The beginning of the second half of “Americanah” focuses mostly on Obinze and his life as he tries to make it in England. It’s funny how despite the fact that Obinze and Ifemelu are thousands of miles away, they are experiencing similar situations: experiencing their friends in Africa who have “made it” and have no problem showing off, they are experiencing this constant struggle and they are both experiencing a kind of attack against them because of their ethnicity and their cultural background. They both have cheated on their respective lovers. It can be seen that these two bodies carry the same feelings for one another and experience almost all the same exact experiences. They are very much soulmates.

One thing I noticed is that in a way, the second half of “Americanah,” Obinze’s story, speaks about race in the opposite way as opposed to Ifemelu’s story. Ifemelu lived in the Black world of struggle in America; there were a few instances of Black people who "made it," but they very much lived under a kind of oppression at the same time. However, in Obinze’s story, we see many instances (including the previously mocked Emenike) of Black people who, while living among Whites in England, have completely and totally assimilated and have "made it," no struggle attached. To me, this says that it is easier for Black bodies in England to assimilate into the general population or White society than it is in the U.S... perhaps it is because there is more class distinction than race distinction, which is ironic, considering that slavery and imperialism started in Western Europe. It’s even to the point that Obinze’s co-workers, who were originally cold to him and resented him (I feel that it was more of a new guy thing than a race thing), throw him a birthday party. Nowhere does Ifemelu have a relationship with White people who are not her boyfriend and his family (who we know are not race-conscious) in America that is remotely that cordial.

I also found interesting the comment that was said to Ojiugo by one of her friends that “England was a great equalizer amongst African people because in Africa she would have never looked at the man who she was married to now." This idea is very interesting because many Africans deny that there is racial tension among different peoples in Africa based on culture, even though everyone knows that there is. Also, the actions of the British Black woman towards Ojiugo in trying to discourage her from giving her kids great opportunities by hinting, “It’s very expensive, you won’t be able to afford it” completely negates that idea as well. The problem is many Black people don’t want to admit that they are not for all Black people. They want to be better than other Black people so they can stand out. To them, they know that other Black people view them as "sell-outs."

Ifemelu’s responses to all the beliefs and preconceptions about race that the characters both experience amused and saddened me; I also completely agree with her. She was completely wrong in her dealings with Curt at the end of their relationship though. I belief that Curt did the best he could in his part of the relationship. Speaking from personal experience and dealing with both ends of dating a person of a different race, you cannot expect your partner to understand all that it means to be of a particular race. In my eyes, you are not going to understand unless you ARE part of that race, and that it is really not a person’s fault if they are not. There is no excuse for his family, however. Their attempt to empathize was superficial at best, insulting at worst. For me, Ifemelu represents what a Black body goes through when the Black body respects itself and is aware as a Black body: you upset both Black and White people, you become something constantly noticed every time you walk into a room, and you become an example in everything. What is interesting is that Adichie also illustrates through Ifemelu the curiosity Black bodies have about White bodies and visa versa. Adichie illustrates the belief that through a true union (what she calls a romantic union), the division and the tension between Black and White can heal. I believe that as well.

I think the relationship between Blaine and Ifemelu details a problem that is significant in the Black body community, but is not really spoken about: American Black people often act elitist and superior to Black people born elsewhere, except maybe Europe. It is spoken about several times throughout the novel, albeit in Obinze’s story. However, it seems that when Black people become Caucanized (I say Caucanized to mean when Black people start to act like elitist White people), they start to look down at Black people who have “Black” ways, and look at Black/African culture as foreign culture… it’s very strange. I see this through Blaine; to me, he unconsciously does this to Ifemelu’s blog posts, even though he is coming from a place of academic critiquing. It could also be seen as a man “critiquing” a woman who he feels is in inferior. We all know how that goes: “I’m a man, I can do it better." You can even see Ifemelu becoming a little Caucanized as well in the way she reacts to her parents visiting her and taking pictures in front of J.C. Penney. It embarrasses her that her African parents show that they are not used to the wealth and opulence that is in America. To Ifemelu, the non-affluence of her parents is a sign of being too African.

As I said previously, Ifemelu and Obinze are very much soulmates. To me, “Americanah” is about them. Even though, race is a huge theme in the novel, it is an African love story and all the things they go through dealing with race and gender are things Africans have to go through in order to find a love that is refined and informed. I don’t know if others would see things in this way, but I see the relationships that Ifemelu and Obinze have with other people as symbolic and representative of the issues that African men and women have with each other while trying to create a love that doesn’t include racial issues, class issues, gender issues, and cultural issues. It seems like a bit of a stretch, but Ifemelu’s and Obinze’s relationship seems to me like the kind of relationship that is simply between two minds and bodies only, no baggage, or not as much, included in the mix.