Structure

The short story “My Mother, the Crazy African” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a chronological structure and follows the main characters as they experience life in America after relocating from Nigeria. 

The beginning of the story introduces the main characters and foreshadows the conflict between Lin and her mother:

I hate having an accent. I hate it when people ask me to repeat things sometimes and I can hear them laughing inside because I am not American. Now I reply Father's Ibo with English. I would do it with Mother too, but I don't think she will go for that just yet. (p. 1, ll. 1-3)

Here, the text hints that, while Lin’s father is more open-minded, her mother is more traditional. 

The story presents Lin’s attempts to be recognized as a typical American teenager and illustrates the generational differences between her and ...