Behold the Dreamers

Behold the Dreamers

by

Imbolo Mbue

Arkamo Character Analysis

A friend of Jende’s from Limbe who arrived in the United States around the same time as Jende. He works at a department store and lives in a gated community in Phoenix, Arizona. Arkamo tells Jende how it’s possible to get “a zero-down-payment mortgage on a sweet mini-mansion.” Arkamo lives in a four-bedroom house that he eventually loses in the mortgage crisis. Arkamo becomes a U.S. citizen through his sister, who already had citizenship and “filed for him.” He and his family remain in Phoenix after the financial crisis, but they end up living in his sister’s basement.
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Arkamo Character Timeline in Behold the Dreamers

The timeline below shows where the character Arkamo appears in Behold the Dreamers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13
The Sustainability of the American Dream Theme Icon
The Modern Immigrant Experience Theme Icon
...he gets his papers. New York is simply too cold, crowded, and expensive. His friends, Arkamo and Sapeur, regale him with stories about how much sweeter life is in cities like... (full context)
Chapter 49
The Sustainability of the American Dream Theme Icon
...suggests that they can move to Phoenix, but Jende says that the department store where Arkamo was working closed down, and he found out two days later that he lost his... (full context)