Americanah is third person’s point of view because Ngozi Adichie uses the third form (he, she) while describing all the characters. The story is told by the narrator. Americanah is about a black woman Ifemelu who moves from Nigeria to the United States and she is trying to understand the new culture. She has a hard time to find a place to get her hair braided because the area she lives in (Princeton) is a white neighborhood and there aren’t salons for hair braiding. As the story goes on the narrator describes the people Ifemelu comes across, “The man standing closest to her was eating an ice cream cone; she had always found it a little irresponsible, the eating of ice cream cones by grown-up American men, especially the eating of ice cream cones by grown-up American men in public.” (Ngozi Adichie 4) Ifemelu and the man standing next to her are both described in he and she, which proves that the book is written in third-person narration.
It is objective because the narrator can’t get into any of the characters minds, she only describes what is going on around the surroundings of the characters. When Ifemelu finally reaches to the salon, the ladies working there are speaking in English and French. “Trois! Cinq! Non, non, cinq!” (Ngozi Adichie 13) The narrator doesn’t say the meaning of the numbers and also who is on the other side of the phone. Which shows she has no access to the character Mariama was talking to. Which proves the point of point of view being objective. Ifemelu is going back to her country and she decides to close the blog she writes. “She would sit in cafes, or airports or train stations, watching strangers, watching strangers, imagining their lives, and wondering which of them were likely to have read her blog. Now her ex-blog.” (5) This also shows that the narrator is telling the story and not Ifemelu herself.
Hey Nabeela, I also agree that its objective and that its only possible to get a perspective on the Characters through what goes on around them and the things they do.
It seems like that, so far it’s only what the narrator is observing about the characters.
Thank you
Hi Nabeela, I also agree that the novel is in the third person perspective. Americanah doesn’t use the pronoun I but instead as you mentioned uses “she/he.”
Thank you Shahzeda.
hmmmm i had said that the narrator is Omniscient because i believe that i have a great understanding of what the characters are like, and what they struggle with and what they think. Your blog just made me re-think about my whole entire blog and now im confused haha. I guess we will see..
I thought of that too but then it appeared to me more that the narrator is only observing what’s going on. And not actually looking into their minds.
Thanks Suchii
what they are thinking ****
It is my opinion the narrator has only limited omniscience, knowing how the motivations and thoughts of the two main characters Ifemelu and Obinze but in general not expounding on the thoughts of the other characters. The story is written as an account of both their lives and although it includes the other people they happen to interact with, it never gives any clear indication of knowing why the other characters behave how they do unless from the point of view of Ifemelu or Obinze who not having supernatural powers are just hypothesizing.
I have to agree with Garcia here. The POV is definitely 3rd person, but we also get some insights into Ifemelu’s mind (and Obinze as well). Limited Omniscient! 🙂