epic hero

1-The American Embassy is a short story set in Nigeria precisely during the time of General Abacha's regime. The story revolves around a woman who looses both her son and her husband although in different ways due to the regime. Her husband's life is under threat due to some anti government articles he writes in his newspaper. He has to flee the country and she helps him escape by driving him to his co-editor's house in the trunk of her car. This leaves her as all as her four year old son vulnerable when the soldiers come for her husband. In their frustration and confusion about their inability to find her husband, the soldiers kill her son. All alone, she applies for an asylum visa to leave Nigeria but realises that she is not ready to sell the story of her son's death for an asylum. She struggles with the feeling of guilt that she has disappointed her son. She leaves the embassy in the middle of her interview probably heading for her village as dreamt of doing.

2- Her name is not mentioned probably for the sake of mystery. It can also be because she represents a whole group of people and not just herself. In other words what she went through could have happened to lots of other Nigerian women living in that same era.The author therefore does not want readers to regard her situation as a peculiar one but to understand that it was a common occurrence at that time hence the use of the pronoun she which represents every female worldwide.

3- The term allegory originates from the Greek word allegoria which means speaking otherwise. It is an extended metaphor in which principles or ideas are abstractly represented through the use of characters, figures or events. Fictional characters and actions are used to understand and express aspects of concepts relating to human existence.

Her husband allegorizes selfishness, false heroism and cowardice. This can be seen in how wants to be