Identity and Hair Narrative in Adichie's Americanah

Abstract

Although the social construction of the human hair varies from culture to culture, the symbolic function of hair varies from person to person. In Adichie’s Americanah, the characters are primarily defined by their hair before the construction of their race, career and personality. The human hair becomes the premise for brotherhood and sisterhood in. Many episodes take place in the salon, thereafter a person’s hair is qualified as either good or bad. The theoretical framework for this paper is New Historicism which interrogates social life and power relations among people in the society. In this work we conclude that Adichie tells the story of human hair not for its sake but to portray the problem of immigrants, religious fanaticism, disruption of academic calendar and the frustration therein, loveless marriage, the environment and other human conditions. Finally, the hair shows that every person is a complete human being first and foremost