Class thus Far

Throughout these first chapters and moving forward through the book, Adichie makes many allusions--some more obvious than others--to the connections between Americanism, class, and language. Being a part of American culture is seen as desired for many of the people around Ifemelu because, as Obinze told her and his mother, "America is the future" (84). America is the place to go to be educated, to get a stable career and perhaps send money home. But this mindset is also restricted when we look at the glorification of America as framed by class. Ifemelu does not read complex American literature, understand the dialects in Huckelberry Finn, or know the details about American history that he does. She does not know what her name means, as his mother explains to her (in the process referencing her hobby of translation, a skill inaccessible to those unable to attain written fluency in at least two languages as well as some measure of education in literature). She feels inferior to Ginika, who would be a better match for Obinze based on their shared wealth. Her friends joke about being a "'serious Americanah'" and shifting to an American accent, and yet they rival Ginika's move to America--a conversation which leads to exchanges about all of the places they've traveled, and a conversation to which Ifemelu cannot even relate. Markers of class manifest themselves in levels of Western education and in "Americanization," a theme also addressed in several readings I did last semester about youths abroad (I don't remember what countries/cities the communities were in). In one, young people dive in on American fashion using cheap methods (trading, sharing, buying knockoffs, and even stealing) in order to present an American self image; in another, they code-switch with English because English equates to education, worldiness, status, and wealth. Thus, Ifemelu's class background sets her apart from her peers not only because she is the only one without a vacation home or colorful passport, but also because she is both unfamiliar with these aspects of American culture and high-level education and more focused on supporting herself and her family than on attaining either. Conversely, her behavior when getting her hair braided at the beginning of the novel presents a completely different side, changed by thirteen years of living in the United States and developing a sound career, sound relationship, and financial stability. She gains immediate respect when she tells Aisha she has been living in America for fifteen years (19) and takes pride in intimidating her with her high level of education.

Interestingly, though, her running commentary reveals that, unlike many around her, she isn't trying to fit in, to be American. She still has her accent, and she is pleased when Aisha puts "Nigeria" and "good" in the same sentence even though she doesn't agree with what she has said (16). She is very much still the woman she was when she was still living in Nigeria. But the parts of her that have changed all center around the very aspects of class and education that were once so inaccessible--her social awareness, her writing, her conscientousness of the power dynamic when she moves along the train stops from Princeton to Trenton. In looking at the connections between Americanism, class, and language, she is most focused on class. She has been transformed by her transition into wealth, and by the American education so desired by Obinze, newfound knowledge of literature and awareness of the role linguistics has in America in terms of dialects and accents. She recognizes the ties between education and class, as with my codeswitching example, and though she regognizes other connections between Americanism and class, she does not pursue these as her friends from Nigeria (and the aforementioned fashion-conscious youth) do. In analyzing this dichotomy, much is revealed about her identity, but much is still quite vague. I'm finding difficulty in trying to understand her attitude; she is icy towards Aisha, and seems to be sending mixed signals about how she wants to be perceived--as Americanized or still Nigerian, as being discredited for being too much of either, as being respected for education or alienated by class.