What will I learn about: The immigrant experience is portrayed as an ambiguous ellipsis rather than a hyphen, highlighting the painful ambivalence of feeling disconnected from one's roots while being denied full acceptance in a new country?

The immigrant experience is portrayed as an ambiguous ellipsis rather than a hyphen, highlighting the painful ambivalence of feeling disconnected from one's roots while being denied full acceptance in a new country.

What will I learn about: For the Nti siblings, America serves not just as a geographic destination, but as a psychological battlefield used to establish self-worth and wage a war of self-definition?

For the Nti siblings, America serves not just as a geographic destination, but as a psychological battlefield used to establish self-worth and wage a war of self-definition.

What will I learn about: Physical distance distorts familial perception, causing Jacob to resent his sister's seemingly effortless success while remaining blind to the precarious, anxiety-ridden reality of her life in the United States?

Physical distance distorts familial perception, causing Jacob to resent his sister's seemingly effortless success while remaining blind to the precarious, anxiety-ridden reality of her life in the United States.

What will I learn about: America's relationship with immigrants and marginalized citizens is characterized by a cruel ambivalence that simultaneously engenders high hopes and delivers crushing, systemic rejections?

America's relationship with immigrants and marginalized citizens is characterized by a cruel ambivalence that simultaneously engenders high hopes and delivers crushing, systemic rejections.

What will I learn about: Healing deeply entrenched family resentments sometimes requires empathetic deception, as demonstrated when Wilder fabricates a shared business idea to restore Jacob's dignity and bridge the sibling divide?

Healing deeply entrenched family resentments sometimes requires empathetic deception, as demonstrated when Wilder fabricates a shared business idea to restore Jacob's dignity and bridge the sibling divide.

What Napoleon Could Not Do

A Novel

DK Nnuro

★ 3.9 / 5(65 ratings)

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Society & Culture

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡How does the recurring phrase 'what Napoleon could not do' symbolize the characters' idealized vision of America, and how does this fantasy clash with the precarious reality of Belinda's life and Jacob's repeated failures?
💡In what ways does geographic and emotional distance distort Jacob and Belinda's perception of one another, transforming the pursuit of the American dream into a bitter battlefield for sibling rivalry?
💡How do Wilder's hidden traumatic experiences as a Black American soldier in Vietnam shape his cynical view of American progress, and why is he ultimately the one who catalyzes reconciliation within the Nti family in Ghana?

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Key Takeaways from What Napoleon Could Not Do

✓The immigrant experience is portrayed as an ambiguous ellipsis rather than a hyphen, highlighting the painful ambivalence of feeling disconnected from one's roots while being denied full acceptance in a new country.
✓For the Nti siblings, America serves not just as a geographic destination, but as a psychological battlefield used to establish self-worth and wage a war of self-definition.
✓Physical distance distorts familial perception, causing Jacob to resent his sister's seemingly effortless success while remaining blind to the precarious, anxiety-ridden reality of her life in the United States.
✓America's relationship with immigrants and marginalized citizens is characterized by a cruel ambivalence that simultaneously engenders high hopes and delivers crushing, systemic rejections.
✓Healing deeply entrenched family resentments sometimes requires empathetic deception, as demonstrated when Wilder fabricates a shared business idea to restore Jacob's dignity and bridge the sibling divide.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from What Napoleon Could Not Do

Mind Map

What Napoleon Could Not Do

Core Themes+

Jacob (The Brother)+

Belinda (The Sister)+

Wilder (The Husband)+

Reconciliation+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10

What is the primary meaning of the phrase 'What Napoleon Could Not Do' as used by Mr. Nti in the novel?

A. It refers to conquering places and achieving success in areas the French emperor only dreamed of, such as America.
B. It describes the political and economic struggles of post-colonial Ghana in the modern era.
C. It is a sarcastic insult used by Jacob to mock his father's historical ignorance.
D. It symbolizes the failure of African immigrants to fully integrate into American society.

Question 2 of 10

According to the essayist Jelani Cobb referenced in the text, what punctuation mark best represents the ambiguous identity of African-Americans?

A. A hyphen, connecting two proud and distinct heritages.
B. An ellipsis, representing an ambiguous and unresolved space.
C. A comma, showing a temporary pause in cultural assimilation.
D. A period, signifying the total erasure of African identity.

Question 3 of 10

How does Jacob's marriage to his wife Patricia ultimately come to an end?

A. Patricia is deported back to Ghana after failing to secure her own green card.
B. Jacob discovers that Patricia's 'roommate' in Washington, DC is actually her new male lover.
C. Jacob decides to stay in Ghana permanently to take over his father's business.
D. Patricia refuses to send Jacob money after he fails his first visa interview.

Question 4 of 10

Why does Jacob give a half-hearted agreement when an American embassy official implies he might be gay?

A. He hopes claiming asylum based on sexual orientation will guarantee his visa approval.
B. He is trying to protect his sister Belinda's reputation by hiding his true reasons for leaving.
C. He is unable to effectively communicate his true, repressed preference for sadomasochistic sex with women.
D. He intentionally wants to sabotage the interview so he can stay with his secret lover in Ghana.

Question 5 of 10

In the context of the Nti family dynamics, what does America primarily symbolize for the siblings?

A. A utopian society where racial prejudices do not exist.
B. A temporary escape from the economic hardships of Kumasi.
C. A battlefield where their war of self-definition and sibling rivalry is fought.
D. A place of spiritual renewal and religious freedom.

Question 6 of 10

How does Belinda's husband, Wilder, react to Barack Obama's presidential victory in 2008?

A. He celebrates by buying Belinda a dress made of traditional Ashanti kente cloth.
B. He smashes champagne bottles, warning that a severe 'black Armageddon' will inevitably follow this high.
C. He decides to finally use his wealth to secure a green card for Belinda.
D. He is inspired to reveal his traumatic experiences in Vietnam to Belinda for the first time.

Question 7 of 10

Despite her wealth, degrees, and successful marriage, what represents America's cruel ambivalence to Belinda?

A. Her inability to find work in her chosen profession.
B. Her husband's refusal to let her visit her family in Ghana.
C. The constant denial of her green card, reminding her she is not truly accepted.
D. The overt racism she experiences from her friend Edith's father.

Question 8 of 10

Why did Wilder originally enlist in the military to fight in Vietnam?

A. He was drafted and couldn't use his family's oil connections to escape.
B. A strange sense of guilt crept over him, causing him to enlist despite his privilege.
C. He wanted to prove his loyalty to the United States to secure a future political career.
D. He was seeking revenge for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Question 9 of 10

What tragic event causes Wilder to flee the Laotian village where he lived after his injury?

A. His wife is killed by a communist guerilla patrol.
B. He is discovered and forcefully repatriated by the American military.
C. The child he was raising is killed by an unexploded American cluster bomb.
D. He suffers a severe psychological breakdown during a Viet Cong ambush.

Question 10 of 10

How does Wilder help facilitate a tentative reconciliation between Jacob and Belinda at the end of the novel?

A. He pays for Jacob's flight to America so the siblings can finally talk face-to-face.
B. He successfully appeals Jacob's visa rejection using his wealthy lawyers.
C. He allows Jacob to believe the business idea of using flared gas for electricity in Ghana was Jacob's own.
D. He reveals that Patricia had been lying about her new lover, clearing Jacob's name.

What Napoleon Could Not Do — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Part 1: The Divorce
3Part 2: Jacob’s Story
4Part 3: Belinda’s Story
5Part 4: Wilder’s Story
6Part 5: Reconciliation
7Final summary

What Napoleon Could Not Do Summary & Overview

What Napoleon Could Not Do (2023) explores the contrasting experiences of two Ghanaians, Jacob and Belinda, and their aspirations in the United States. Jacob, an awkward computer programmer who still lives with his father, wants to join his wife in America but is foiled by visa denials. His sister, Belinda, meanwhile, has studied in the US and married an American – Wilder, a prosperous Black Texan businessman. But she, too, contends with disappointment: as she waits for her green card, her perception of America is soured by racism. Their journeys reflect the allure and letdowns of life in a foreign land, and the narrative insightfully captures how each grapples with dreams both realized and thwarted.

Who Should Listen to What Napoleon Could Not Do?

Readers interested in immigrant experiences
Fans of emotional family dramas
Anyone who loves character-driven stories

About the Author: DK Nnuro

NK Nnuro is a Ghanaian-born writer based in Iowa. A graduate of John Hopkins and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he previously taught creative writing at the University of Iowa and is currently the curator of special projects at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art. What Napoleon Could Not Do is his first novel.

What Napoleon Could Not Do

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to What Napoleon Could Not Do — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from What Napoleon Could Not Do

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

What Napoleon Could Not Do — Full Chapter Overview

What Napoleon Could Not Do Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to What Napoleon Could Not Do?

About the Author: DK Nnuro

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