Setting

Physical setting

The events described in the short story “Imitation” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie mainly take place in a suburb near Philadelphia, in the United States of America (p. 19, l. 4), where Nkem and her children live. Nkem lives on Cherrywood Lane, an “all white” (p. 19, l. 8) neighborhood where Obiora has bought the house they initially rented. Although she lives in comfort in Philadelphia and has access to proper education for her children, Nkem is conflicted because she misses her home, her friends, and the atmosphere in Nigeria (p. 27, ll. 4-5). 

Nkem recalls events taking place in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos, in the family’s home: “And it hardly feels right, referring to the house in Lagos, in the Victoria Garden City neighborhood where mansions skulk behind high gates...