Authors produce texts for readers to take in, interpret, and learn from. Perspectives on political, economic, social, and other concerns, as well as the realities of life in society, inform the creation of literature. Social criticism examines how problems in society arise within the context of the current social order (Wu 208). A social critic often offers measures that may garner unanimous agreement or advocate for revolutionary change to the status quo in order to address the problems they perceive (Wu 209). The author of “Checking Out” recounts a gripping account of the deplorable conditions in which illegal immigrants like Obinze must live (Adichie). Here is a gist of it: After fleeing Nigeria, Obinze settled in England, where he has spent the better part of two years enduring the draconian demands of individuals who, under the pretext of being helpful, have taken advantage of his vulnerable circumstances. “Checking Out” by Adichie is a piece of social criticism that focuses on such social injustices as false identity, obtaining money under false pretense, abuse of power, and inequality in access to employment.
Adichie’s narrative is a social critique work as it employs the use of false identity and disguise as a social issue. According to social constructionists, an individual’s sense of their own identity comes from internalized knowledge of their societal context (Wu 208). The goal of an identity thief is to benefit financially at the expense of the victim, hence, a social problem (Wu 209). In “Checking Out” Obinze conceals his identity by obtaining Vincent’s personal information as to secure a better-paying job. For instance, Adichie quotes Vincent telling Obinze “This is business, innit, but I’m helping you. You can use my N.I. number…” (44). Vincent handed over his N.I number to Obinze; hence, the use of false identity by Obinze was evident. Despite the vice, Vincent helped Obinze secure the delivery man’s work which was a better job than his previous toilet cleaning job (Adichie). However, being a criminal act, Obinze was at risk of arrest and subsequent deportation if found. In this regard, the literature depicts the use of false identity or disguise as a social disorder; thus, social critique works from Adichie’s perspective.
“Checking Out” is a social critique work because the author depicts such social constructs as the offence of obtaining money by false pretenses within a social group. Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. This process is of critical importance, as it enables the criminal to enjoy these profits without jeopardizing their source. In “Checking Out,” Vincent obtains 35% of Obinze’s salary from working as a delivery man through coercion (Adichie). Vincent states, “Thirty-five percent is the best I can do. This is business” (Adichie). In this case, Vincent was committing a felony of obtaining money by false pretense. According to Roanoke criminal attorney, it is a misdemeanor punishable by 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine for anybody who, with the aim to deceive, obtains from another person anything falsely (Obtaining Money under False Pretenses). As such, Adichie, through Vincent’s act of obtaining Obinze’s part of salary, depicts social criticism in the piece as it unpacks the social problem illegal immigrants face.
Adichie’s work is also a form of social criticism as it appraises the abuse of power by people in leadership. As per Espejo and Lepskiy, abuse of power is the misuse of a position of power to take unjust advantage of individuals, organizations, or governments (Espejo and Lepskiy 695). In “Checking Out”, Adichie introduces readers to how Vincent uses his power to discriminate Obinze. For instance, Vincent states “You know that some people take half. Yes, he is in a situation, but all of us are in a situation. I am helping him, but this is business” (Adichie). Despite agreeing on 35% weekly pay from Obinze’s wage, Vincent called to increase his share to forty-five percent, failure to which he would report him to authorities. In this case, Vincent has the power over Obinze and only keeps the power if Obinze obliged to his demands. Otherwise, uses it to punish him by reporting him to authorities if he fails to oblige. Therefore, Adichie’s story is a social criticism work as it shows how power degrades and total power corrupts unconditionally.
Inequality in access to employment has been used as a social critique in the short story. Joblessness, as defined by the International Labor Organization (ILO), refers to the proportion of the working-age population that is neither employed nor actively looking for work (Adekunle). The unequal distribution of jobs in a population is what people mean when they talk about unemployment inequality. This concept is evident in Adichie’s work when he narrates how Obinze struggled to find a job in his native county, Nigeria, yet those below his grades and qualifications secured the same opportunities. Adichie recounts Obinze’s ordeal by stating, “Some of his friends got jobs, people who did not have his second-class upper degree and who did not speak as well as he did” (Adichie). From this analysis, it meant that despite Obinze’s qualifications, he was not access any employment because of corruption because his colleagues, who were lesser qualified than him, secured such jobs. In this regard, Adichie used the social criticism in the narration to showcase the existence of such social vices as corruption and inequality in access to employment as shown in Obinze’s predicaments.
In conclusion, “Checking Out” is a simplified social criticism work because is accentuates such social problems as disguising, obtaining money under false pretense, abusing power, and inequality in access to employment. Disguise has been used in the short story through Obinze in Vincent’s identity in order to secure a well-paying job other than the toilet cleaning. Despite being a vice, he had to disguise his identity rather than be unable to get a substantial work in the U.K. The act of obtaining money by false pretense has also been indicated in the short story through Vincent. In this case, Vincent is forced to earn 35% from Obinze’s weekly pay as his earnings do not meet his daily demands. On the other hand, he abuses his power by demanding more money, 45% from Obinze. Lastly, the short story indicates the difficulty in accessing employment in Nigeria despite the qualifications because of employment inequality. As a social critique, the short story rejects repression within class systems. In addition to appraising existing literature through this lens, social criticism augments the needs of oppressed social groups; hence, it is a call for real change.
Works Cited
Adekunle, Ibrahim. “Unemployment and Inequality in Nigeria: Assessing State Level Catastrophe.” Businessday NG, Web.
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “Checking Out.” The New Yorker, Web.
Espejo, Raul, and Vladimir Lepskiy. “An Agenda for Ontological Cybernetics and Social Responsibility.” Kybernetes, vol. 50, no. 3, 2020, pp. 694–710., Web.
“Obtaining Money under False Pretenses.” Copenhaver, Ellett & Derrico, Web.
Wu, Philip Fei. “The Privacy Paradox in the Context of Online Social Networking: A Self‐Identity Perspective.” Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, vol. 70, no. 3, 2018, pp. 207–217., Web.