The eighth story
in Chimamanda Adichie’s collection focuses on a woman standing in a queue
outside the American Embassy in Lagos. While listening to the gentleman behind
her, the main character reflects on the advice given to her by people who
helped her husband escape the country, “Don’t falter as you answer the
questions, the voices had said. Tell them all about Ugonna [her son], what he
was like, but don’t overdo it, because every day people lie to them to get
asylum visas, about dead relatives that were never born. Make Ugonna real. Cry,
but don’t cry to much.” This passage gives insight to the desperation felt by
the Lagos population and the problems it causes. The main character is an
example of the struggle Nigerian’s have while facing the American Embassy. The
Embassy hears about dead relatives so often it becomes the norm. The main
character, still grieving for her murdered son, cannot “overdo it” or else the
officials will not believe her story because of its regularity. She must put on
a show for the embassy, like she is fabricating a story about her son.
Ironically, she must do exactly what those who lie about the dead do. Likewise,
the line “make Ugonna real” sticks out. Ugonna is real within the context of
the story. He is her son; he was the main character’s world. One would assume a
grieving mother would find it difficult to discuss her son’s death, especially
to strangers. Any mother would be inconsolable, but due to her situation, she
may cry over her son, but not “to much.” If she shows too much emotion, she’s
are lying. If she doesn’t show enough, she is lying. In this story, one must
lie to tell the truth in order to survive and escape the persecutors. Truth is obscured;
survival is necessary.
Katharine Schlegel
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