“It [quiet speaking] was a way of moving about the world, my father’s way of moving through the world. It was a survival strategy for a recent immigrant to a new continent of opportunity, a land of possibility, to the science fictional area where he had come, on scholarship, with nothing to his name but a small green suitcase, a lamp that his aunt gave him, and fifty dollars, which became forty-seven after exchanging currency at the airport” (71).
This observation from Yu about how his father behaved once he immigrated reminded me of how the characters from Americanah changed once they made it to either Britain or America. Whether it is “quiet speaking” like Yu’s father or altering their accent like Ifemelu, immigrants end up having to change something about themselves for cultural assimilation. They feel like they can’t openly be their authentic selves. However, what’s even more interesting about these realizations is how these characters find ways to resist against them, regardless of the consequences. For Yu’s father, it’s his passionate admission to his son about his dream invention and his lifelong efforts to fulfill said ambition; for Ifemelu, it’s her decision to no longer try to force an American accent or pattern of speech. In both cases, there is an investment in genuineness over anything else.
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