What role does romance play in Americanah?

Adichie uses romance as an underlying theme throughout the novel to comment on social issues such as race and class, and to represent Ifemelu’s growth as she grapples with issues surrounding her identity and eventually finds the sense of belonging and fulfillment she has been searching for. 

The novel explores many romantic relationships, most of which are portrayed as imbalanced due to gender and class differences. Adichie examines Kimberly’s infatuation with her narcissistic husband, Don, and highlights the power imbalance in the relationship between Aunty Uju and The General. She also addresses the lack of genuine love or affection in Aunty Uju’s relationship with Bartholomew and Obinze’s relationship with Kosi, both of which are rooted deeply in traditional gender roles and marriage expectations. Through Ifemelu’s relationships with Curt and Blain, Adichie explores the challenges of racial differences.

The dynamic of Obinze and Kosi’s marriage is a crucial part of the story and serves as a representation of what so many women in Lagos prioritize in their relationships: a marriage with a wealthy man that looks perfect to the public and satisfies their family. However, Obinze felt uncomfortable with how Kosi conformed to this image, and he longed for an independent woman like Ifemelu. 

Ifemelu also always felt that something was missing in her other relationships. With Curt, she initially “slipped out of her old skin” and was content - he was wealthy, in love, and took her traveling (Adichie 147). However, as their relationship progressed, Ifemlu was also exploring her identity and falling in love with her natural hair. Ultimately, their different backgrounds and worldviews led to their break-up. Following the breakup, Ifemelu felt “a hunger, a restlessness” that eventually led to her starting her blog, a space that becomes an outlet for her to express her true, unfiltered thoughts on race that Curt never fully understood (Adichie 358).

Adichie uses Ifemelu’s relationship with Blaine to highlight the differences between African-Americans and Africans in America, and as a stepping stone to Ifemelu’s ultimate realization that it was time for her to return to Nigeria. There, she feels at home and can be unapologetically herself with Obinze, unlike with Blaine and his friends, where she often felt out of place, or with Curt, where she never felt understood.

In contrast to all of the unhealthy, lacking relationships, Ifemelu and Obinze share a genuine love and understanding for each other. This is highlighted early on in the novel during their teenage years, when Ifemelu describes Obinze as “the only person with whom she had never felt the need to explain herself” and says that with him “she was at ease; her skin felt as though it was her right size” (Adichie 7, 73). 

In the end, it makes sense that Ifemelu and Obinze end up together - they share the same background and a love that stands out. Their reunion makes the novel feel complete, like she “had, finally, spun herself fully into being” and was at peace with her identity (Adichie 586).