Maudlin (adjective) – weakly and effusively sentimental

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maudlin

From “You In America” by Amanda Ngozi Adichie

I came across this word while reading “You In America” by Amanda Ngozi Adichie. It appears around the middle of the reading, as the author illustrates an interection with a man and the kind of conversation you have with him. It caught my interest because it’s a word I don’t hear quite often and didn’t know it’s meaning, so i’m curious as to how it ties in with the sentence and the author’s overall point.

“After your shift of that day, he was waiting outside, leaning by a pole, asking you to go out with him because your name ryhmed with hakuna matata and The Lion King was the only maudlin movie he’d ever liked.” (Adichie).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how the man views the movie The Lion King and what it means to him.