When reading the ending in which Obinze leaves his wife and daughter to instead be with Ifemelu, I couldn’t help but question it. Was the ending between Obinze and Ifemelu realistic in light of the tone and events of the novel?
I believe that the ending between Obinze and Ifemelu was not realistic due to the tone of the novel, along with the events that had taken place. Had Ifemelu and Obinze remained in Nigeria all of their lives, then I believe that the ending would have been taken place as it did in the novel. At the beginning of the novel, their relationship is a representation of their naivety and youth; it had not experienced the hardships that they would experience outside of Nigeria.
In America, after she goes to the tennis coach, Ifemelu has understandably changed and hardened. She became “detached, floating in a world where darkness descended too soon, and everyone walked around burdened by coats, and flattened by the absence of light” (192) in which she pushes away Obinze because she is disgusted with herself and with her new life in America. This break in this relationship is emphasized when Obinze says that because of Ifemelu’s abrupt lack of contact, “He was by turns, inflamed by anger, twisted by confusion, withered by sadness” (294). At this point, the relationship seems to be irreparable, especially when they both refrain from communicating over the years.
In addition, Ifemelu tends to maintain a pessimistic view and sometimes acts in hurtful, destructive ways. She says Americans overuse the word, “excited,” and are too hopeful. In her relationship with Curt, she found herself wanting “to create to rough edges, to squash his sunniness, even if just a little” (210) and did so by cheating on him. She carries these views with her throughout the novel, and even when reunited with Obinze, she is changed from when they were together in the beginning. If she had remained true to her character, she would not have been hopeful for any future for Obinze and herself.
By the end of the novel, Obinze has not made any bold decisions like Ifemelu; he moved to England with the help of his mother, he was easily deported, he does business with the help of the Chief, and settles into an easy, yet unsatisfying life with Kosi in Nigeria. It is implausible that he makes such a dramatic decision to leave Kosi and his daughter for Ifemelu, especially considering the years of lost contact and events that have taken place over the years. Okwudiba even tells Obinze, “You can keep seeing [Ifemelu]…but to get up and say you have no problem with your wife, but you are leaving for another woman…we don’t behave like that…” (582). It is not typical behavior; therefore, Obinze would not have truly gone through with it. I do not believe that the novel’s ending is realistic due to the experiences, tone, and behavior of Ifemelu and Obinze.
I agree with your analysis of Ifemelu as an increasingly pessimistic character throughout the book, but also think that this was paralleled in Obinze's character development, making their ultimate reunion plausible. It is very clear throughout both of their separate endeavors that they both consistently compare all romantic partners to each other. From the beginning, Ifemelu remembers Obinze as "the only person with whom she had never felt the need to explain herself" (7). Throughout her relationship with Curt, she constantly found herself having to explain obstacles she faced as a black woman, and as an immigrant. With Blaine, she found herself having to relentlessly defend her choices and beliefs. The similarities between Obinze and Ifemelu are blatantly stated throughout the novel. Both were shaped throughout their experiences to have a certain impatience for over enthusiasm. Regarding his mother, Obinze "disliked her calm good cheer, how hard she tried to be positive" (289). With Curt, Ifemelu "fought the urge to create rough edges, to squash his sunniness" (355). Ifemelu and Obinze both state things as they truly are, no matter how harsh it may be. This allows them to have honest conversations with little worry of offending each other, something they both faced with previous partners. Obinze appreciates Ifemelu's blatant honesty, "there was a vivid honesty about her" (24), something that other men had tried to obliterate from her personality. Obinze is also described as "hungry and honest" (31), a trait Ifemelu clearly values as well. Finally, both remain proud of their Nigerian roots while they watch their friends mold to the expectations of American and British society. One example of this is maintaining their Nigerian accents while others purposefully adapt foreign accents for acceptance. Ifemelu and Obinze don't mind being different, and I think that forged an incredibly strong bond between them that could easily endure their time apart.
ReplyDeleteI believe the ending of the book of Ifemelu and Obinze’s relationship is plausible because of the similar lives Ifemelu and Obinze led before they reunited. When Ifemelu goes to American, she has a hard time finding a job, and “she woke up every day worrying about money” because “her meager bank account was leaking money” (165, 161). When she does get a job, it’s babysitting, which is not a typical job of a person with an education. Similarly, Obinze has to do menial jobs in London. Based on their background and education, both are not using their full potential in their lives. Their naïve optimism of success is shattered with reality, maturing and altering both of their views on life.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, while in relationships, Ifemelu and Obinze still long for the connection they both had. When in a relationship with Curt, Ifemelu still “felt deeply betrayed by the news” that Obinze was in England because she was never informed of the change (277). Immediately, she emailed Obinze to say she misses him. Later when Obinze and Ifemelu started exchanging emails, Obinze would always check his phone “even when he got up at night to go to the toilet,” and he considered Blaine a rival even though Obinze was married (457). Also, while it appeared that Obinze was happily married and had a good life, he would “be overcome by the urge to prick everything with a pin, to deflate it all, to be free” (26). Thus, the longing and nostalgia Ifemelu and Obinze shared kindled and continued their attraction to each other, but their upbringing, personalities, and time spent surviving in other countries created a deep understanding of each other. This is what I believe drove them to be together at the end.
I can see why you find the ending implausible, and I do think it represents a change in the characters’ trajectories, but I see this as intentional on Adichie’s part and as the effect of a larger shift in each character that develops throughout the novel. I agree that America made Ifemelu hardened and pessimistic, but I see this as resulting mainly from cultural and emotional struggles with men. As Vanessa says, she is constantly explaining and defending herself with other boyfriends, and these constant tensions lead her to ]destructive behavior. However, Ifemelu doesn’t need to explain herself to Obinze in the beginning (7) or in the end; for example, even after the culture shock of America has changed her and she feels out of place in Nigeria, Obinze is quick to assure her that “‘it’s normal’” (530). I again agree with you, Morgan, that Obinze’s taking action get Ifemelu back contrasts with the passive behavior he exhibits in much of the novel, but I think Ifemelu has been a consistent exception to his passiveness. When they first get together it is because Obinze has defied his friends’ wishes that he be with Ginika, and he also tries hard to mend things with Ifemelu when she breaks off contact instead of accepting her rejection. The last page of the novel is the final iteration of this pattern, when he finally gives up his half-hearted attempts to make up via cell phone and decides to take action to be with her, which also means an end to his passive unhappiness with Kosi. In conclusion, while you’re right about this being somewhat out of character, I see it not as an abrupt reversal, but as the final step in an ongoing transformation.
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