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Chapter 45
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Americanah, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race and Racism
Identity
Romantic Love
Separation vs. Connection
Cultural Criticism
Summary
Analysis
Ifemelu visits her parents, who like to talk about their visit to America. Whenever she visits her old friends, it always seems like the subject of marriage comes up. Ifemelu doesn’t tell anyone that she and Blaine have broken up, and everyone assumes that she wants to marry him. Ifemelu sees her friend Tochi, who puts down America constantly in their conversation. Ifemelu is relieved when they part ways.
Ifemelu continues to tell the rosy lies of someone living abroad, even though she is now back in Nigeria. Blaine is still far away, so no one has any way of knowing if she’s telling the truth or not, and she avoids stirring up any stress or trouble.
Themes
Ifemelu’s friend Priye is now a wedding planner. She boasts about how many famous people come to the weddings she plans. She and Ranyinudo talk about marriage, and Priye says the first rule of life in Lagos is “You do not marry the man you love. You marry the man who can best maintain you.” Ifemelu keeps going along with her own charade, discussing her future potential wedding with Blaine. She can’t help planning it out herself in her imagination.
