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Love And Marriage In Americanah By Adichie

Decent Essays

Aside from issues on racism, which is what is most discussed within the novel Americanah, Adichie focuses a lot on love and marriage in this novel and how it is viewed through the eyes of both men and female, and how each gender in particular react to these certain societal expectations. Throughout Americanah,Adichie the writer holds up a mirror for both men and women in today’s society to view themselves. Ifemelu, Bartholomew, Aisha, Obinze, Ranyinudo, etc, these people are symbols and representations of us and real problems not only immigrants but women face within America.
Thanks to the characters described by Adichie, there are important questions to be raised concerning love and marriage: If today’s man or woman wants to get married, for what reason will he or she walk down that aisle? Is it just a means to an end? Is it the mere fulfilment of societal demands? Marriage as portrayed by Adichie can be seen as nothing personal, nor even platonic in the early stage but just as casual business. Aisha, a hair braider from Senegal living in Trenton, shares her story of the two boyfriends whom she claims to love and want to marry, both from Nigeria, who have legal status but neither one agrees to nor show any signs of wanting to marry her. Their excuse being that Igbo men are not allowed to marry non-Igbo women – a fact that Ifemelu denies. It’s interesting that she has not one, but two boyfriends. In the story she does not express any feelings for either of them

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