty Uju's remark that Bartholomew didn't seem to
understand how he would be treated when he moved to a
predominantly white town. Ifemelu assures her blog readers
that no matter where a person is from, if they have dark skin
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Summary
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 37
Part 3, Chapter 23
them. Nicholas, who only became a British citizen two years
Obinze has been in England for two years. His visa has expired,
become uncharacteristically serious about everything. He and
and the only hope he has for staying is marrying a British
Ojiugo, who earned her British citizenship through her
citizen. For £2,200, two Angolans set him up with an Angolan-
postgraduate studies, are both wholly focused on the
Portuguese woman named Cleotilde. She is 23, kind, soft-
children's education.
spoken, and clearly attracted to Obinze. He's attracted to her,
too, but he doesn't want to muddle their business transaction
with sex and emotions. That can wait until after they are
married.
ago, lived in fear of being deported for so long that he has
Ojiugo's friends visit often, and Obinze can't help but overhear
their conversations through the house's thin walls. They talk
about everything, from the way they are looked down upon by
black British people to the way men they would have never
Despite his childhood and teenage obsession with the United
looked at twice in Nigeria are suddenly their only marital
States, Obinze never made it there. After he graduated from
prospects. "London is a leveler," says one of Ojiugo's friends,
university, he applied for an American visa four times and was
"We are now all in London and we are now all the same, what
denied without explanation each and every time. His mother
nonsense."
chalked it up to "terrorism fears" and an aversion to "foreign
young men."
Analysis
Obinze tried to get a job, but no one would hire him. He
continued to live with his mother but spent most of his time in
Adichie doesn't include years or dates in her narrative
Internet cafés or holed up in his room. She gave him his space.
descriptions. On one hand, this is a good thing because it lends
Then one day she announced she had been invited to an
an air of timelessness to Ifemelu's and Obinze's story. Without
academic conference in London. He was to go with her as her
particular dates, the events she describes could have
research assistant, which would grant him access to a six-
conceivably happened any time at the end of the 20th and
month British visa. "See what you can do with your life," she
beginning of the 21st centuries. On the other hand, the lack of
said, "I know that your mind is no longer here."
dates can also be confusing for readers who like to associate
situations in the book with real-life events. Adichie only alludes
Obinze had never known his mother to lie, yet she was
to it in the most general of terms, but Obinze first applies for
"behaving as though truth telling had become a luxury ... they
an American visa after the terrorist attacks in New York City,
could no longer afford." Obinze is burdened by her sacrifice
Washington, DC, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on
and barely speaks to her for the three years he spends abroad.
September 11, 2001. After the attacks, the United States
heavily restricted who could enter the country. Men with dark
Part 3, Chapter 24
skin from countries where Islam was commonly practiced were
Obinze works as a janitor in an office building. On the day he
Despite Ifemelu's refusal to communicate with him, Obinze's
receives Ifemelu's first apology e-mail—the one she sent in Part
obsession with the United States never waned. Being able to
2, Chapter 22—someone had purposefully pooped on top of a
live there is the one thing he had been working toward his
toilet lid. How could she suddenly write to him as if nothing
entire life. He never once considered that it wouldn't happen,
happened, as if she hadn't "left him bleeding for more than five
so he didn't have a backup plan for a life in Nigeria or anywhere
years[?]" He missed her, resented her, worried endlessly about
else. His lack of effort at continuing with his life is what spurs
her, and now he cleans toilets for a living. "Inflamed by anger,
his mother to take action. She wants to see her son happy,
twisted by confusion, withered by sadness," he deletes the e-
even if it means him living halfway around the world.
not welcome.
mail and clicks "Empty Trash."
Obinze feels like more of a failure in England than he ever did
Obinze lives with his cousin Nicholas, Nicholas's wife Ojiugo,
in Nigeria. Living with his cousin and cleaning toilets was
and their children, Nne and Nna. Nicholas and Ojiugo were wild
definitely not what he or his mother had in mind for him. He
in their Nigerian youth, but marriage seems to have tamed
feels guilty that she went against her moral code and lied to
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Americanah Study Guide
get him out of the country and ashamed that he hasn't lived up
to her unspoken hopes and expectations. Life as an immigrant
Chapter Summaries 38
Part 3, Chapter 25
in a white European nation is much, much more difficult than
When they were teenagers, Obinze's friend Emenike told
Obinze ever expected.
everyone his father was an igwe, or Igbo king, who had sent
The conversations Obinze overhears at Nicholas and Ojiugo's
house about race and ethnicity are different from the ones
Ifemelu hears in the United States. In England, ethnicity and
wealth—not race—are the foundations of social division. For
example, Ojiugo and her children are often looked down upon
by British black people because of their foreignness.
Obinze also learns that the status divisions that existed back in
Nigeria have no meaning in London. Here, all Nigerians are the
same. Ojiugo's friends talk about this in relation to the quality
of Nigerian men who pursue them, but Obinze also
experiences it firsthand. He graduated from university near the
top of his class, yet he cleans toilets for a living. In England, his
foreignness matters more than his grades and capabilities.
Like Aunty Uju in the United States, Obinze is forced to start at
the bottom despite his credentials.
The moment Obinze finds feces on the toilet seat is probably
Emenike to live in Lagos "to avoid the pressures of princely
life." All the boys laughed when his father appeared one day,
hunched over and in tattered clothing. Obinze was kinder to
Emenike. Their mutual love of reading brought them together,
and they lived together at Obinze's mother's house during
university. Still, Obinze never knew much about Emenike's
personal life beyond his friend's hunger to leave Nigeria and
"make it" abroad.
Emenike left Nigeria for England after his second year of
university. Obinze tries to get in touch with him when he goes
to England a few years later, but Emenike is too busy to see
him. He's married to an Englishwoman and has an important
job at the housing authority. So Obinze calls on other friends to
help him get settled. Iloba, who is from his mother's village,
connects Obinze with Vincent, who will lend Obinze his
National Insurance number for 35 percent of Obinze's wages.
Obinze desperately needs a job, so he accepts.
his lowest point. He's working illegally for just a few pounds an
hour with the threat of deportation hanging over his head. He
has no desire to return to Nigeria and admit his failure, so he
needs to find a way to stay in the country. This brings him to
the arrangement with the Angolans and Cleotilde, which
happens months after he quits his janitorial job. According to
British law at the time, foreigners who married British residents
could become British citizens after a year. Sometimes people
work the system so they can stay in the country when all other
paths to citizenship have been exhausted. This is what Obinze
is attempting to do with Cleotilde, and the Angolans are
profiting from it. Dishonest and corrupt, it's something Obinze
never would have done at home in Nigeria. Since coming to
England, however, it seems he has done nothing but lie.
Part 3, Chapter 26
The first job Obinze gets with his borrowed National Insurance
number is the janitorial job where he had to clean feces off the
toilet seat lid. After he quits that job, the employment agency
sends him to a janitorial position at a warehouse. After that is a
job delivering kitchen cabinetry, where the other employees
call him "laborer" and make fun of him. He ultimately ends up
doing deliveries for a different company. Its warehouse chief,
Roy Snell, is unfailingly kind to Obinze. Thinking Obinze's name
is Vincent, he immediately starts referring to him as "Vinny
Boy" and always makes sure to give him the deliveries that pay
the most. He usually pairs Obinze with Nigel, a lovelorn
Englishman whose friends recently shaved his eyebrows
Part 3, Chapters 25–26
during a night of drunken debauchery. Nigel, who knows
Obinze is "new from Africa," is awed by people with "posh"
accents, including Obinze. The time spent in the delivery truck
Summary
together forges their friendship. Nigel shows Obinze around
town, asks for romantic advice, and unfailingly splits the
customers' tips. The other drivers pretend to forget they're
supposed to give Obinze half.
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 39
Analysis
that "the influx into Britain of black and brown people [came]
Anyone who wants to work in England needs a National
After one of his outings, Obinze finds himself unable to stop
Insurance number. It's an identification number that allows the
thinking about the widow and her young son—who he met at
government to record National Insurance contributions and
the bookstore—then his mother, and finally, Ifemelu. This is not
taxes. People who are born in England are automatically
the life he once imagined for himself. He is desperately lonely.
from countries created by Britain."
assigned their National Insurance number just before their 16th
birthday. Those who immigrate to England are assigned one
when they are approved to work or study. Employers often use
Part 3, Chapter 28
the number to verify one's legal residence in England. Because
he is only granted a six-month visitor's visa, Obinze doesn't
Obinze goes into work one morning in early summer and
have a National Insurance number. He can't work without one,
immediately feels like something is amiss. He's certain
which means he can't earn money. This is why he agrees to
someone has turned him in for working in the country illegally.
give over a third of his salary to Vincent for the use of his
Moments later, a paper hat is put on his head and he's ushered
number.
into an impromptu birthday party just for him. He had forgotten
it was Vincent's birthday, the date stamped on his employment
Success abroad changes people. Obinze notices this every
papers. As the other men pass around the birthday treats,
time he tries to connect with Emenike, who is always too
tears spring to Obinze's eyes. He feels safe.
important and busy to help his old friend. He finds he gets the
most from people who have the least to give, such as Iloba and
Vincent calls Obinze that night. He wants a 10 percent raise, or
Nigel. Obinze was always irritated with Iloba at home but is
45 percent of Obinze's salary. Obinze is certain Vincent is
incredibly grateful to have him in England. He probably would
bluffing—he wouldn't dare risk losing the money Obinze puts in
never have befriended the socially awkward and
his bank account every week. But Obinze is wrong. The next
unsophisticated Nigel, who is his best British friend in England
week, Roy Snell tells Obinze that someone called with an
and one of the few British nationals who treats him like an
anonymous tip that "Vincent" was working under a fake name.
equal. Kindness is a form of currency for Obinze, who pays
He tells Obinze to bring in his passport the next day to clear up
back Nigel with interest years later.
everything. As Obinze leaves the building for the last time that
night, he regrets not telling Roy and Nigel his real name.
Part 3, Chapters 27–28
Years later, back in Lagos, Chief tells Obinze to find a white
man he can "present as his General Manager." Obinze calls
Nigel and offers him a job.
Summary
Analysis
Part 3, Chapter 27
Whenever Obinze thinks of love, whether platonic or romantic,
his thoughts turn to Ifemelu. She filled the role of best friend
Once a week, Obinze goes to a bookshop, buys "an overpriced
and lover for so long that even though he's furious with her,
caffeinated drink," and becomes himself again as he reads
he's unable to give her up completely. Perhaps not
book after book of contemporary American fiction. He still
coincidentally, Obinze feels the same way about the United
longs for a life in the United States, but he finds the books
States. The passion he once felt for America and its culture is
unsatisfying. Nearly all "dissolved into ironic nothingness."
starting to wane. It's not because England has replaced it in his
Although he reads American newspapers and magazines,
heart—far from it—but because the stories of life there seem
Obinze stays away from British publications, which are full of
so trite and unimportant compared to the struggle that is his
fearmongering articles about the rising influx of immigrants.
everyday life. The United States and its culture still intrigue him,
"The wind blowing across the British Isles was odorous with
but the United States also appears to lack the depth he once
fear of asylum seekers," the narrator says before pointing out
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Americanah Study Guide
thought it had.
Obinze's greatest fear is that someone will figure out he's in
England illegally. If this happens, he will be arrested and sent
back home to Nigeria, which he views as the ultimate
admission of his failure. Even thinking about being discovered
makes him nervous, which is why he stays away from British
newspapers altogether. Adichie brings up an important point in
the descriptions of the anti-immigration news articles Obinze
avoids: the people coming to England are from the territories
the British colonized during the late-19th and early-20th
centuries. The primary purpose of British colonialism in Africa
was twofold: to gain economic power over other European
countries and to control more territory than other European
nations. Completely ignoring existing kingdoms, villages, and
cultures, the British forcefully took over the land and peoples
living in modern-day Nigeria, the Gold Coast of West Africa,
Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika. The British (and other
European nations) justified this by saying they were "civilizing
savage people" through the introduction of Christianity and the
European trade, justice, and education systems. Those
systems eventually took root and, in most places, lived on after
Chapter Summaries 40
Part 3, Chapter 29
The Angolans arranging Obinze's marriage keep adding more
fees for their services. Obinze is running out of money. He has
already asked his cousin Nicholas for a loan, so he turns to the
one person he knows has money: Emenike. They meet at a
restaurant, where Emenike talks about his recent trip to
America. He indirectly brags about his wife's status and their
wealth, and every story he tells is about someone who belittles
him getting their comeuppance in the end. He hands Obinze an
envelope and says, "I know you asked for five hundred but it's
one thousand. You want to count it?" Obinze is mortified—in
Nigeria, counting borrowed money in front of the person
loaning it would be considered the height of rudeness. He
counts anyway, "wondering if Emenike had hated him all those
years in secondary school and university." Emenike assures
him it's not a loan. Emenike's wife, Georgina, joins them for
dinner at a new and overpriced trendy restaurant. She doesn't
think Obinze will like it, but Emenike insists. Over dinner,
Georgina invites Obinze to a dinner party at their home the
following night.
the end of colonialism in the mid-20th century. Adichie points
Emenike and Georgina live in a beautiful home full of "good
this out to help the reader realize how ridiculous it is to be
pieces" of antique furniture. The table is laden with
upset that people are flocking to a place they have been told is
mismatched, handmade plates purchased from a bazaar in
the best of all nations.
India. Back in Nigeria, people would be embarrassed to have
The immigration fears in Great Britain and other European
nations are a good thing for people such as Vincent who are
these kinds of things in view of guests, but Emenike shows
them off proudly.
happy to turn one person's strife into their own profit. Vincent
The dinner conversation touches on several controversial
isn't afraid to demand more from Obinze because he knows
subjects, including American nationalism, a movement to
there are other people in similar situations who would be willing
prevent African health care workers from practicing in Europe
to give him almost 50 percent of their salary just to stay in
so they can help "their people," and immigration. Obinze is
England. The Angolans who are arranging Obinze's marriage to
tense while the other guests talk about the difference between
Cleotilde take a similar view of the immigrant situation.
American and European immigration policies. Georgina points
Although they are immigrants themselves, they feel little
out that in America, immigration is about race. Alexa, one of
compassion for those facing struggles similar to the ones they
Emenike and Georgina's friends, asks Emenike if the United
overcame not so long ago.
States is "an iniquitously racist country." Emenike replies that in
America, "blacks and white work together but don't play
Part 3, Chapters 29–30
together," whereas in England, it's the opposite. Obinze adds
that in England, class "is in the air that people breathe.
Everyone knows their place."
Summary
Alexa refuses to believe that Emenike has faced any racism in
England, so Georgina makes Emenike tell the group a story
about a cab driver who pretended to be off duty so he wouldn't
have to take Emenike's fare. Obinze has heard this story
before, and he's struck by the difference in how Emenike tells
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 41
it for a white audience, never mentioning the feelings of rage
the life he always imagined. But instead of using his good
that coursed through his body after it happened. Now he
fortune to help Obinze, he lords his wealth and position over
speaks "in a tone cleansed of anger, thick only with a kind of
him. Emenike's monetary gift to Obinze is nothing more than a
superior amusement." Alexa changes the subject back to
power play. He wants Obinze to feel embarrassed for asking
immigration. "People who have survived frightful wars must
for a loan and hopes to embarrass him even more by insisting
absolutely be allowed in!" she says heatedly. Obinze knows
it's a gift. While Obinze would normally find Emenike's actions
neither she nor anyone else at the table would ever
embarrassing, he's so tired of struggling just to get by that he
"understand the need to escape from the oppressive lethargy
finds himself relieved that he doesn't have to repay the loan.
of choicelessness."
Emenike is extraordinarily careful when he speaks about race
to his British friends, all of whom are white. He adopts a light,
Part 3, Chapter 30
nonconfrontational tone when talking about race and racism.
Since his ultimate goal is to be envied by all, he does
Obinze and Iloba go to Newcastle for Obinze's wedding to
everything he can to avoid the stereotypes of his ethnicity and
Cleotilde. Two policemen watch them carefully as they enter
race. He's incredibly good at it, as evidenced by Alexa's
the civil center. Obinze's pang of fear turns into a "dull echo of
disbelief that he ever experienced racism in England.
an aftermath" as he is arrested for being in England beyond
the expiration date of his visa. He is handcuffed, taken to a
Alexa is another example of a white character who doesn't
police station, and placed in a jail cell. When his state-
understand the nuances of race, immigration, and life in Africa.
appointed lawyer arrives, Obinze says he is willing to go back
Her privilege blinds her to the inequities and racism in her
to Nigeria. He can feel his dignity slipping away.
homeland. She truly believes that racism doesn't exist in
London, at least in the parts of London where she lives. Racism
Obinze is first taken to a holding area in the Manchester
doesn't directly affect her, so she thinks it doesn't exist.
Airport. Three other men, two of whom are from Nigeria, are
already there. Obinze asks an immigration officer for
Adichie uses the dinner party scene to compare the cultural
something to read, but she just laughs at him. He goes to the
differences pertaining to race in England and the United
TV room, where men talk about how they were caught and how
States. As Obinze puts it, a black child and white child who live
many times they've been deported. Iloba, Nicholas, and Ojiugo
in the same British neighborhood could easily be friends while
visit. They want to help, but there's nothing they can do. Obinze
a white child from a poor neighborhood probably wouldn't be
thinks of Ifemelu. Then he is taken to Dover, a former prison,
friends with a white child from a wealthy neighborhood. The
where he is imprisoned with another Nigerian who seems to be
opposite is true in the United States, where people are
crumbling under the stress of the situation. Obinze stops
separated by race more than social class. Class is more
eating.
important than race in England and vice versa in the United
States.
After an untold number of days, Obinze and seven other
Nigerians are handcuffed and marched onto an airplane for the
Obinze is going to have to settle for what Nigeria has to offer,
flight home. The paying passengers stare at them and the
at least for a while. Vincent turns him in, and he is apprehended
Nigerian flight attendants treat them with disdain. After the
before he can marry Cleotilde. Had the ceremony taken place,
other passengers disembark, an immigration officer leads the
Obinze would have been safe. Everything he has worked for
deportees into an office, where he asks for a bribe. Obinze
over the past three years is suddenly moot and he's back
hands him a £10 note and then goes outside where his mother
where he started.
is waiting for him.
Obinze is different from the other immigrant waiting to be
deported. This is the first and only time he will try to immigrate
Analysis
Back in Nigeria, Emenike lied about his heritage and put on a
false air of superiority to impress his friends. Now he is living
Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.
to England. Many of the other men he is detained with are on
their second attempt and have plans for future efforts. They
are not bothered by the consequences or embarrassed to
have been caught and sent home in shame. They feel like
heroes. The reader and Obinze don't know these men's
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 42
histories and backgrounds, but one can infer that the dreams
was wrong. After he pronounced Essence magazine as being
they're chasing abroad outweigh the risks of being sent home
"racially skewed," Ifemelu took him a bookstore and made him
again. They will do anything to rise above their station, even if
flip through women's magazines. Out of thousands of pages,
they have to lie to get there. This kind of behavior never felt
only three black women were pictured. She explained how
right to Obinze, and he won't attempt it again.
magazines written for white women completely ignored hair
care and makeup for black women. Ifemelu wrote about the
Part 4, Chapters 31–32
experience to Wambui that night, who said Ifemelu should start
a blog. A few weeks after breaking up with Curt, she did.
At the dinner party, Ifemelu recited the last lines of her first
Summary
blog post, which was about how the solution to racism is
romantic love, "the kind that twists you and wrings you out."
She believed this because that type of love is so rare and that
Part 4, Chapter 31
"the problem of race in America will never be solved." Everyone
around the table, save the hostess, looks uncomfortable.
Ifemelu cheats on Curt with her neighbor, a scruffy guy named
The chapter ends with a post from Ifemelu's blog about hair as
Rob who wears ripped jeans and flannel shirts. Curt at first
a metaphor for race. It was prompted by a white friend who
doesn't believe Ifemelu when she confesses, but then he
was shocked that Michelle Obama's hair doesn't naturally grow
becomes angry. He insults her and refuses to see her or talk to
silky and straight. Writing anonymously, Ifemelu says that
her ever again. Ginika thinks Ifemelu is a "self-sabotager"—first
Barack Obama would lose the independent and undecided
she ghosted Obinze and now she ruined her relationship with
Democratic vote if his wife had natural hair. She ends the post
Curt. Ifemelu insists the dalliance with Rob was a mistake, but
with her own hair care routine.
in private, she admits "she had not entirely believed herself"
while she was with Curt. His life was too perfect. Sometimes
she wanted to "create rough edges, to squash his sunniness,
Part 4, Chapter 32
even if just a little."
Ifemelu spends weeks after the breakup trying to remember
Years later, Ifemelu and Blaine are at a party celebrating
who she was before she met Curt. Work is boring and
Barack Obama's first presidential inauguration when Ifemelu
meaningless, and her apartment no longer feels like home. She
gets into a fight with a Haitian poet who says race was never
spends every weekend with Dike and Aunty Uju, who has a
an issue when she had a long-term white boyfriend. Insisting
kind and devoted Ghanaian boyfriend named Kweku. Uju thinks
that race is always an issue, Ifemelu describes how race
Ifemelu is crazy for letting her relationship with Curt end.
affected her relationship with Curt and why interracial couples
say race doesn't matter. "That's what we're supposed to say,
Ifemelu's parents finally come to the United States for a visit.
to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable," she says.
Their appearances haven't changed, "but the dignity [Ifemelu]
remembered was gone, and left instead something small, a
Ifemelu remembers how Curt yelled at an Asian salon
provincial eagerness." She is horrified to find herself sneering
employee who told Ifemelu they couldn't wax her eyebrows
at the things they find exciting—the industrial carpeting in her
because they didn't "do curly" and how white women stared at
apartment, faux-leather purses from Kmart, a photo of
her when they realized she and Curt were together. She thinks
themselves in front of the J.C. Penney sign. Before they leave,
about the time Curt told off his mother when she said America
her mother asks if she has a boyfriend and then encourages
was "color-blind" but how he also turned a blind eye to his
her to find one because "a woman is like a flower. Our time
aunt's constant references to Kenya, Nelson Mandela, and
passes quickly." Not long after they depart, Ifemelu suddenly
Harry Belafonte. "There were, simply, times that he saw and
quits her job. She is just as surprised about it as her manager.
times that he was unable to see," the narrator says.
The chapter ends with a brief excerpt from a blog post about
Ifemelu usually kept her thoughts about race to herself, but
how scientists and doctors can't seem to agree whether race
there was one time when she couldn't help but show Curt he
is an indicator of genetic difference or not.
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Americanah Study Guide
Analysis
Ifemelu's visit with her parents is an eye-opener. She has lived
in the United States for at least seven years, but she doesn't
really see how Americanized she has become until she sees
her parents again. Just as many Americans think of Africans,
she views her parents as being unsophisticated. She's
ashamed of her feelings and irritated with her parents for not
automatically fitting in. Assimilation has become second nature
to Ifemelu, and she expects the same of others.
Even though Ifemelu managed to assimilate into American
culture, she wasn't able to break her bad relationship habits.
Ginika is right: Ifemelu is a self-sabotager. In her previous
relationship with Obinze and her relationship with Curt, she
always had to resist the desire to pick fights or find faults in
her partner. Ifemelu loved both men and wanted to be with
them, but their perfection scared her. Ifemelu isn't interested in
a perfect life. It might be fun for a while, but it also doesn't
seem real.
Chapter Summaries 43
White people don't talk about race because their position of
racial privilege protects them from experiences common to
people of other races. They can't bring up what they don't
know. Often, they assume the problem of racism has been
solved because acts of racial discrimination aren't as overt as
in the past. Even when matters of racial inequity are explained
to them, such as when Ifemelu makes Curt flip through
thousands of magazine pages, many white people still don't get
it. To them, racism exists only when people are insulted, hurt,
or denied service because of the way people look. They don't
consider lack of representation, opportunity, or information to
be directly connected to systemic prejudice.
The subject of hair comes up a lot in Americanah. In many
instances, it represents Ifemelu's cultural and personal identity.
In her blog post in Part 4, Chapter 31, she uses it as a
metaphor for race. As she explains it, white people are so used
to being the majority that they assume everyone is just like
them and/or wants to be like them. That's why white American
society views relaxed and straightened black hair as more
acceptable than natural black hair. When white people do
Cheating on Curt shows Ifemelu a side of her boyfriend she'd
notice something different, such as an afro, they assume
never seen before. "How could you do this to me? I was so
something has been done to make a black person's hair divert
good to you," he says. He viewed their relationship as one
from what (they believe) nature intended. Relaxed and
where he was the giver and she was the taker, not an equal
straightened hair makes black people look more like white
partnership. He liked being the one with the money and the
people, which makes white people feel more comfortable. If
status, and he viewed Ifemelu as both a reward for and an
Michelle Obama had worn her hair in an afro, dreadlocks, or
emblem of his generosity and open-mindedness. His friends
braids, she would have been perceived as different, which
know him as the "brave" man who is dating an African woman.
would have made white voters uncomfortable and more likely
Without Ifemelu's devotion, he loses that prestige. Curt did
to vote for the opposition.
truly love Ifemelu, but part of that love stemmed from how their
relationship made him look to others.
The details about Ifemelu's hair care routine at the end of the
blog post shouldn't be overlooked. By including this
Race is a major theme throughout Americanah. Part 4, Chapter
information, Adichie is educating white readers about
31, examines the differences in how white people and black
something black readers have long known: a black person
people experience it, think about it, and talk about it. Through
caring for their hair, even relaxed hair, is vastly different from a
Ifemelu's conversation with the Ghanaian poet, Adichie points
white person caring for their hair. Presenting Ifemelu's routine
out that Americans go to great lengths to ignore race or
is also a direct rebuke to the dozens of beauty magazines
pretend it doesn't exist. But issues that remain ignored can't be
whose recommendations and instructions ignore an entire
solved. Ifemelu (and, it can be inferred, Adichie) believes that
racial demographic.
Americans need to acknowledge the existence of race so they
can deal with the myths and rifts associated with it.
Ifemelu's outsider's perspective allows her to see both sides of
the racial divide. African Americans don't talk about race and
their experiences with racism because they don't want to make
their white friends feel uncomfortable and they don't want to
fall into the stereotype of the angry black man or woman.
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Part 4, Chapters 33–34
Americanah Study Guide
Summary
Chapter Summaries 44
they handle racially charged interactions. Blaine is appalled
when Ifemelu allows a white woman to touch her hair while
waiting in line at the grocery store. Ifemelu later argues, "How
Part 4, Chapter 33
else will she know what hair like mine feels like?"
Ifemelu tells her parents about Blaine a year into their
The readership of Ifemelu's blog grows exponentially. Soon,
relationship, just as she moves to New Haven permanently. Her
readers are asking to make donations to support her work,
father can't believe she's dating "an American Negro" instead
then followers are asking if they can advertise their homemade
of a Nigerian, but her mother doesn't mind as long as he's not a
products. Before long, national brands are advertising on her
devil worshipper. Even though Ifemelu can easily imagine her
site. Ifemelu, known online and in print articles only as "The
future life with Blaine—home-cooked meals of hearty grains
Blogger," starts giving lectures on diversity to companies and
and organic produce, a crib in the spare room, regular joint
organizations.
trips to the gym—she assures her mother there's no rush to
Her first presentation, given to a small company in Ohio, is
start planning a traditional Nigerian wedding.
about the different types and levels of racism. The response
The chapter ends with an excerpt from Ifemelu's blog, titled,
isn't great, and that night she receives an e-mail telling her she
"Job Vacancy in America—National Arbiter in Chief of 'Who Is
is a racist and she "SHOULD BE GRATEFUL WE LET YOU
Racist.'" In it, she explains that although racism still exists in
INTO THIS COUNTRY." After that, "she began to say what they
the United States, the notion of individuals being labeled as
wanted to hear," congratulating her mostly white audiences on
racists disappeared with the civil rights movement of the 1950s
decreasing the level of racism in the United States. On her
and 1960s. She facetiously suggests that "somebody needs to
blog, she still writes things such as, "racism should never have
get the job of deciding who is racist and who isn't."
happened and so you don't get a cookie for reducing it."
The blogging business is good. Even though she worries that
her identity will someday be exposed and people will discover
she's just a woman jotting down her thoughts from her home
office, she can soon afford to hire an intern and purchase her
own two-bedroom condo.
Analysis
It isn't a coincidence that Ifemelu starts her blog after her
relationship with Curt ends. Their breakup made her realize
that she had things to say about race in America but didn't
The chapter ends with a brief blog post that encourages
have anyone to say them to. She didn't feel comfortable talking
"Zipped-Up Negroes" to share stories about their personal
to Curt or to their mutual friends about race because they
experiences with racism.
were all American, and Americans don't talk about race. She
needed an audience of immigrants, but as she realized when
she ran into Kayode at the mall in Part 2, Chapter 22, she didn't
Part 4, Chapter 34
really know many other black immigrants, save Wambui. So she
took her thoughts to the Internet, which is also where she
Eight years after they met on the train, Ifemelu and Blaine
found other natural hair enthusiasts.
reconnect at a Blogging while Brown convention. She has
thought about him frequently since then, and he has thought
The blog quickly becomes all-encompassing and takes on a life
about her. Their phone calls and blog comments build to a
of its own. Ifemelu begins to feel as if she were a part of it
romantic in-person relationship, and before long Ifemelu is
instead of it being a part of her. For the most part, she
spending most of her time in Blaine's New Haven, Connecticut,
manages to maintain her anonymity, even when she begins
apartment. Ifemelu is captivated by Blaine's kindness,
giving corporate and university presentations about diversity.
intelligence, and overall goodness, yet she also sometimes
That's because the people in her diversity workshops don't
feels like a student who is disappointing her favorite teacher.
care about who she is or the name of her blog. They're mostly
Blaine pushes Ifemelu to make her blog more factual and
white and not very interested in the realities of racial
seems genuinely puzzled when Ifemelu's opinions about art,
discrimination or prejudice in the workplace. They attend her
literature, and music don't mirror his. They also diverge in how
seminars out of obligation, probably to fulfill diversity training
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 45
requirements set forth by their employers. These are not
into the type of woman with whom he would fall in love instead
people who will seek out her blog for more information. They're
of maintaining her own ways and expecting him to love her as
not even people who can be convinced of the existence of
she is.
systemic racism. Ifemelu changes her message for these inperson presentations because she understands she's not
being hired to educate but to simply make the company look
Part 4, Chapters 35–36
like it values and supports a diverse workforce. If she said
anything remotely negative about race in corporate America,
she wouldn't get hired again.
Summary
Ifemelu instead saves her honesty for her blog. It's not just a
place where she talks about her experiences but is a space
where other people of color can also share stories about how
race affects them. In sharing her views, she had inadvertently
created a community for others looking for an outlet of their
own, much like the hair care website that helped her embrace
her natural hair all those years ago. Ifemelu feels safe saying
what she really thinks on her blog because nobody knows who
she is. This anonymity, at least where the general public is
concerned, is important. Otherwise, she, too, would be one of
those "zipped-up negroes" who keep their views about race to
themselves so as to keep others comfortable and keep
themselves safe from harassment and physical harm.
From a racial standpoint, Ifemelu and Blaine have much more in
common than she and Curt ever did. But Ifemelu and Blaine still
have cultural differences. For example, Ifemelu doesn't see the
harm in a white woman touching her hair, but Blaine does. He
equates the white woman's actions with the historical racial
supremacy, when white people owned black people and felt
they had the right to use their bodies as they saw fit. Ifemelu
doesn't have this same reaction because she didn't grow up in
the United States. The history of white supremacy and slavery
is not part of her social context. The cultural barrier between
Blaine and Ifemelu is perhaps even harder to overcome than
Part 4, Chapter 35
Blaine receives a phone call from his sister, Shan. She's in the
midst of "another small meltdown" about the cover selection
for her first published book, so he and Ifemelu go to New York
City to visit her for the weekend. Shan is petite, graceful,
intelligent, and completely self-absorbed. "When Shan walked
into a room, all the air disappeared," the narrator notes.
Despite herself, Ifemelu finds herself wanting to impress Shan.
Perhaps it's because of how much Blaine clearly adores her, or
maybe it's simply how Shan "dripped power, a subtle and
devastating kind."
Shan casually boasts about a wealthy Frenchman who is
pursuing her despite the fact that she's in a relationship, then
she criticizes white American men who refuse to date black
women. When Ifemelu points out that she personally gets "a lot
more interest from white men than from African American
men," Shan dismisses her experiences as nothing more than a
product of her "exotic credential." Ifemelu becomes irritated
with Shan and then with Blaine, who doesn't stick up for her.
Still, Ifemelu finds herself asking Shan to be a guest blogger
once Shan's book is published.
the racial barrier she faced with Curt. It was easy for Curt and
The chapter ends with a blog post called, "Obama Can Win
Ifemelu to look at one another and to know they came from
Only If He Remains the Magic Negro." By this, Ifemelu means
different backgrounds. But when Blaine and Ifemelu look at
that Barack Obama will not win the presidential election if he
one another, they see someone who looks like them, which
acknowledges the existence of "a harsher, uglier America"
makes it easy to forget their differences.
when it comes to race relations.
Blaine is the third of Ifemelu's long-term boyfriends. Like
Obinze and Curt before him, Ifemelu finds him to be full of
goodness and perfection. He eats organic food, fights against
Part 4, Chapter 36
social injustice, goes to great lengths to be environmentally
Ifemelu feels ill at ease with Blaine's friends, who are mostly
friendly, and exercises often. He even flosses regularly (which
professors or attached to Yale University through fellowships
to Ifemelu seems absurd). As with Curt, Ifemelu quickly molds
or other academic pursuits. They gather on the evening of
herself to Blaine's lifestyle and standards. She changes herself
Barack Obama's presidential announcement to celebrate the
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 46
birthday of Blaine's friend, Marcia. Blaine's white ex-girlfriend,
a different way. Paula no longer stakes any claim on Blaine.
Paula, is there, as is Paula's partner, Pee (short for Paula). As
She has Pee, and she and Blaine are simply good friends. But
they celebrate, they also discuss Obama's prospects for the
Ifemelu feels threatened by her because of the personal and
presidency. Pee says she's "ready" for a black president, but
cultural history she and Blaine share. Even though Paula is
she doesn't think the rest of the country is. This upsets Paula,
white, she has a better grasp of the history of oppression in
who accuses Pee of getting her opinions from Paula's mother.
the United States than Ifemelu, which means she can
Grace, a Korean American professor of African American
understand and empathize with Blaine's worldview better than
studies, thinks Obama isn't ready to be president. He will "ruin
Ifemelu. Even though Ifemelu and Blaine are technically the
it" for future black candidates. Michael, an African American
same race, their different ethnicities prevent them from fully
photographer, thinks Obama will be murdered before he can
understanding one another. Ifemelu's awareness of this and
become president. Ifemelu is rooting for Hillary Clinton.
concerns about it threatens to crack their relationship.
Ifemelu likes Paula, but she's also jealous of the shared
The conversation at Marcia's birthday party about Barack
romantic and cultural history she has with Blaine and the way
Obama's presidential candidacy subtly reveals how each
she has an "air of a real ideologue." At one point, Paula reads
character feels about race in the United States. Michael, an
aloud one of Ifemelu's blog posts that she assigned to her
African American, has a very negative view of race relations in
class. It instructs American nonblacks on what not to say when
the United States, as evidenced by his declaration that Obama
talking about race with American black people and points out
will be shot before he gets the chance to take office.
multiple examples of privilege that most white people take for
Grace—the Korean American professor of African American
granted.
studies—and Pee both think that the majority of white people
aren't ready to elect a black president. Grace worries that a
The chapter ends with a blog post called "Traveling While
defeat will set racial equality back by about 50 years. But the
Black," which is about a friend of a friend who is writing about
most telling endorsement is Ifemelu's. Race is not the first
his experiences as a dark black man traveling around the
thing she looks at when thinking about presidential candidates.
world. Ifemelu invites readers to share their own travel stories.
Unlike everyone else in the room, it doesn't matter to her that
Obama is black. A lot of this has to do with the fact that she
Analysis
Ifemelu's relationship with Blaine is threatened by two people:
Shan and Paula. Shan is the more immediate threat. She wants
all of Blaine's attention—really, everyone's attention—for
herself. She gets it by revolving through a variety of personas:
never considered herself black until she moved to the United
States. Skin color isn't an immediate social cue for her. Coming
from a country where there are few, if any, women in power,
she's more likely to gravitate toward someone because of their
gender. This is why she initially aligns herself with Hillary
Clinton.
needy, distant, enigmatic, confident, blunt, and charming.
Blaine supports Obama, which is one of the reasons why
Ifemelu doesn't like Shan at all, but she desperately wants
Ifemelu begins supporting Obama too. She often blogs about
Shan to like her. Perhaps it's because she knows no woman
Obama and what he means to Americans. Her blog post at the
stands a chance of staying with Blaine without Shan's
end of Part 4, Chapter 35, calls him a "Magic Negro." This term,
approval, but it's also likely that Ifemelu simply craves Shan's
which was first used by sociologists in the 20th century, is
seal of approval. Although she would probably deny it, Ifemelu
used to describe black men who seemingly appear out of
is constantly bending herself to please others during her time
nowhere to help white people get over their guilt about slavery
in the United States. She's not trying to come off as American
and segregation. Magic Negroes are unfailingly kind,
or African American—she's moderating her views to be more
comforting, and never ask for anything in return. Ifemelu's blog
likable to people by avoiding conflict and disagreement at all
post suggests that if Obama wants to win the 2008
costs. Obinze does the same thing during Emenike's dinner
presidential election, he cannot say anything remotely negative
party in Part 3, Chapter 29. Neither one of them behaved that
about the current condition of race relations in the United
way in Nigeria, nor with each other.
States. Even though he is black, he must in essence publicly
Paula is also a threat to Ifemelu's relationship with Blaine but in
Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.
take the white perspective that the problems of racism were
solved during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and
Americanah Study Guide
1960s. Ifemelu's views of race coincide with those of Grace
and Pee—most white people aren't ready for an authentically
black president.
Chapter Summaries 47
Part 4, Chapter 38
Ifemelu and Blaine have their first big fight. Blaine organizes a
protest in front of the library in honor of Mr. White, the African
Part 4, Chapters 37–38
American security guard at the Yale library, who was
befriended by Blaine long ago. A white library employee saw
Mr. White hand his car keys to a black friend, who then handed
Mr. White some cash to pay back a loan. The white employee
Summary
thought it was a drug deal and called a supervisor. The police
got involved, and Mr. White was taken away for questioning. He
ultimately wasn't arrested, but Blaine is deeply distressed by
Part 4, Chapter 37
the situation.
Dike is growing up. He's a lanky teenager with a girlfriend and a
Blaine assumes Ifemelu will come to the protest, but she has
solid group of friends—most of whom are white. He's the
other plans he doesn't know about, namely a going-away lunch
indisputable leader of the pack, but Ifemelu doesn't understand
for a professor she knows tangentially. It is only while at the
why he adds words such as "ain't" and "y'all" to his vocabulary
lunch that she starts to feel guilty for not attending the protest,
when he talks to them. Ifemelu is certain Dike is going to be
so she goes home early and texts Blaine that she woke up late
one of those people who is adored by everyone he meets.
from a nap. Blaine learns the truth the next day. He's incredibly
upset that Ifemelu lied to him and even more upset when she
Ifemelu and Blaine go to New York City for one of Shan's
says, "I just didn't feel up to it." He accuses her of writing about
salons, which are gatherings of intellectual friends over
a life she doesn't really live. Ifemelu interprets this as a
cocktails. The crowd that evening includes writers, professors,
criticism "not merely about her laziness, her lack of zeal and
lesbians, heterosexuals, and people of all races. Shan tells
conviction, but also about her Africanness." Blaine's best friend
everyone about how her editor wanted her memoir to
Araminta assures Ifemelu he will get over it, but after three
"transcend race," meaning that he wanted her to pretend race
days, he's still not speaking to her. She packs her bags and
wasn't a factor in situations where it clearly was. At the end of
goes to Willow.
her monologue, she declares, "You can't write an honest novel
about race in this country." This steers the group into a
The chapter ends with a blog post about white privilege, which
conversation about American fiction, which Shan says just
includes a questionnaire so that readers can evaluate their
shows "dysfunctional white folk doing things that are weird to
own level of privilege.
normal white folks."
The atmosphere in the room changes when Shan tells
Analysis
everyone Ifemelu can get away with writing her blog because
she's "writing from the outside. She doesn't really feel all the
The cracks in Ifemelu and Blaine's relationship begin to form at
stuff she's writing about." If Ifemelu were African American,
Shan's salon. These gatherings aren't a conversation between
nobody would be hiring her to give diversity talks or fawning
intellectuals, as Blaine insists, but a captive and receptive
over her essays. "She'd just be labeled angry and shunned,"
audience for Shan's melodramatic monologues. She always
Shan says. Ifemelu finally breaks the silence by acknowledging
makes sure she is at the center of attention and conversation,
the fairness of Shan's assessment, then she gets mad at
even if it means putting other people down to get a reaction. In
herself "for bending to Shan's spell." Blaine kind of defends
a word, she's a bully. Shan isn't wrong when she says that
Ifemelu, but his words are "too limp, too late."
Ifemelu is able to write her blog because she isn't American.
The whole point of Ifemelu's blog is that she's not American,
The chapter ends with a blog post titled, "Is Obama Anything
which allows her to look at race from a different perspective.
But Black?" The content is about racism being based on
But Shan is misinterpreting Ifemelu's intent. She thinks
appearance, not heritage.
Ifemelu's blog is a commentary on racism in the United States
from the perspective of a black person. However, it's not that
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Americanah Study Guide
simple. Ifemelu isn't speaking for black people in general—she's
speaking from the point of view of an outsider.
Chapter Summaries 48
Part 4, Chapters 39–40
Shan is being particularly hurtful when she says no one would
advertise on Ifemelu's blog or hire her for diversity training if
Summary
she weren't from another country. She's at once implying that
Ifemelu isn't a good enough writer or speaker to deserve
money for her work and buying into the stereotype of the
Part 4, Chapter 39
"exotic" other. She conflates Ifemelu's value with her
"otherness," just as Curt did. She's also being unfair when she
While Ifemelu is staying with Aunty Uju and Dike in Willow,
says Ifemelu "doesn't really feel all the stuff she's writing
Aunty Uju tells her that Dike was suspected of hacking into the
about." Ifemelu has many feelings about the situations she
school's computer network on a Saturday when they were out
addresses in her blog: confusion, anger, annoyance, gladness.
of town. "The boy is not even good with computers," Uju says.
Shan approaches the topic of race as if there is only one right
When Ifemelu asks why they singled out Dike, he laughs and
position: hers. She does not allow for other people's feelings or
says, "you have to blame the black kid first." Later, Dike tells
curiosities and slams anyone who does not parrot her point of
Ifemelu how the pastor at church talks to him differently from
view.
how she talks to the white kids and how his friends always ask
Ifemelu suspects that Shan's hostility toward her and her blog
if he has any marijuana.
have affected Blaine's opinion of her. Their fight isn't so much
Blaine refuses to speak to Ifemelu for nine days. When he
about Ifemelu's choice not to go to the protest but about how
finally answers the phone, he agrees that Ifemelu can come
she is still African, not African American. Blaine is angry that
home and cook them coconut rice.
his causes aren't her causes. He wants her to share in his
anger and pain. He wants her to be more like him. This is one
The chapter ends with a blog post titled, "Understanding
change Ifemelu can't make. She does not have the cultural
America for the Non-American Black: A Few Explanations of
context that fuels Blaine's outrage about the way Mr. White
What Things Really Mean." In it, an anonymous Ifemelu
was treated. Blaine acts as if this will change, as if Ifemelu will
explains that Americans are uncomfortable with race, which
at one point have lived in the United States long enough to feel
they sometimes refer to as "culture" or "diversity."
the weight and betrayal of the past. But this won't
happen—Ifemelu has her own country and her own past. Blaine
is tacitly asking her to give up one for the other, which is
impossible.
Part 4, Chapter 40
Things are not the same between Ifemelu and Blaine when
The blog post that ends Part 4, Chapter 38, is about white
they get back together. She still admires him, but she's not
privilege. White privilege is the term used to describe the
attracted to him. The only thing sustaining their relationship is
inherent societal advantages white people have because of
Barack Obama's presidential candidacy. Ifemelu was a Hillary
their race. For example, white people and black people in the
Clinton supporter until she read Obama's memoir, Dreams from
United States use drugs at similar rates, but black people are
My Father. When she this to told Blaine, "she felt between them
six times more likely to be imprisoned for drug charges. Implicit
the first pulse of a shared passion." They track the election
bias related to the color of their skin puts black people at an
obsessively. Their moods change based on polling numbers
automatic disadvantage and gives white people the advantage.
and campaign news, and Ifemelu gets online every morning to
It happens all the time in employment, education, politics,
make sure Obama is still alive. When Ifemelu learns she has
health care, the legal system, and social interactions. Adichie
been awarded a research fellowship at Princeton University,
places this blog post in the chapter about Mr. White to
she and Blaine agree she won't leave until the election is over.
emphasize that Mr. White was suspected of dealing drugs not
because money changed hands but because he was black.
Were he and his friend white, the police would never have been
called.
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Ifemelu no longer feels excluded when hanging out with
Blaine's friends. She's not even jealous of Paula anymore. They
all have Obama in common. The only person who isn't on the
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 49
Obama wagon is Shan, who says she's "not following this
The "special white friend" mentioned in Ifemelu's blog post at
election." When Ifemelu suggests Shan read Obama's book,
the end of Part 4, Chapter 40, is meant to be a generic
Shan complains that nobody is reading her book.
composite of people, but it quite closely resembles Paula. She
gets in Pee's face in Part 4, Chapter 36, when Pee says she is
Ifemelu can't vote in the election—she won't become a citizen
ready for a black president but America isn't. Were Blaine or
for a few more weeks—but she goes with Blaine when he casts
Michael to say that, they would come across as the angry
his. They watch election coverage with their friends that
black man. Paula's privilege allows her to say things that would
evening. Everyone is ecstatic and tearful when Obama wins,
get people of color chastised or dismissed. In addition to
and Dike sends Ifemelu a text: "I can't believe it. My president is
encouraging other white people to speak up for their friends of
black like me." At that moment, "nothing ... was more beautiful
color, Ifemelu's blog post is also a subtle thank you to Paula for
to [Ifemelu] than America."
being an advocate.
Part 4, Chapter 40, ends with a blog post about the "special
Ifemelu isn't jealous of Paula anymore because she and Blaine
white friend" who understands racism and has no fear of
have something in common: Barack Obama. Obama's inclusion
putting other white people in their place.
injects a recognizable dose of reality for readers, especially
those old enough to remember his election, which opened
Analysis
When Ifemelu was in college, she often wondered whether
Dike would join the African Students Association (ASA) or the
Black Student Union (BSU). It is now clear that Dike would best
fit in with a BSU. He identifies as black, just like his new
president, who is also of African parentage and grew up in the
United States. Society, including Dike's teachers and the
administrators at his school, view him as African American and
national discussions about race, politics, and privilege. It would
have been easy for Adichie to cast all her black characters as
Obama supporters, but she chose instead to show the
nuances of political affiliation and that looking alike doesn't
always mean thinking alike. Ifemelu first supports Hillary
Clinton, and Michael never gets on the Obama bandwagon.
With this, Adichie is implying that there is more to politics and
social alliances than sheer tribalism. There are many things in
the world that are more important than race.
assume he lives up to the stereotypes of his appearance. It
doesn't matter that Dike doesn't know the first thing about
computers or that he wasn't near one when the hacking
Part 4, Chapter 41
happened—all that matters to them is that he is one of the only
black kids in a predominantly white school.
Summary
Ifemelu hits the nail on the head when she blogs about the way
Americans aren't comfortable talking about race. When it is
Everyone else has gone home for the day, and Aisha and
talked about, language is coded so as not to offend or cause
Ifemelu are alone in the salon. Aisha is upset that her boyfriend
controversy. That's how words such as diverse come to mean
never came by to talk to Ifemelu. Suddenly, she asks Ifemelu
different things to different people. As Ifemelu points out, white
how she got her papers, meaning how she became an
people tend to think diversity is when 10 percent of a group
American citizen. Ifemelu is offended at first—that's not a polite
isn't white. Black people say "diverse" when the group is close
question to ask—but softens after Aisha tells her she tried to
to 50 percent nonwhite. Her explanation about the word
marry an American but the man was too demanding. Ifemelu
culture brings to mind her former employer Kimberly, who
says her green card was sponsored by her employer.
always said that nonwhite people come from "such rich
cultures." Ifemelu has often pushed readers on her blog to talk
Aisha tells Ifemelu that she didn't go home for her father's
about race with others who don't look like them or have the
funeral last year because she was afraid she wouldn't be
same experiences. In addition to telling readers what language
allowed back in the country. Her mother is sick now. If her
to use, she is also suggesting that people use the words they
boyfriend marries her, she might be able to come back. Against
actually mean. Ignoring the existence of race doesn't make it
her will, Ifemelu finds herself offering to go to Aisha's
go away.
boyfriend's workplace and talk to him. It feels like the least she
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 50
can do since she will soon be able to go home and see her
a different person after so much time in the United States.
parents.
Without meaning to, he writes to her about his mother's death,
which happened some time ago. She writes back an hour later
On the train platform, Ifemelu takes a call from an inconsolable
with emotional condolences and tells him how much his mother
Aunty Uju. She had found Dike nearly comatose on the couch
meant to her. She says she's "going through something right
after he ingested an entire bottle of Tylenol.
now that gives [her] a sense of that kind of pain" but doesn't
elaborate. Instead, she asks for his phone number. He gives
Analysis
Ifemelu's and Aisha's immigration stories are very different.
her all five and tells her that he has thought of her at every
major event in his life and has known she would be the only
person to understand what he was going through.
Because of her education and social connections, Ifemelu was
Ten days go by without an e-mail or phone call. Obinze feels he
able to find a job with an employer who would sponsor her
should apologize for doing "too much too soon," but he instead
green card, or certification of permanent residency, which can
writes long, detailed e-mails about his time in England. He has
be an expensive and daunting process. Aisha doesn't have that
never told these things to anyone, not even himself. "Writing
luxury. Mariama isn't in the position to sponsor her employees
her also became a way of writing himself," the narrator says.
for citizenship and may not even be a citizen herself. So Aisha
has to look for other ways to become a legal citizen, such as
Ifemelu finally writes back. She tells him what happened with
marrying an American. This is why she's so upset that one of
Dike. Aunty Uju thinks Ifemelu is depressed, but instead of Dike
her boyfriends didn't come to visit. As a citizen, he holds the
seeing a doctor or taking medication, he just spends a lot of
key to her future here.
time with Ifemelu. She has loved reading about Obinze's time in
England and gives him the link to her now-defunct blog.
Ifemelu doesn't want to get involved, but she can't help it. She
knows how relatively easy she has had it, and she feels guilty
Ifemelu is all Obinze can think about during a visit with his wife,
when she's around those who are still trying to make their way
Kosi, and some friends to a prospective preschool for his
in this strange country. She also feels a sort of kinship with
daughter, Buchi. On the way home, Kosi says, "your mind is not
Aisha and the other women in the salon. They may not be from
here." When he gets home, he reads all of Ifemelu's blog posts.
Nigeria, but they are foreigners from the same continent. In
He can't imagine her writing them and feels "a sense of loss, as
some respects, she feels more understood by them than by
though she had become a person he would no longer
her American friends. At the same time, she's irritated with how
recognize."
provincial, or small town, they seem. They remind her of why
she misses home and why she's nervous about going back.
Analysis
Ifemelu won't be returning to Nigeria as soon as she hoped.
Dike's incident with the Tylenol wasn't an accident—it was a
Even when he was hurt by her and angry, Obinze has never
suicide attempt. As Aunty Uju indicates when she tells Ifemelu
stopped loving Ifemelu. She was "always clasped in the palm of
about the anti-nausea medication he took, it wasn't a mistake.
his mind," even during the long stretch of time when they
Ifemelu's carefree, quick-to-laugh cousin is not as happy as
weren't speaking. First love is powerful, but Obinze and
she had thought.
Ifemelu's connection goes beyond that. They are meant to be
together, or at least this is what Obinze thinks. It doesn't
Part 5, Chapter 42
matter that he has a wife and a child—as soon as Ifemelu
reenters his life, he devotes everything to her again. This is why
he's distressed by her blog. The Ifemelu he knew in secondary
school and university didn't talk like the one who wrote
Summary
Obinze checks his Blackberry relentlessly for a message from
Ifemelu. He is jealous of Blaine and worries that Ifemelu will be
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Raceteenth. She didn't use American slang back then nor that
irreverent tone. And she knew nothing about race, a concept
that didn't crystallize for her until she set foot on American soil.
Obinze worries that he won't love the new Ifemelu as much as
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 51
the old one. If that's the case, he doesn't think he will ever have
what happened. As she wishes he would stay a child forever,
the opportunity to experience the type of all-encompassing
he tells her, "Coz, you should go," meaning she should go to
passion and devotion he felt with Ifemelu. He has never met
Nigeria. She makes him promise to visit her.
another woman like her, and he probably never will.
Obinze doesn't yet know that Ifemelu broke up with Blaine, but
Analysis
she gives him one very blatant clue: she calls him "Ceiling." It's
the pet name Ifemelu started using after they began having sex
Ifemelu feels partially responsible for Dike's suicide attempt.
during their university years. It was a reference to the time she
Like many family members and friends of those who attempt
told him in Part 1, Chapter 2, "my eyes were open but I did not
suicide, she thinks she wasn't there for him enough when he
see the ceiling. This never happened before." The first time
needed her. She takes the event decidedly worse than Aunty
Ifemelu e-mailed Obinze after she stopped talking to him, she
Uju, who as a doctor understands that Dike's suicide attempt is
called him by his first name. She and Blaine were still dating
related to a disease. Although she has suffered from
and Obinze was about to marry Kosi. Calling him Ceiling now
depression herself and has lived in the United States for 13
shows her desire to reconnect as more than just friends.
years, Ifemelu still can't bring herself to view depression as a
Writing to Ifemelu about his time in England becomes a form of
therapy for Obinze. He was too confused and upset when he
first returned to Nigeria after his deportation to process
everything he'd been through. His constant fear of being
medical condition. Depression isn't named in Nigeria, and
Ifemelu still finds it strange that feelings of sadness and
despair can be classified as sickness and be treated with
medication.
caught in the country illegally shaped the way he does
It is also hard for her to reconcile the sadness and despair Dike
business today—even if he doesn't get the best end of the deal.
must have been feeling with the boisterous, laughing boy she
His dealings with Angolans resulted in his dislike for the
always saw during her visits. Now she realizes his jovial
rampant corruption in his industry and in Lagos at large.
demeanor might have been "a shield, and underneath, there
Obinze's experiences in England could have made him like the
might have been a growing pea plant of trauma." The trauma of
Angolans or any of the deportees who were already planning
which the narrator speaks is Dike's uncertainty of his identity.
their return trips while in detention. Instead, it pushed him in
Not only does he not know anything about his birth father, but
the opposite direction, crystallizing his sense of responsibility,
he is constantly trying to figure out where he belongs in his
morality, and fairness.
mostly white school and community. He and his friends
perceive him as African American, but his mother insists he
Part 6, Chapter 43
isn't. She tells Ifemelu this is because she didn't want him to
start acting like an African American and "thinking that
everything that happens to him is because he's black." Like
Ifemelu, Aunty Uju cannot fully grasp the impact race has on
Summary
the everyday life of African Americans. But Dike grew up in the
United States. He knows the country's history, and from a
Ifemelu stays with Dike and Aunty Uju for several weeks. She
young age he has known what it's like to be perceived as
alternately blames herself for Dike's suicide attempt, then
"other." No matter what his mother tells him, he identifies as
blames Aunty Uju. She reminds Uju of the time Dike referred to
African American.
himself and his mother as "we black folk" and Aunty Uju told
him he was not black. "You told him what he wasn't but you
didn't tell him what he was," Ifemelu accuses. Instead of getting
angry, Aunty Uju quietly and gently reminds Ifemelu that Dike
has depression. Ifemelu insists his depression "is because of
his experience."
Ifemelu begins to relax as the weeks pass. She takes Dike to
Miami for his 17th birthday. They talk about everything except
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Part 7, Chapters 44–45
Americanah Study Guide
Summary
Chapter Summaries 52
ugly, is annoyed she didn't notice the generator. "This was
what a true Lagosian should have noticed: the generator
house, the generator size," the narrator says.
Part 7, Chapter 44
Ifemelu rents an apartment in Ikoyi, a wealthy suburb of Lagos.
The landlord says he doesn't usually rent to Igbos, but he
Ifemelu is back in Nigeria. Driving through Lagos with her friend
makes an exception because Ifemelu lived in the United States.
Ranyinudo, she finds Lagos dizzying and overwhelming but
The apartment isn't in great shape, so Ifemelu arranges for air
also feels like she's "falling into the strange familiar." Ranyinudo
conditioners to be installed and the bathroom tile to be
jabbers about the wedding she just left, talking about a
replaced. The tiler does a terrible job. Ifemelu refuses to pay
handsome man who she believes is "serious husband material"
him what they agreed upon unless he fixes it, and then she
and how the bridesmaids were forced to wait outside during
threatens to call the police commissioner. "Do you know who I
mass because their spaghetti-strapped dresses "were
am?" she shouts. Later, she relays the story to Ranyinudo, who
indecent." Ifemelu is too busy watching the city pass by to pay
says she's no longer acting like an Americanah.
much attention.
Ranyinudo doesn't understand why Ifemelu hasn't called
While watching TV at Ranyinudo's apartment that night,
Obinze since she's been home. He could have helped her find a
Ifemelu and Ranyinudo talk about the married man Ranyinudo
good apartment, or at least a good tiler. Ranyinudo doesn't
has been dating for two years. Ranyinudo tells Ifemelu about
know that Ifemelu has e-mailed him briefly a few times but
their mutual friends from school—this one is an event planner,
hasn't yet told him she is back.
this one works in a bank—and Ifemelu wonders what her life
would have been like had she stayed. As Ranyinudo complains
about the car her married boyfriend bought her, Ifemelu feels
Analysis
"something between fascination and longing for Ranyinudo's
life," the kind where a person wants something and it appears.
Generators are running everywhere in Lagos—there has been
no electricity for a week. Ranyinudo turns hers off before they
go to bed. The air quickly becomes warm and humid without air
conditioning. Suddenly glad to have an American passport in
her bag, Ifemelu complains about the humidity. Ranyinudo
laughs and calls her "Americanah!"
Ifemelu and the city of Lagos have both changed during the 13
years Ifemelu spent in the United States. As the narrator says,
she is "no longer sure what was new in Lagos and what was
new in herself." The most notable change in Lagosian life is the
influx of Western culture. Before Ifemelu went to the United
States, everyone watched state-owned Nigerian television.
Now, no one does. Instead, they watch Western channels such
as E!, CNN, and the BBC. Adichie includes this detail to help
American and European readers understand that Nigeria isn't
Part 7, Chapter 45
politically, socially, or culturally sequestered from the rest of
Ifemelu is hired to be the features editor at a relatively new
many Westerners imagine when they think of Africa. It has
women's magazine called Zoe. Onenu, the publisher, invites
roads, cars, restaurants, cell phones, and cable television.
Ifemelu to her home for a chat, which Ifemelu finds odd. But
after all, "this was Nigeria, where boundaries were blurred,
where work blended into life." Without prompting, Ifemelu
begins offering ideas about how the magazine can be
improved. Aunty Onenu, as she insists on being called, doesn't
say much in response. When they leave, Ranyinudo says she
can't believe Ifemelu talked to her new boss like that. "If you
had not come from America, she would have fired you
immediately," she says. On the way home, Ranyinudo raves
about how beautiful Aunty Onenu's house is and the size and
silence of her generator. Ifemelu, who thought the house was
Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.
the world, nor is it the "Third World" developing nation that so
Ifemelu has changed a lot more than her hometown. Nigerian
architecture no longer appeals to her, humidity that was once
normal now seems oppressive, and the rules about what a
woman can wear inside a church seem too conservative. Even
though she grew up in Lagos, Ifemelu is used to the American
way of life. Ranyinudo is teasing Ifemelu when she calls her
"Americanah," but she's also telling her that she needs to get
over herself. Lagos is Lagos. It's not going to change just
because Ifemelu lived somewhere else for 13 years. She will
have to be the one to adapt. But Ifemelu is not sure if she can
Americanah Study Guide
do that. She's glad to have her American passport in her bag
because it represents her ability to leave. Unlike most of her
Chapter Summaries 53
Part 7, Chapter 46
friends and family, she has a choice about where she lives. The
Ifemelu spends her weekends in her parents' apartment,
mere thought of this helps her relax.
chatting with the neighbors and listening to her parents' stories
Ifemelu also looks at relationships differently since she first left
Nigeria. She no longer believes that employees need to agree
with everything their boss says and does. This is partly
because employment in America is generally viewed as a
business transaction without the facade of friendship like the
one Aunty Onenu insists on. Ifemelu isn't used to those lines
being blurred. She also hasn't yet realized that Aunty Onenu
didn't hire Ifemelu to help Zoe beat the competition—she just
about their visit to Baltimore all those years ago. She humors
them and hopes they don't bring up Blaine, who she says has
delayed his trip because of an issue at work. She lies to her
friends about Blaine too. It's easier to say they're together than
to listen to them feel sorry for her because she isn't married. It
seems as if her old friends only want to talk about who is
marrying whom, whose husband is a lout, and who is
suspected of cheating.
wanted the social cachet that comes along with having an
Ifemelu's only school friend who doesn't want to talk about
American returnee on staff.
marriage is Tochi, who spends their visit bashing the United
The transactional nature of Nigerian romantic relationships is
also a sticking point for Ifemelu. She has always known that
power and money can be powerful aphrodisiacs—she saw that
States. Ifemelu appeases her by only talking about the bad
parts of America. She's glad when Tochi's baby throws up,
ending the visit.
firsthand with Aunty Uju and The General. Now she sees her
Priye is an up-and-coming wedding planner. She and
friend engaging in similar behavior. Ranyinudo's first priority
Ranyinudo judge the success of a wedding based on how
isn't love—it's material comfort. "You should have seen his
many governors are in attendance. Ifemelu thinks this is
watch! He's into oil," she brags to Ifemelu about the man she
absurd. Priye and Ranyinudo also agree that "you do not marry
met at the wedding. This, plus the business card with
the man you love. You marry the man who can best maintain
international phone numbers, makes him seem like "serious
you." Priye tells Ifemelu she'll do her wedding at no
husband material." It doesn't matter that Ranyinudo already
commission. Ifemelu says she and Blaine will probably get
has a married boyfriend who bought her a car and will probably
married on the beach.
buy her another one—she's always looking for someone who
can provide more and who will be willing to marry her.
Ifemelu doesn't share this view. She searches not for material
Part 7, Chapter 47
comfort but for emotional, intellectual, and cultural connections
Ifemelu begins her job at Zoe. On her first day, she meets
in her romantic partners. It is situationally ironic that she's
Esther, the receptionist; Doris, the editor who used to live in
jealous of Ranyinudo for having the kind of life where she can
the United States; and Zemaye, the assistant editor. Esther,
want something and it appears—this is pretty much what
who is older than Ifemelu, calls her by the honorific ma and
Ifemelu's life was like with Curt. But nice things and trips
expects Ifemelu to "play the madam." Doris speaks "with a
weren't as important to Ifemelu as they are to Ranyinudo, "for
teenager American accent that made her sentences sound like
whom men existed only as sources of things." If they were, she
questions." Doris and Zemaye, an inscrutable woman who isn't
and Curt would probably still be together.
impressed by people who have lived abroad, don't get along at
all. Doris invites Ifemelu to the Nigerpolitan Club, which is a
Part 7, Chapters 46–47
regular gathering of people who have recently moved back to
Nigeria from the United States or England.
After Doris leaves for a meeting at Aunty Onenu's house,
Summary
Zemaye asks about Ifemelu's former job as a race blogger and
her American boyfriend. Ifemelu is irritated that Aunty Onenu
seems to have told everyone in the office about Blaine. She's
even more shocked when Zemaye asks, "Why is it only black
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 54
people that are criminals over there?" before explaining that
might be changing with the influx of Western culture. Cops is
she watches a lot of Cops and the criminals are always black.
an American TV show in which real-life police officers arrest
Ifemelu doesn't have a good answer.
real-life criminals. Because Cops shows a disproportionate
number of black people being arrested, Zemaye assumes that
Analysis
only black people commit crimes in the United States. Even
though Nigerian society doesn't share the stereotype of the
African American criminal, its citizens are learning it through
An invisible gulf has formed between Ifemelu and her
Western media.
secondary-school friends. The differences between the two
aren't so much about American culture versus Nigerian culture,
but about their life goals. There are still a lot of things Ifemelu
Part 7, Chapters 48–49
would like to achieve professionally, such as starting a new
blog and eventually developing her own magazine. Her friends
really only care about getting married. This most likely would
have been the case had Ifemelu stayed in Nigeria. She enjoys
Summary
having a partner and being in love, but getting married is not
her top priority. Even if she were married, she would continue
pursuing her professional passions. Priye seems to have a
passion for her job, but Ranyinudo doesn't. All she cares about
is settling down with a man who can support her lifestyle.
Ifemelu's new colleagues also aren't what she expected.
Esther, Doris, and Zemaye represent three stereotypes of
Nigerian women. Esther is the uneducated, unsophisticated
lower-class rural woman who has moved to the big city.
Around her, Ifemelu feels like a "madam," or a wealthy and
socially powerful woman. Ifemelu acts differently around
Esther than she would her academic and class peers, and she
doesn't like it. Doris is the American returnee who has adopted
some of that culture's worst qualities—a strange sense of
fashion and the habit of speaking in questions even when
making statements—and makes it a point to mention the United
States every chance she gets. Zemaye is who Ifemelu would
most closely resemble had she not lived in the United States.
Forthright and unimpressed by the Western way of doing
things, Zemaye is proud to be Nigerian and gets annoyed with
those who act like they're too good for the way things are done
at home.
Zemaye's questions about Ifemelu's blog and race signal a few
things to Ifemelu and to the reader. First, Zemaye wasn't
confused that Ifemelu was a blogger—blogging exists in
Nigeria just like everywhere else and she understands it's
possible to make a living doing it. For her, the weird part of
Ifemelu's former career is the subject of race. Just like Ifemelu
found race to be a strange concept 13 years ago, Zemaye
doesn't really get it today. In Americanah, race as Americans
think about it just doesn't exist in Nigeria. Adichie suggests this
Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.
Part 7, Chapter 48
Ifemelu goes to a Nigerpolitan Club gathering with Doris. She
runs into a few people she knows, including Bisola and
Yagazie. They talk about the local salons and how annoying it
is when the "salon girls" tell them they should relax their hair.
"It's ridiculous that Africans don't value our natural hair in
Africa," Yagazie says. Others in the group, including Doris,
complain about poor Nigerian customer service and the local
restaurants. Bisola tells everyone about a new restaurant,
which she says has "the kind of things we can eat."
The conversation makes Ifemelu feel uneasy. She wishes she
wasn't so interested in the new restaurant and that she didn't
miss "fresh green salads and steamed still-firm vegetables."
She doesn't want to be the kind of person who dumps on
Nigeria after living abroad. Because of this, she purposefully
disagrees with Fred, who has recently returned from Harvard,
when he puts down Nigerian movies. Fred invites Ifemelu to a
concert the next night, but she isn't interested in his well-oiled,
West-centric personality. She declines and goes home.
Part 7, Chapter 49
After a few months, Ifemelu finally starts to feel like she's
home. She hasn't contacted Obinze yet—she wants to lose
weight before she sees him again. Although she would like to
start a new blog and build it until she can publish her own
magazine, she decides to concentrate on Zoe, which makes
her "feel anchored" and as if she belongs. But Ifemelu quickly
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 55
tires of Zoe. She spends her days interviewing society madams
annoyed with the Nigerpolitan Club because of their sense of
and her nights attending social events. It feels like she could
entitlement, even when it comes to the way an entire culture
write about both without leaving the office. At a staff meeting,
operates. Ifemelu never felt entitled to anything, and she thinks
Aunty Onenu calls out Ifemelu for writing snarky things about
poorly of people who do.
one of the women she interviewed. Ifemelu asks, "Why do we
have to play it so safe?" She argues that they will never beat
Ifemelu also thinks poorly of Aunty Onenu for accepting money
their closest competitor, Glass, if they keep writing such
in exchange for glowing profiles of society women. This isn't
mundane stories. Aunty Onenu doesn't respond.
journalism—it's advertising. Ifemelu is well aware of the
corruption in business and politics, but she didn't consider that
Later that day, Ifemelu learns that Esther has typhoid, a
it would extend to a women's magazine. It's fine when
bacterial infection. Doris gave her money earlier in the week so
someone else is doing it, but she doesn't want to be part of it.
she could go to the doctor. Esther shows Ifemelu the unlabeled
Ifemelu wants a serious career and she wants her writing to
pack of pills the doctor gave her. Ifemelu thinks they should
make a difference. The society events and interviews aren't
write an article about how dangerous it is to take unknown
cutting it. This is why the thought of a new blog is so appealing
medication. When Doris points out they're "not doing
to her. It would allow her to reconnect with her former home,
investigative journalism here," Ifemelu envisions creating own
celebrate the things that are good about it, and comment on
blog, which she will call The Small Redemptions of Lagos. It will
the ways things could be improved. She doesn't want to turn
have stories about health care and affordable fashion and
Lagos into a mini-America—she just wants it to be a safe and
people who help others. Ifemelu suggests to Doris that they do
fair place for everyone, including people like Esther who are
an article about churches like the one Esther goes to, which
taken advantage of because of their lack of power and
tells its congregants to tithe their entire salary some months
knowledge.
and claims its leaders can perform miracles.
Even though Ifemelu is consciously trying to not to be an
When they are alone, Doris tells Ifemelu that the people they
Americanah, she still hasn't given up the American way of
profile in the magazine pay Aunty Onenu for the honor. Ifemelu
thinking about some things. One of those things is American
is appalled, but Doris doesn't seem to care. "I never know
beauty standards. Based on the majority of images shown in
where you stand or if you stand on anything at all," Ifemelu
popular media, Americans believe that the ideal woman should
says. Doris tells Ifemelu the magazine belongs to Aunty Onenu,
be very thin. Ifemelu described herself as "slim" when she
not to her. Ifemelu retorts that Doris needs a good moisturizer,
moved to the United States, but when she returns to Nigeria,
new lipstick, and a life. On her way out the door, Esther tells
she considers herself to be fat. She has gained weight, but this
her she is "too hard" and has "the spirit of husband-repelling."
is a natural part of growing older. Ifemelu was a teenager when
she left the United States, and now she's in her 30s. Bodies
Analysis
change. Even though she is back in Nigeria, where beauty
standards have traditionally celebrated softer and more filledout female physiques, she holds herself to American ideals. It
Ifemelu has enough self-awareness to know how ridiculous she
doesn't matter that she thinks "big, firm, curvy" Ranyinudo is
sounds when she complains about things the United States
beautiful—Ifemelu sees herself only in the mind of the
has that Nigeria lacks. It's snobbery, and had she not lived in
American eye, not the Nigerian one.
the United States herself, she would think terribly of herself
and of the people who spend more time talking about what's
wrong with Nigeria than how great it is to be back home. It's
Part 7, Chapters 50–51
like when she was in secondary school and everyone bragged
about their passports and where they intended to go when
they got older. Living in Nigeria was beneath them. Ifemelu was
never one of those kids—her parents didn't have a telephone,
let alone the means to travel internationally. Even though she
lived in the United States when she was older, she still feels a
fierce devotion to the country that raised her. Ifemelu gets so
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Summary
Americanah Study Guide
Part 7, Chapter 50
Despite Aunty Uju's misgivings, Dike visits Ifemelu in Lagos a
week after she resigns from Zoe and the day after she starts
her new blog. Her first post is about Priye's wedding planning
business. The second is about the Nigerpolitan Club. Ifemelu is
thrilled that so many people are reading and commenting. But
it isn't long before she makes a misstep. She writes a post
about "women in Lagos who define their lives by men they can
never truly have" and are "crippled by their culture of
Chapter Summaries 56
could buy it. He visited a few times after leaving England, but it
wasn't that great. They never mention his wife.
Ifemelu can tell Obinze wants to ask why she stopped talking
to him so many years ago, but she's not ready to bring it up
during their first meeting. She finally tells him the next day
during lunch at her house, after they kiss. He is silent for a
moment and then says, "I can't imagine how bad you must have
felt ... I ... wish you had told me." She starts to cry and he grabs
her hand in the comfortable silence. She feels safe.
dependence." In it, she describes the life of an anonymous
friend, who Ranyinudo immediately identifies as herself. She's
furious with Ifemelu. "How is it different from you and the rich
white guy in America?" Ranyinudo asks over the phone. Ifemelu
takes down the post and apologizes in person. Ranyinudo
accepts the apology and says, "Your problem is emotional
frustration. Go and find Obinze, please."
Dike thoroughly enjoys his time in Lagos. One day, he tells
Ifemelu he wishes he could speak and not just understand
Igbo. She says he can still learn, but he's not so sure. Days
later, she takes him to see where he lived as an infant and tells
him about his father. She wants him to stay forever, but he
returns to the United States.
Analysis
Dike's visit is therapeutic both for him and for Ifemelu. Dike left
Nigeria when he was just a little over a year old. Aunty Uju
raised him with the same expectations other Nigerian mothers
have for their children, but Dike is decidedly American and
even views himself as African American. This is because of the
pervasiveness of American culture, but also because Aunty Uju
refused to tell him about his father or their relationship. As a
result, Dike felt disconnected from his heritage. Being in the
places where his parents stood and hearing how much his
father loved him help forge a connection to Nigeria that was
missing. By the time he leaves, he feels he at least partly
Ranyinudo can't believe Dike wanted to kill himself. "A boy
belongs there. As for Ifemelu, she needed to see that Dike was
living in America with everything. How can? That is very foreign
truly okay after his suicide attempt. Spending uninterrupted
behavior." Ifemelu snaps back, "Foreign behavior? What ... are
time with him and watching him adapt to his new surroundings
you talking about?" She asks if Ranyinudo has read Things Fall
assures her he's going to be okay.
Apart. She knows Ranyinudo means well, but this is exactly
why she hasn't told anyone else in Nigeria about Dike's suicide
attempt.
Ifemelu still isn't convinced that depression is an illness and not
the result of a terrible situation. Still, she doesn't agree with
Ranyinudo that Dike's suicide attempt was a very American
thing to do. Ifemelu's mention of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall
Part 7, Chapter 51
Apart is a reference to the end of the book, in which the main
character, Okonkwo, hangs himself. As Ifemelu has come to
Ifemelu sees a man at the bank who, from behind, looks like
realize, depression and the desire to end one's life are not a
Obinze. This isn't the first time—every short man looks like
wholly American invention. It does exist in Nigeria, but people
Obinze to her. She finally decides to get it over with and calls
pretend it doesn't happen.
him. They meet a half hour later at a bookshop. Obinze seems
so familiar and yet so different. They talk about Dike and Aunty
Uju, how Lagos has changed, and how they are suddenly
aware of the wealth and palm-greasing that keeps Nigeria
running. "It's as if we are looking at an adult Nigeria that we
didn't know about," Ifemelu says. She teases Obinze about his
wealth, and he admits he sometimes finds himself swaggering
and acting like the big man he doesn't want to be. He also tells
her how he lost his interest in America when he realized he
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The rest of Americanah concentrates on Ifemelu and Obinze's
rekindling relationship. They pick up in pretty much the same
place they left off, with the exception that Obinze is married
and Ifemelu is terribly nervous to see him again. She has tried
to suppress her longing for Obinze for over a decade and
simply can't do it anymore. Suddenly, everything that she has
missed about him comes flooding back—his quiet confidence,
his calm demeanor, the way he thinks before he speaks. This
Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 57
was the man she was searching for in America but could never
Ifemelu's apartment one night, Obinze tells Ifemelu he feels "a
find.
great responsibility" toward Kosi, but that's all. Ifemelu is the
one he loves, the "great love of [his] life." Ifemelu says she's
Ifemelu and Obinze both act out of character upon reuniting.
going to have dinner with the music producer after all and then
Obinze dislikes dishonesty and isn't the type of man who would
asks Obinze what happens when he goes home to his wife's
easily cheat on his wife. Ifemelu's morals are a little less rigid,
bed. She suddenly feels as if "something had cracked and
but she, too, would have difficulty being with another woman's
spoiled between them."
husband. Their shared past softens whatever feelings of guilt
they might have. "They had a history, a connection thick as
Obinze invites Ifemelu to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, for the
twine," the narrator says. "It did not have to mean that they
weekend on a business trip. Days later, he rescinds the
were doing anything" or that they needed to talk about their
invitation by text. "I need some time to think things through. I
intentions. Obinze and Ifemelu are clearly still in love.
love you," he writes. She calls him a coward. Obinze is waiting
for her when she gets home. He says he wants "to take some
Part 7, Chapters 52–53
time to put things in perspective" and figure out what to do.
She's not sure what he means. When he doesn't clarify, she
tells him to go to hell.
Summary
Part 7, Chapter 52
Ifemelu and Obinze play table tennis at his club and have lunch
together. He chides her for spending so much time looking at
her phone and then gets angry when she says she's going to
have dinner with a music producer she wants to interview for
the blog. On the way home, Obinze plays Ifemelu a song that
reminds him of her. He sings along in Igbo as the song's
vocalists tell each other that they are beautiful and "true
friends."
Analysis
Dating a married man isn't unheard of in Ifemelu's social circle.
Ranyinudo does it and Aunty Uju did it, and although the
national government doesn't recognize polygamous marriages,
many individual states and communities do. But Ifemelu isn't as
nonchalant as some people are about sharing "her man,"
especially Obinze. Obinze is right when he says what they have
isn't common and that it's not just about sex. They connect on
emotional, cultural, and intellectual levels in a way neither of
them has with anyone else. White and privileged Curt had a
completely different upbringing in the United States than
Ifemelu had in Nigeria, and their experiences in the United
Obinze and Ifemelu see each every day. On their fifth date, she
States as adults were also dramatically different because of
tells him she has condoms. "Who are we kidding with this
their races. Ifemelu and Blaine shared similar views, dreams,
chaste dating business?" she says when Obinze doesn't react.
and skin tones, but their cultural differences were too vast.
They argue about his marriage. Then Obinze says, "You know
Obinze and Kosi don't connect, either. They share the same
this isn't about sex ... This has never been about sex."
culture, but they don't have the same interests and goals. Kosi
is focused on family and the appearance of perfection, while
They kiss and end up in the bedroom. Ifemelu has always
Obinze wants to learn and debate.
thought the phrase "making love" to be too sentimental, but
that's exactly what it is. Her entire body feels alive. Afterward,
Ifemelu is terribly jealous of Kosi. It's not just that Kosi gets to
she says she "always saw the ceiling with other men." He tells
be married to Obinze—Ifemelu never really considers what it
her he has been waiting to be happy for a long time.
would be like to be married to him—but that she gets to share
every mundane part of daily life with him. Ifemelu wants to be
Part 7, Chapter 53
the one to watch him brush his teeth and sit in the car next to
him. She wants to be a part of every aspect of his life, not just
his secret pastime. It drives her crazy. She suggests they have
Even though they never talk about her, Kosi's presence looms
sex in part because she thinks her desire to be with him all the
large in Ifemelu and Obinze's relationship. Over dinner at
time will wane if they finally act on their carnal desires. That's
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Americanah Study Guide
Chapter Summaries 58
what has happened with other men. But sex only makes things
But "without Ifemelu, the future loomed as an endless, joyless
worse because it is just as good as she remembered. She
tedium."
doesn't see the ceiling when they're together because she is
entirely focused on him and how she feels. Other men have
Obinze sleeps in his study that night. The next day, Kosi acts
never come close to holding her attention like that. Now, she
as if nothing is wrong. They go to the christening party for a
wants him more than ever.
friend's baby, and Obinze thinks of Ifemelu the entire time. He
has called and texted incessantly over the past few days, but
So far, Obinze has been able to justify their affair because it
she refuses to speak to him. He ends up in a room with other
doesn't feel like cheating. He was always meant to be with
wealthy men, some of whom are friends and others who are
Ifemelu, so it is really Kosi who is the interloper, not Ifemelu.
too slick to be trusted. They discuss the corruption in Nigerian
Yet, Obinze can't allow himself to carry on with one woman
government and business, which most agree is just the way the
while he's married to another. It goes against his values and
world works. They tease Obinze for being so quiet and serious
ultimately hurts everyone he cares about. He cancels his
and are startled when Obinze suddenly lashes out against the
weekend with Ifemelu not because he doesn't want to be with
oil industry. Before he leaves, he tells his friend Okwudiba that
her, but because he feels obligated to do the right thing. He
Ifemelu is back and he wants to leave Kosi to be with her. "You
just doesn't know what that is yet.
can keep seeing her, but no need for this kind of white-people
behavior," Okwudiba tells him, "We don't behave like that,
Part 7, Chapters 54–55
please."
Part 7, Chapter 55
Summary
Ifemelu watches a peacock do a mating dance from the
balcony of her apartment. Uninterested, the peahen walks
Part 7, Chapter 54
Obinze regrets not bringing Ifemelu to Abuja with him. Life is
dim and uninteresting without her. He can barely pay attention
during his business meeting because he's thinking about her so
much. There's no question that he loves her. He wonders if
away. Ifemelu takes a picture for her blog and wishes she
could tell Obinze. They haven't talked for months. She knows
he is still out there—she's sure an anonymous comment on her
blog is from him—but she isn't moved by his texts and e-mails.
"He loved her ... but he lacked a certain strength; his backbone
was softened by duty," the narrator says.
"she knew how it consumed him, how each day was infected
Ifemelu calls Blaine, who sounds stilted over the phone but
by her, affected by her." He wants to know about every
says he's glad she called. Then she calls Curt, who asks if she's
moment of her life, both past and present. He is warmed by the
still blogging about race. "Race doesn't really work here," she
memory of Ifemelu telling him how much time she and her ex-
says, "I feel like I got off the plane in Lagos and stopped being
boyfriends spent explaining things to each other. She never
black." She wonders what it would be like to be with him again,
has to do that with Obinze.
to be "in a relationship free of depth and pain."
After an uncomfortable birthday dinner with Nigel, who has
Ifemelu finally agrees to go on a date with Fred. When he isn't
moved to Lagos to work for Obinze, Kosi snuggles up to
trying to impress people with his travels and his knowledge of
Obinze in bed. He isn't interested and insists he's tired. They
American culture, he's rather interesting and endearing. After
haven't had sex since Ifemelu's return. He wishes Kosi would
they sleep together, Ifemelu wishes "she could feel what she
figure out that something has happened, that he has changed.
wanted to feel."
The next morning, he tells her he's unhappy and wants a
divorce. It turns out that she has known about Ifemelu the
Seven months after he was supposed to take her to Abuja,
entire time. Kosi refuses to divorce Obinze and insists they
Obinze shows up at Ifemelu's door. He left Kosi earlier that
need to keep their family together for Buchi. Obinze feels guilty
day. "I'm chasing you. I'm going to chase you until you give this
for marrying Kosi in the first place. He feels like he has to stay.
a chance," he says. Ifemelu looks at him for a moment and then
tells him to come in.
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Americanah Study Guide
Analysis
Quotes 59
actually having a perfect family.
Obinze has the opposite opinion. For him, there is no pleasure
Part 7, Chapter 54, is one of 11 out of 55 chapters in
in conforming to cultural norms if one isn't emotionally fulfilled.
Americanah told from Obinze's point of view. The rest are told
It is instead his sense of responsibility for Kosi's and Buchi's
from Ifemelu's perspective. This is significant. The first and
well-being that makes him hesitant to leave. By marrying Kosi,
second waves of postcolonial literature were generally written
he promised that they would be together forever. Breaking this
by men and told from a male perspective. Like other third-wave
promise goes against his self-imposed moral code. But Obinze
postcolonial writers, Adichie is a woman who has chosen to tell
also feels a sense of duty to himself. He has been unhappy for
her story from a mostly feminine perspective. By doing so, she
a long time, perhaps since Ifemelu stopped talking to him 13
gives a voice to a population that has been traditionally left out
years ago. Now that she is back in his life, he realizes that
of postcolonial narratives. Adichie provides a nice balance
every day without her is a bad one. He doesn't want to live like
between Ifemelu's and Obinze's perspectives and
this anymore. His resolve grows even stronger after realizing
experiences—the reader knows what both of them think and
that Kosi has known about the affair all along. By not
what each of them had to get through to get where they are
confronting their problem, she let him feel guilty and suffer in
today—but the emphasis is on Ifemelu. This is particularly
silence. He interprets this not only as her way of avoiding
meaningful in the chapters in which sexual experiences are
conflict but as a sign that she doesn't care for his well-being as
described. In Nigeria and the rest of the world, sex is often
much as she should.
portrayed in popular culture as existing for the enjoyment of
men. The fact that every description of sex comes from
Adichie had two choices for ending Americanah—keep Ifemelu
Ifemelu's point of view flips the stereotype and shows that
and Obinze apart and create "the poetic tragedy of [their]
women desire and enjoy sex just as much as men.
lives," or have them act and get together. She chose the latter.
It doesn't happen until the last few paragraphs of the book's
When Adichie does dedicate a chapter to Obinze's point of
final chapter, but she hints at the happy ending a few pages
view, she makes sure to layer the action and conflict with
beforehand. After months of watching him walk around with his
moving descriptions of his emotions and feelings. This too is a
feathers dragging on the ground, Ifemelu finally sees the
departure from postcolonial literature as well as popular
peacock next door performing its mating ritual. This is
culture in general, which often ignores the emotional and
symbolic of Obinze's later decision to make the grand gesture
sentimental aspects of the male psyche. By doing this, Adichie
Ifemelu was waiting for. She didn't want words of apology or
makes her characters equals. Although they misunderstand
promise—she just wanted Obinze to take action. He does so by
each other's intentions, neither loves one more than the other.
leaving Kosi. This is his version of a mating dance. Unlike the
No one is the victim, and no one is the villain. They are simply
peahen who walks away, Ifemelu is receptive.
regular people trying to navigate their way back to each other.
Nigerian culture and Obinze's own moral code are standing in
the way. As Okwudiba bluntly tells Obinze, marriage isn't
g Quotes
necessarily about love. "We married the woman that was
around when we were ready to marry," he says. Once the
marriage ceremony is complete, that's that. According to a
2016 article in The Economist, less than 1 percent of married
couples in Nigeria divorce. When it does happen, it's for a
"good" reason, such as abuse or giving birth to the child of
"He felt a hollow space between
himself and the person he was
supposed to be."
another man. Okwudiba says that divorcing because you're in
love with someone else just isn't done. Those who are divorced
— Narrator, Part 1, Chapter 2
are often stigmatized in Nigerian society, which is the last thing
Kosi wants. As the narrator says in Part 1, Chapter 2, Kosi
"always chose peace over truth, was always eager to conform."
The image of a perfect family is more important to Kosi than
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Obinze has everything a Nigerian man is supposed to want: a
good job, a nice house, a beautiful wife, and a healthy child.
These things are nice, but they don't fill the void in his soul.
Americanah Study Guide
Image and material things aren't important to Obinze. He cares
more about emotional connections and intellectual stimulation,
neither of which he gets from his job or his relationship with
Kosi. The only time he has ever known the contentment he
craves was when he was with Ifemelu. She is his missing piece.
Quotes 60
"I didn't know I was even supposed
to have issues until I came to
America."
— Ginika, Part 2, Chapter 12
"If you are not careful in this
country, your children will become
One of the ways Nigerian culture differs from that of the
what you don't know."
people who have one white parent and one black parent.
United States is how each country describes the race of
Ginika grew up calling herself half-caste, but when she moved
— Jane, Part 2, Chapter 10
to the United States she was told that was an insult. Instead,
she should call herself biracial. Until she got to the United
States, Ginika never thought twice about having a white parent,
Jane and Aunty Uju both believe the stereotypes they've heard
but now it seems like everyone who is biracial is "so full of
about African Americans. They share the fear that their
issues." What's completely normal in one part of the world is
children will grow up to be ill-mannered delinquents like the
loaded with meaning and emotional baggage in another.
ones they hear about in the news and in popular culture. Jane's
comment to Ifemelu is a concern held by many immigrants who
raise their children in the United States. They want their kids to
benefit from the opportunities the country has to offer, but
they don't want them to adopt American culture and customs
"That was what Curt had given her,
this gift of contentment, of ease."
as their own. This is a fine line to tread. As Aunty Uju later
learns, the local culture is often more influential than parental
— Narrator, Part 2, Chapter 19
guidance.
Ifemelu genuinely likes Curt, but she also likes how free and
"If you have braids, they will think
easy her life has become since she started dating him.
you are unprofessional."
entirely focused on having fun. With him, Ifemelu's worries
Handsome and wealthy, Curt is a grown-up child who is
about money and career simply melt away because Curt takes
— Aunty Uju, Part 2, Chapter 11
care of everything. This is what she had hoped to find in
America: a brighter, easier life.
Hair comes up a lot in Americanah—how it is styled, who styles
it, and what it all means. Aunty Uju decides to take out her
braids, which are common in Nigeria, because corporate white
America does not view traditionally black hairstyles as
professional. American media and culture pressure black
women to straighten their hair using chemicals and heat so
"When you make the choice to
come to America, you become
black."
they look more like white women, who are deemed more
"professional" simply because of their appearance. It's a not-
— Ifemelu, Part 2, Chapter 21
so-subtle indicator of racism that is rampant in the United
States but doesn't exist in Nigeria.
This is an excerpt from a post on Ifemelu's blog titled, "To My
Fellow Non-American Blacks: In America, You Are Black,
Baby." She argues that it doesn't matter where a person is
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from or how light their skin is—it is American culture, not the
individual, who decides how the individual will be categorized.
Quotes 61
did not know how to feel."
Once a person is labeled "black," they are expected to adopt
the same feelings about race as their African American
— Narrator, Part 4, Chapter 34
counterparts.
Ifemelu has more in common with Blaine than she does with
Curt. In addition to the color of their skin, they are also both
"These white people think that
everybody has their mental
problems."
well-read intellectuals who feel strongly about social change.
The one thing they don't have in common is cultural context.
Ifemelu grew up in Nigeria, where race isn't even a concept.
Blaine grew up in the United States, where race impacted
every part of his life. Blaine becomes irritated with Ifemelu
— Ojiugo, Part 3, Chapter 24
because he thinks she doesn't care deeply enough about race
relations in the United States. He doesn't understand that race
doesn't define her experiences the way it defines his.
Mental health comes up frequently in Americanah. The way
Adichie presents it, mental health is not a concept that exists in
Nigeria. When her Nigerian characters move to Western
countries, they are confused and amused by the Western habit
of assigning every bad feeling or experience a name and a
"You can't write an honest novel
about race in this country."
diagnosis. Ojiugo mentions this when she attends a meeting
for people wanting to lose weight and is told she has "internal
— Shan, Part 4, Chapter 37
issues." She replies that she just likes the taste of food.
Shan published a memoir about her experience growing up
"Are they between you and the
sunset?"
black in the United States. The editing process was tough on
her because her editor wanted her to add more "nuance" and
downplay the role race had in her formative experiences.
During a gathering of friends, Shan insists it is even harder to
— Emenike, Part 3, Chapter 29
talk about race in fiction, which forces writers to be so subtle in
their commentary that most people miss it. This conversation is
humorous because Adichie places it in the middle of a novel
Obinze reconnects with his school friend, Emenike, in Great
that is not at all subtle about its commentary on race.
Britain. This question, which Emenike asks while talking to a
friend about the construction next to his house, encapsulates
just how much he has changed since he left Nigeria. Obinze
doesn't know anyone in Nigeria who would care about the
"I feel ... I have vegetables instead
sunset or even think to ask that question.
of ears, like large broccoli sticking
Since he moved to Great Britain, Emenike has molded himself
out of my head."
into what he thinks a perfect Brit should be. He collects
antique furniture, dines at pretentious restaurants, and boasts
— Dike, Part 4, Chapter 39
about his designer clothing. He has bought so heavily into
British culture that he even identifies as British.
Aunty Uju and Dike live in fictional Willow, Massachusetts, a
predominantly white city. Dike is the only black kid in his group
"He expected her to feel what she
of friends and one of the only students of color in his school.
He stands out from the crowd, which makes him feel like he
doesn't belong. Ifemelu and Aunty Uju, both of whom grew up
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Symbols 62
in Nigeria, didn't have this experience as children. Where they
excites Ifemelu, but this excitement makes her feel ashamed.
grew up, nearly everyone was black.
She doesn't want to be the kind of person who prefers
American cuisine over what is commonly served in Nigeria, but
she already is.
"I can't believe it. My president is
black like me."
— Dike, Part 4, Chapter 40
As Dike grows up, Ifemelu often wonders whether he will self-
"She was inside this silence and
she was safe."
— Narrator, Part 7, Chapter 51
identify as African or African American. She gets her answer
when Dike texts her following Barack Obama's election to the
Obinze and Ifemelu have been through a lot in the past decade
U.S. presidency. When Dike talks about "his" president, he's
and a half. In this scene, they have reunited in Lagos, and
showing that he identifies as an American, not an African.
Ifemelu has just told Obinze why she stopped talking to him all
Despite his mother's efforts to the contrary, he thinks of
those years ago. Instead of judgment or anger, Obinze
himself as African American.
responds with compassion and love. He takes her hand, and
the silence that grows between them feels the same as when
they were teenagers. Ifemelu has not felt this at peace since
"She was no longer sure what was
she left Lagos the first time.
new in Lagos and what was new in
herself."
l Symbols
— Narrator, Part 7, Chapter 44
Ifemelu doesn't visit Nigeria during her 13 years in the United
Passports
States. When she returns for good, everything seems different.
It's not just the new construction that attracts her attention as
Ranyinudo drives them home from the airport, but also the
One of the favorite topics of conversation at Ifemelu's and
colors and sounds that have always been part of Lagos life.
Obinze's secondary school is passports: who has one, where
Ifemelu has been away for so long that she is no longer a "true
it's taken them, and where they want to go in the future. In their
Lagosian," and the feeling is disconcerting.
group of friends, the passports have a distinct hierarchy.
American passports are the best, followed by British
passports. The passport a person has (or doesn't have) is a
"They have the kind of things we
can eat."
symbol of their family's wealth and status. Kayode, the most
popular and one of the wealthiest boys in school, has a British
passport, but he would trade it immediately for an American
passport. Yinka, whose family is also very wealthy, has a British
— Bisola, Part 7, Chapter 48
passport.
Ahmed doesn't have a passport, but when he was younger he
The members of the Nigerpolitan Club spend most of their
was able to travel because of his mother's credentials. Osahon
gatherings talking about the things they miss about living in the
has his own. This means that Ahmed's family probably isn't as
United States and complaining about the backwardness of
well off as Osahon's because they don't travel as much
Lagos. Bisola's mention of a new, Western-style restaurant
internationally. They are lower on the social hierarchy than
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Americanah Study Guide
Kayode and Yinka but above Obinze, who "very nearly" had an
Themes 63
be her president.
American passport because he traveled there with his parents
when he was eight months old.
Emenike and Ifemelu don't have passports, and neither do their
Peacock
parents. Ifemelu's family isn't wealthy at all—they don't have a
telephone, much less passports. She's able to attend private
secondary school because of her high test scores and her
father's determination "that she would go to 'a school that
builds both character and career.'" While Ifemelu is pretty sure
she'll never have a passport, Emenike is the opposite. It is well
known among their group of friends that he lies about his
family's wealth (or lack thereof) to cover his shame of being
poor. For him, a passport symbolizes the hope that his
imaginary life will become a reality.
Ifemelu's new apartment in Lagos is situated next to an
abandoned residential compound. A peacock and two peahens
live there. Peacocks are known for their striking plume of blue
and green feathers and their bright blue bodies. Most of the
time, the peacock's feathers trail behind its body like a long
train. When a peacock wants to impress a peahen, his feathers
unfurl in a fanlike display. When Obinze first visits Ifemelu's
apartment, Ifemelu tells him she's disappointed that she hasn't
seen the male do the mating dance.
Barack Obama
The peacock's unwillingness to do his mating dance in front of
Ifemelu is symbolic of Obinze's own reluctance to do his own
version of a mating dance for Ifemelu, namely ending his
relationship with Kosi so that he and Ifemelu can be together.
Ifemelu and Blaine's relationship takes place against the
In her mind, his calls and texts after their breakup are
backdrop of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Although
halfhearted at best, and she is hurt by "the limpness of his
Ifemelu is a Hillary Clinton supporter at first, she becomes a
efforts," which are equivalent to the peacock's tail dragging
Barack Obama devotee after reading Obama's memoir,
behind him. Like the peahens, Ifemelu does not engage with
Dreams from My Father. Blaine supports Obama from the very
Obinze's attempts to reach out.
beginning.
In the book's final chapter, Ifemelu finally sees the peacock's
As the first African American presidential nominee in America's
dance, "its feathers fanned out in a giant halo." Not long after,
history, Obama's candidacy was a symbol of hope for millions
Obinze shows up at Ifemelu's door. He has just left Kosi and
of people. It was also a personal symbol of hope for Blaine and
begun the first steps of the mating dance for which Ifemelu has
Ifemelu. At several points in their relationship, their mutual love
been waiting for so long.
for Obama is the only thing keeping them together. When he
performs well, their relationship flourishes; when he or his allies
falter, their relationship does too. It seems that as long as
Obama remains a contender in the race, Ifemelu and Blaine's
m Themes
relationship will continue.
The characters seem to understand this. Ifemelu even
promises Blaine that she will not leave for her fellowship at
Cultural and Personal Identity
Princeton, which is most likely slated to start at the beginning
of the next semester before Obama takes office in midJanuary. Their relationship survives after the move to Princeton
Throughout Americanah, Ifemelu struggles with her cultural
in part because of Obama's successful campaign. Whereas
identity. Is she Nigerian or American? Is she African or simply
before Ifemelu and Blaine were separated by their cultures,
black? She never reaches an explicit conclusion, but her
they are now united by their shared hope for the country's
decisions and behavior suggest that she ultimately finds a
future. They don't break up until shortly before Ifemelu intends
happy medium between the two.
to return home to Lagos, where Barack Obama will no longer
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Americanah Study Guide
Despite the movies she's watched and the books she has read,
American culture is completely foreign to Ifemelu when she
Themes 64
Race in America
first moves to the United States. Although English is spoken in
Nigeria, the slang and some of the terms are different. The
more she learns about life in the United States, the more her
Ifemelu never considered herself to be black before she came
speech patterns change, as do her expectations of everyday
to the United States. Nearly everyone in Nigeria has dark skin,
life. These changes are most apparent when she moves back
so what a person looked like really wasn't an issue. She quickly
to Lagos. Although she was once used to the heat and
learns that race dictates everything in the United States,
humidity of southwestern Nigeria, she can't stand it when she
including where a person lives, how much money they make,
moves home. Good customer service wasn't important until
what occupational opportunities they have, and how they are
she experienced it repeatedly firsthand. Even the way she acts
treated by others. Ifemelu's blog posts clarify her views on
with her social and occupational superiors has changed. After
race. As someone who did not grow up in the United States,
politely but forcefully criticizing Zoe to her new boss,
she recognizes that even though the days of blatant racism
Ranyinudo points out, "If you had not come from America, she
have somewhat passed, systemic racism still exists. In her post
would have fired you immediately." But there are some aspects
about white privilege in Part 4, Chapter 39, she gives the
of Nigerian culture that Ifemelu doesn't want to give up, such
example of how a poor white person fares in the United States
as eating bananas and nuts together and looking at the world
compared to a poor black person. Even though both people
from a global perspective, not an American-centered one. In
live in poverty, the white person is privileged because of the
the end, Ifemelu still identifies as a Nigerian, but a Nigerian who
way society treats him. He's less likely to go to jail for
has experienced and enjoyed life in the West. She selects the
committing the same offense as a black person. If he does end
parts of each culture she likes and ignores the things she
up in jail, his sentence will be shorter.
doesn't.
Ifemelu also learns that people of color are held to a higher
Ifemelu also struggles with her personal identity, most notably
standard than white people in the United States. She and
with her romantic relationships. In her American relationships
Aunty Uju are both expected to alter their appearance to get
with Curt and Blaine, she molded herself according to their
"good" jobs even though the process of doing so is painful and
image of a perfect woman. For Curt, she was light and
can inflict long-lasting damage. Dike, who is just one of a few
easygoing; for Blaine, she was politically and socially minded.
kids of color in the various schools he attends, is constantly
However, neither of those personas was a perfect fit. She is
admonished for talking in class and joking around while the
happiest when she is truly herself—arguing, exploring, learning,
white kids get away with it all the time. "He has to tone it down,
and striving for excellence. That's the person she gets to be
because his own will always be seen as different," Aunty Uju
with Obinze, who doesn't expect her to change a single thing.
explains to Ifemelu in Part 2, Chapter 21. It's the same reason
Ifemelu's hair presents a struggle that encompasses her
personal and cultural identity. Societal norms in Nigeria and the
United States both encourage black women to straighten or
she forces him to wear clothes he doesn't like to church. She
recognizes that his race, not his ethnicity, is what makes him
different.
relax their hair. In Nigeria, it is a sign of wealth and social
Perhaps the most important thing Ifemelu learns about race in
status, while in the United States, it is a means of assimilating
the United States comes from Ginika. Ginika has lived in the
to the standards set forth by white culture. But after doing it
United States for a few years by the time Ifemelu arrives, and
while living in Baltimore, Ifemelu realizes that having smooth
she has already absorbed and adapted to the culture. It is
and sleek hair isn't her at all. "The verve was gone. She did not
through her that Ifemelu first learns that Americans go out of
recognize herself," the narrator says. Ifemelu doesn't identify
their way to pretend race doesn't exist. This seems ridiculous
with the beauty standards set by either of the countries she
to Ifemelu, who watches as a salesperson practically ties
has called home. Instead, she goes her own way and lets her
herself in knots trying to describe another salesperson without
hair grow naturally, first wearing it in an afro and then going
mentioning the color of her skin. As Ginika later explains to
back to braids. It doesn't matter to her if she doesn't live up to
Ifemelu, "This is America. You're supposed to pretend that you
the standards set forth in beauty magazines. She likes her hair,
don't notice certain things." As Ifemelu later concludes,
and herself, "the way God made it."
ignoring race isn't going to solve any of America's problems
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Americanah Study Guide
with it—it will just exacerbate them.
Immigration
Themes 65
Love
In addition to political and social topics, Americanah also
tackles the theme of love. Adichie uses Ifemelu and Obinze's
decades-long relationship to illuminate two major messages
Many of the characters in Americanah immigrate from Nigeria
about love. The first is that true love is based on more than
to another country. Although their experiences ultimately
proximity and physical attraction. It is a meeting of the mind,
differ, they all begin the same way—full of confusion,
soul, and body. Ifemelu has two other significant relationships
uncertainty, and fear. Aunty Uju comes to the United States
over the course of the book, and each is good in its own way.
with hardly any money to her name. She works three jobs and
With Curt, she feels cherished and free to explore everything
spends every moment of her free time studying for her medical
American life has to offer. With Blaine, she feels purposeful
license because her Nigerian credentials aren't valid in the
and intellectual. But each of these relationships is missing a
United States. Ifemelu, too, arrives in the country with hardly
crucial connection. Ifemelu sometimes feels distant from Curt
any money. Unable to legally work on her student visa, she
because of the differences in their upbringing (rich versus not
uses someone else's identity to find a job. When that doesn't
rich) and the color of their skin. Although he becomes
work, she is practically forced to do illegal, degrading work just
indignant when Ifemelu is treated poorly because of her
to survive. Lonely and bewildered by her new surroundings, she
appearance, he also doesn't grasp the more subtle racism she
lives in constant fear of not having money to pay rent. Obinze,
deals with on a daily basis, such as the way American media
too, lives in fear. He does end up working illegally, which has
depicts the idea of beauty. Race also causes a rift between
him scrambling to find ways to become a citizen, even
Ifemelu and Blaine, who grew up in the United States.
dishonestly. Through her characters, Adichie shows how the
Experiencing systemic racism since birth has given him a
daily lives of immigrants can be fraught with so much
different point of view from that of Ifemelu, who didn't consider
uncertainty that they are forced to do immoral things.
herself black until she moved to the United States. This causes
a lot of tension in their relationship. Ifemelu and Obinze don't
Adichie also highlights how immigrants are expected to
have any of these issues. They share intellectual interests, a
assimilate to their host country's cultures. Ifemelu and Aunty
cultural background, and even the experience of being an
Uju both remove their braids and relax their hair so they can
immigrant. They also have an incredibly physical connection.
look "professional" for their job interviews. Obinze is struck by
As Ifemelu explains, she always notices the ceiling when
how strange it is that his Nigerian friend Emenike suddenly
having sex with other men, but never with Obinze. The old
becomes interested in antique furniture and pretentious
adage may say that opposites attract, but Ifemelu and Obinze
cuisine once he moves to England. Ifemelu ends up creating a
don't provide any support for this ancient wisdom.
career out of her attempts to understand race in the United
States, which she shares with other non-American blacks, but
Adichie's second point about love is that truly loving someone
this still isn't enough for Blaine, who thinks her motives for
else makes one love themselves more. Ifemelu notices this
writing should be more deep-seated than curiosity. As Ifemelu
when she and Obinze begin dating in secondary school. She
explains in a blog post titled "To My Fellow Non-American
can see herself through his eyes when they are together,
Blacks: In America, You Are Black, Baby," black immigrants
which causes a sense of self-affection that she otherwise
don't just need to understand race in the United States—they
doesn't have. Obinze, too, likes himself more when he is with
need to have the same feelings about it as a black person who
Ifemelu. When they are together, "he was as he had never been
grew up there. Adichie's message is that assimilation isn't
with another woman: amused, alert, alive," the narrator says in
enough. Immigrants are expected to fully transform
Part 7, Chapter 54. They complete each other—and for
themselves into Americans with an American psyche. As she
Adichie, that is the hallmark of true love.
shows, this isn't possible.
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Americanah Study Guide
m Motifs
Hair
Hair is a thread that runs through and ties together Ifemelu's
experiences in Americanah. She goes through several different
hairstyles over the course of the book, from braids to an afro
and then back to braids again. Braids and twists are
exceedingly common in Nigeria but not seen nearly as much in
the United States, where societal beauty standards value
straight-styled hair. Ifemelu also contends with the beauty
standard of having relaxed and straightened hair, which is
prized in both countries over naturally full and textured hair.
Her various hairstyles throughout Americanah represent her
feelings about her cultural and personal identity at each
specific point in time as well as the ways she assimilates to,
then ignores, specific aspects of American culture.
Mental Health
Mental health also pops up throughout Americanah, particularly
in relation to depression. In the United States, depression and
mental health disorders such as anorexia and bipolar disorder
are considered to be illnesses. They are named, diagnosable,
and treatable. According to Ifemelu's experiences in
Americanah, that's not the case in Nigeria. When Ginika
suggests that Ifemelu has depression in Part 2, Chapter 16,
Ifemelu's first instinct is that depression is something that
happens to Americans "with their self-absolving need to turn
everything into an illness." Ojiugo echoes this sentiment to
Obinze in Part 3, Chapter 24, when she tells Obinze about her
weight-loss meeting, and Ranyinudo says it after Dike returns
to the United States. Each time mental health is discussed, it
illustrates the differences between American and Nigerian
cultures as well as how hard it is to shake cultural values and
beliefs.
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Motifs 66