Comparison Of Uncertainty In Americanah And A Fine Balance

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah and Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance explore an assortment of issues and situations that occur through time in the modern day United States and Nigeria, and 1970s India, respectively. The presence of different types of uncertainty in the characters’ lives either spur them or limit them in varied cultural contexts.
The manifestation and effect of uncertainty can be observed in both platonic and romantic relationships the characters develop, the struggle to survive and succeed, and the identities of the characters.

The existence of uncertainty in the familial and romantic relationships of the both books’ characters, results in both advancements and limitations in their lives. In Americanah, Ifemelu moves
The four main characters, Dina Dalal, Ishvar, Omprakash and Maneck, develop a familial relationship that grows despite uncertainty from Dina of their class difference but similarly to Ifemelu in Americanah, a lack of communication and doubt strongly affect their bond. Mistry uses hyperbole, “There was still a gulf between them, she did not see them as they saw her,” to exaggerate the distance between Dina and the tailors, Ishvar and Omprakash, in class and in perspective. Dina particularly struggles with the effect of society’s values on the relationship and in this uncertainty, she takes the opportunity to connect with the tailors. Unlike in Americanah where uncertainty in family and love spurred Ifemelu to better her relationships and find happiness, all characters in A Fine Balance find short term happiness before environmental factors cause doubt and distance destroys their relationship. This long term destruction can be observed in the motif of Life being a quilt that grows through time. This is referred back(mistake, explain the ‘this’) to at moments of importance in the growth of the bond between the characters but becomes a symbol of the unpredictability of life as the relationship is broken by the unforeseen forces and the quilt is abandoned. Despite different settings and
This is different to Americanah as the uncertainty of life spurs Ifemelu to significantly improve her life, whereas A Fine Balance’s characters are limited in their options and can only move on the path they have and not move higher. Unlike Americanah, most characters expect the position of struggle they’re in but both texts echo an optimism of success despite only the characters in Americanah eventually succeeding. The use of a fairly optimistic tone, “Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair,” is that of the poor in 1970s India and effects the reaction to uncertainty, to not give up but to try and survive. This differs from the message in Americanah with is to thrive and not just survive. Mistry’s use of rhetoric questions, “This was life? Or a cruel joke? He no longer believed that the scales would ever balance fairly,” demonstrates the despair most people feel and accept after losing hope. They can’t help but feel limited by their position as the desperate environment inspires limitations. It is clear that the presence of uncertainty of survival and success spurs Ifemelu in Americanah where