Amaka’s place in the novel is important
because it is her personality, actions, and interactions with others that allow
us to understand Kambili. The first time
Kambili mentions her cousin, she describes her to look exactly like her aunt—
whom she is fond of— except for that her eyes “did not have the unconditional
warmth of Aunty Ifeoma’s” (78). Yet, it is hard to define where exactly this
underlying bitterness and anger within Amaka comes from. She is also
consistently described through the way Kambili compares herself to her cousin:
“I wondered how Amaka did it, how she opened her mouth and had words flow out
easily” (99); “Although I tried to concentrate on Mass, I kept thinking about
Amaka’s lipstick, wondering what it felt like to run color over your lips” (89)
Although Amaka and Kambili are the same age, Kambili looks up to her, perhaps, because Amaka is everything that Kambili wishes she could be— pretty,
confident, sure of what she wants.
But, there is more to Amaka than just her
beauty and poise—she also carries around a condescending bitterness that forces
Kambili to struggle with what she believes about her cousin, and herself. It
was not until Kambili visited Amaka that the romantic ideas about hehr cousin
began to dissolve. While she still seems to look up to her when they first
arrive in Nsukka, the darker side of
Amaka’s personality begins to show itself, as when they greeted each other, as “Amaka barely let her sides meet mine before she backed away” (116). And,
Amaka’s hostility towards Kambili only grows as they spend more time together,
continuously making snide remarks about Kambili’s privileged lifestyle and her
shyness. While we know that Amaka holds onto some bitterness, we don’t know
why. She may just be jealous of Kambili’s luxuries she has at home, but I think
there is more to her behavior towards Kambili (she isn’t as hostile towards
Jaja) that will be explained later on in the novel.
I think, in a way, Amaka is similar to
Boori Ma from “The Real Durwan” from Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies. Both of these characters are holding on to
something from the past that manifests itself in a cynical, condescending view
of those around them, even though, based on social hierarchy, they are considered lower class.
I wrote about Amaka as well. I think she is a very pivotal character because she compares to Kambili in a lot of ways. I agree with the idea that Kambili had romanticized the idea of Amaka before going to stay with her. Once there, Amaka makes many comments which are important to pay attention to for future events. It is evident something will happen between the two. Also, nice relation to "The Real Durwan." I hadn't thought about that comparison.
ReplyDeleteI noticed Amaka's bitterness towards Kambili as well. I think that jealousy may be the cause of this irritation towards her. She often throws out sly comments about Kambili's wealth and luxurious lifestyle; comparing it to her own life, where she does not have nearly as much.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to watch Amaka's interactions with her cousin. I think her bitterness comes from the way people tend to think Nigerian culture is not as civilized as anything westernized. When she mentions the music she listens to she talks about how "they're culturally conscious." I think she just wants people to accept Nigerian Culture as just as good as Western culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Amaka is a really complex character. She is almost a mystery because we never know quite how she will react to a situation, and because she is a relatively new character introduced in the story. I really like how you described Amaka as having "condescending bitterness." It shows how she is really jealous of and resentful to her cousins, and could really be quite vulnerable if you take away her harshness.
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