THE ARRANGERS OF MARRIAGE-
The Arrangers of Marriage This story depicts the experiences of Chinaza, and her new life in New York with Dave her new husband. They are both from Nigeria and Dave has already settled in the flat before his new wife arrives. It is clearly an arranged marriage, and we see how eager Dave is to lose any hints of Nigeria and embrace America. Right from the start, Chinaza is not impressed; the flat is barely decorated and small; her doctor husband is just a resident in the local hospital and making very little money. She had come to America expecting a big house with a big driveway, like she saw on the programs on television. Not so. The story is narrated by Chinaza who keeps a running mental list of what the ‘arrangers of marriage’ had not told her. This is interesting as it contrasts what she isthinking and feeling with her seemingly selfish husband who does not seem to be aware of her needs and views. We see this in the way he ‘makes love’ to his wife, no consent or foreplay, sex is just about his experience and his pleasure. It is not hard to imagine being unimpressed, although Chinaza bides her tongue until the final revelation, that Dave was previously married here in the United States in order to get a Green Card. When she begins to wonder where her Green Card is, she finds out her husband has not even lodged it. Although she wants to leave immediately, Chinaza realises she is stuck at least for the present while. In this story, food and language are used metaphorically to represent two approaches to the migrant experience. Ofodile (Dave) has tried to wipe out his culture and past by forcing himself to totally embrace and imitate American language and culture. His choice of name change to ‘Dave’ is comical as it seems very out of place. His adaptation of American culture is extreme and artificial, but he forces himself to take it seriously – and he does. Dave is actually doing this out of fear of not belonging and not making it in America. Hence when Chinaza arrives, he is constantly teaching her the appropriate American words to substitute – ‘cookies’ not ‘biscuits’ and ‘elevator’ instead of ‘lift’. In particular he does not want his wife to speak anything but correct American English, especially around Americans. When Chinaza makes some tasty food, Dave is paranoid that it has a strong smell and may draw attention to their ‘otherness’. In fact it does when one neighbour comes in to check on the smell that has permeated the whole block of flats -‘It smells really good….the problem with us here is that we have no culture, no culture at all.’ Although this story addresses serious issues, it is quite a humorous story.
The Thing Around Your Neck The Thing Around Your Neck deals with the Nigerian experience of migrating to America. It deals with the often unrealistic expectations people have about their new country and that there is a human tendency to assume that life will be so much better after migration. What often greetsthe individual are substandard living conditions, the desperate need to find any type of work and to work long hours. This story is told in the second person narrative style and deals with the reality of homesickness, experienced by the 22 year old narrator. After much longing, she receives an American visa and leaves her home in Nigeria to live in Maine, USA with her Uncle. ‘They spoke Igbo and ate garri for lunch and it was like home.’ Things do not turn out well at the Uncle’s place as he tries to sexually assault her and she realises she must leave this house. With great courage she gets on the Greyhound bus and ends up in Connecticut, finding work in a restaurant. As she is on her own, she feels isolated and lonely, finding the American way of life confusing. Furthermore her educational dreams are compromised as she has to work hard to pay for her meagre accommodation. Finally she begins a romantic affair with a restaurant customer and she begins to see a little hope – love and belonging. The ending is ambiguous as she returns home to Nigeria as her father has just passed away; she says she will return.