Perspectives

Literary perspective

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a contemporary writer whose works of fiction often fall in the category of postcolonial literature. Postcolonialism focuses on issues related to colonialism and the influence of former colonial powers, like the British Empire.

In “Jumping Monkey Hill”, one of the main themes is that of colonialism and racism, which is explored mainly through the interactions between Edward, the British man who is the organizer of the African Writers’ Workshop, and the African participants. The story looks at the outdated and stereotypical perception of Africa that is still present in some people’s minds due in large part to colonialism. Moreover, the story also explores the subtler racial aggressions black Africans experience from the white people who visit their countries. 

Adichie’s writing is also often an example of feminist fiction, which is also the case with “Jumping Monkey Hill”. The short story also looks at sexism and gender roles in Africa, most notably presenting the main character Ujunwa’s experience with being sexualized by men in positions of power, both at the workshop and in her previous job at a bank. Ujunwa recounts one of these experiences in a short story she is writing, which is then critiqued as being unrealistic by Edward, who behaves towards Ujunwa in a very similar way to what she is describing in her story. 

Works by the same author

Other stories by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie include the short story “Imitation”. In the story, a Nigerian woman emigrates to the United States with her husband and family, but her husband spends most of his time in Nigeria. She finds out her husband has a mistress in Lagos, which makes her realize her marriage is purely an imitation of what she thinks marriage should be. It would be useful to analyze how the main characters from the two short stories react to the obstacles in their lives and what approaches they take.

It can also be useful to look at Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s nonfiction writing and her speeches. Her TED talk “We should all be feminists”, which was later published as an essay, discusses the unequal treatment women receive because of their gender in African society, something which is touched upon in “Jumping Monkey Hill”. 

In her speech “The Danger of a Single Story”, Adichie advises the audience to expand their perspective of Africa and to rely on more than a single story when they want to understand African experiences. This is particularly relevant when considering Edward’s stereotypical view of Africa in the short story “Jumping Monkey Hill”.