November 16, 2016 - 05:26
full disclosure i've had a kind of hectic day, with an extended meeting that took up the classtime set aside for reading, and i walked for an hour total this evening just to go to therapy for the first time and i'm adjusting to that! i honestly didn't get to read too far into Americanah and I wanted to post as soon as I could!
As I'm reading Americanah, I'm interested in the theme of hair that Adichie comes back to again and again. Hair is important to Ifemelu, and the book opens up with talk about the distribution of hair salons that will braid Black hair and the demographics of the towns Ifemelu passes through. Hair is talked about again and again, because it retains so much cultural significance. I'm reminded of the passages about hair in Their Eyes Were Watching God, since Janie's hair was an important symbol of her independence and her individuality. The beginning of that book begins with a discussion of Janie's hair by her neighbors, gossiping about her from their porch as they watch her long, beautiful hair swing back and forth as she walks. Janie's hair is straight and lovely, and because of it, Janie gets a lot of attention for her seemingly white-looking/white-textured hair. In many ways, Janie's hair reflects an inner strength and the power she has access to. I'll be curious as to how Adichie talks about hair in Americanah as well, and how the traditions and messages and community that surround Black hair will be developed in the rest of the book.