I decided to do my assignment on Chapter 4 of Americanah. So far I really have liked the book, but I thought chapter 4 was the most relatable. Obinze is a new guy in school who was supposed to be interested in Ginka. Kayode, who decides to set Obinze up with Ginka, which is Ifemelu’s best friend. There is a party and all, Kayode, Ifemelu, Ginka and Obinze is attending. Obinze is introduced to both Ginka and Ifemelu and is more intrigued with Ifemelu than Ginka. They keep talking and Infemelu even states that, she wants to breathe the air that Obinze breathes. Infemelu says “Your guys will kill you. You’re supposed to be chasing her.(Adichie, 72)”, Obinze says “I’m chasing you. (Adichie, 72) ” This quote I thought was provoking due to the fact that Obinze is interested in Ifemelu even though he is destined to be with Ginka. Obinze also tells her what happened between his mom and the professor and why he had to change schools. This means that Obinze is really trusting Infemelu with some of his family secrets.
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2017.
Question: Do you think Obinze’s mother was fired due to the fact she fought the university policy?
I definitely agree that his chapter is very relatable especially in today’s society. I also found this chapter to be cute due to the attraction between Obinze and Ifemelu and them going off on their own to learn more about each other. One part that specifically stood out to me in this chapter is when Obinze was telling Ifemelu that his friends said ” Ifemelu was “too much trouble,” and he should go for a “sweet girl” like Ginika instead” (Adichie 72). Obinze went against everything his friends said and went for Ifemelu instead because she intrigued him. To me I think that Obinze has trust in Ifemelu because he was telling her about what really happened with his mom at the university. He told Ifemelu that his mom is now on “sabbatical” because of her accusing another professor of misusing university funds and then the professor slapped her. I think that Obinze’s mother was fired because of the accusations and then involving students by writing articles.
My question is do you think that Obinze’s mother will ever return from sabbatical? Do you think if his mother returns that it will change anything between Obinze and Ifemelu?
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Anchor Books, 2014.
I thought this section in the chapter was kind of sweet because it was the moment when Obinze supposedly “fell in love” with Ifemelu. For example, he says, “You know it was love at first sight for both of us” (pg. 75). It was very relatable in the sense of when you have a crush on someone or you find someone you attractive, you want to get to know them and have them like you back. I think the reason why Obinze told Ifemelu the family secret is to try to make her feel more comfortable with being around him. Another reason for why Obinze told her the secret could be because he wanted to hear more of Ifemelu’s family and to try and get to know her. He might have been trying to establish a common ground with her. I think Obinze’s mother was fired because of how she took a stand against the other professor. Obinze’s mother has a more liberal approach to certain situations and that is most likely the reason why they fired her because they knew that she would cause some trouble for the university.
My question is, do you think Obinze is proud of his mother for taking a stand against the other professor?
Citation: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Anchor Books. 2014.