Nairobi Essay The short story ‘Nairobi’ is written by Joyce Carol Oates. The story takes place in the upper class Manhattan, where every day is a new opportunity to climb a step higher in the social hierarchy. The main characters are the rich Oliver Lehay and his female friend Ginny. As the story opens, Oliver is taking Ginny to a lot of expensive shops, where he is buying her fancy clothes and accessories, so she can look ‘appropriate’ for their visit to Marguerite and Herbert Crew’s apartment. After spending a little time with the couple, Olive decides to leave. He signals a cab for her and they separate. The realistic short story focuses on the difficulties there are in the highest social class of Manhattan. It is a twofaced world, where the characters put up “mirror faces” to hide their true identity. Nairobi is a savannah in Africa, where the food chain is fundamental for all life. The food chain is like the social hierarchy – the ones on the top of the pyramid are the most powerful. The novel focuses on appearance, social status and superficial relationships, which all are aspects of how New York is portrayed in many songs, poems and movies. It is clear, that the idea of a materialistic upper class life blinds Ginny and makes her forget about her own identity. When Oliver and her shop at an expensive shoe store, he asks her if she wants to keep her old shoes. After debating with herself for a while Ginny says:” No, the hell with them, she said. They’re too much trouble to take along. – Which she might regret afterward: but it was the right thing to say at that particular moment.” This quote proves that Ginny is trying to hide her real identity and replace it with the idea of being an upper class woman in New York. She believes that she can live under a façade of exclusive clothes and materialism. There are a lot of expectations and unwritten rules