Chris Abanis Graceland - 1177 Words

Contemporary Perspectives Graceland Analysis â€Å"Elvis had read a newspaper editorial that stated, rather proudly, that Nigeria had a higher percentage of millionaires...than nearly any other country in the world, and most of them lived and conducted their business in Lagos. The editorial failed to mention that their wealth had been made over the years with the help of crooked politicians, criminal soldiers, bent contractors, and greedy oil company executives. Or that Nigeria also had a higher percentage of poor people than nearly any other country in the world.† (Abani 8) This quote exemplifies the image of Nigeria presented in Chris Abani’s shocking novel Graceland. Based on Abani’s own experiences in the conflicted, war-torn country,†¦show more content†¦How could a place be so ugly and violent yet beautiful at the same time? he wondered. He hadnt known about the poverty and violence of Lagos until he arrived. It was as if people conspired with the city to weave a web of silence around its uns avory parts. People who didnt live in Lagos only saw postcards of skyscrapers, sweeping flyovers, beaches and hotels.† (Abani 7) In this land beset by violence, poverty, death, and exploitation, Elvis becomes a dancer, using talcum powder and a black wig in order to impersonate his namesake (The American singer Elvis), in order to make a living entertaining the rich tourists on the Lagos City beaches. He takes a second job as a private dancer for the tourists – a job where he makes more money, but is treated as a disposable slave. As Elvis progresses to adulthood without any strong male figures to guide him in his life, he befriends two other characters, Caesar Augustus Anyanwu (a.k.a. The King of Beggars) and Redemption. The King of Beggars is a Nigerian political activist, willing to do anything to topple the abusive, corrupt military regime that controls the nation. Redemption lives on shady dealings – specifically drug trafficking, in order to survive. Elvis gets sucked into the seedy underworld, and gets in deeper than he would ever imagine. Abani sets a very grim and cynical scene, with lit tle hope. Elvis manages to flee by taking a plane to America, in