Date Thesis Awarded
5-2022
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
English
Advisor
R. Benedito Ferrao
Committee Members
Hermine Pinson
Chima Osakwe
Chinua Thelwell
Abstract
“Afro-Diasporic (Dis)Illusionment: Perceptions of the American Dream in Americanah and Behold the Dreamers” evaluates two novels of post-9/11 African migration literature to document African (im)migrants’ changing perceptions of the American Dream. Though the American Dream is largely associated with early twentieth century literature, it remains a prevailing myth even today. The American Dream particularly compels immigrants to come pursue the opportunities offered in America as the promised land of meritocracy. Both novels—Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue—center the experience of racialized immigrants as they enter the US in a post-9/11 era to render the American Dream a myth. Adichie and Mbue criticize the inaccessibility of the Dream to question its inherent aspirational value, not only for the immigrants in these novels, but for Americans more generally.
Recommended Citation
Abdelrahman, Sabrien, "Afro-Diasporic (Dis)Illusionment: Perceptions of the American Dream in Americanah and Behold the Dreamers" (2022). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1794.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1794
