A single story, as Nigeria’s renowned novelist Chimamanda Adichie puts it, is simply to reflect on a people as only one thing. Paraphrased, it is the domineering picture of a people perceived to be the final definition; that is, an opinion created and taken as the representation of the entire reality.
The main factor for the single story according to the novelist is the principle of power, which is determined by how the story was told, who, when, and the number of versions a single story has. This, Adichie says, could also be the way to curb the dangers of a story, by not only creating numerous versions but by also telling the stories from numerous points of view. One of the dangers of a single story is that it creates a rift between parties due to the negative differences emphasized on. Adichie’s roommate in America had already judged her because according to her, Africans didn’t know, for instance, how to operate cooking stoves. This bred contempt on the part of the roommate.
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Another danger she emphasizes on is the creation of stereotypes due to the incomplete finality of the single story. As people only get to understand a people from one perspective, it limits the understanding of the said people in a holistic manner, thereby closing on the opportunity to get to know and accept people from all the aspects. Lowering one’s dignity by creating a feeling of inferiority is another factor. People tend to lose pride in themselves and their culture because of how they are perceived. From a young age, Adichie found it comforting creating white characters in her work because they were the kind of people celebrated in books. This deprived her of the chance to take pride in and promote African culture in writings.
A single story also brings about vulnerability to outside cultures as one tries so much to ‘fit’ into a system of accepted and celebrated people. Chimamanda grew up with a strong desire to taste ginger beer to have a feeling of what the characters in German books had. This could lead to social vices and moral decay.
