Chris Abani's novel Graceland is aptly named considering its subject. Elvis Oke is named after Elvis Presley, whom he frequently impersonates in order to earn spare change. Raised by a single mother, he faces the constant struggle for survival. After her death, Elvis moves to live with his dad and stepmom in Lagos, a place which comes to symbolize pain for him. He desires nothing more than to escape from the country and to start an entirely new life somewhere else -- his version of Graceland. He's an ambitious kid who wants to build an empire for himself, an attitude which often leads him to compromise his conscience for advantage.
Elvis' relationship to his name is central throughout the text. He desires his parents approval, like most kids. Based upon his name, he knows that his mother loves an entertainer, so he set his mind to becoming entertaining. When impersonating his namesake no longer provided enough steady income, Elvis turns to help from his friend Redemption, the symbolism behind his name being obvious. Redemption offers Elvis a way out of Lagos, even giving him a passport. Although his influence on the boy is morally ambiguous, Redemption gives Elvis the chance to reinvent himself. By the end of the narrative, Elvis has learned that other role models -- like Redemption and the King of the Beggars -- demonstrate alternative world views from his father and mother. He decides to make his own way in the world using his friend Redemption's name and passport, abandoning his longstanding desire to earn his parents' approval.
Elvis' journey is unique because he endures the literal and final separation from his parents in their deaths. He embarks on the bildungsroman journey, but he faces a literal separation. Forced to reconcile his own aspirations and his desire to earn his parents' approval at a young age, Elvis grows into a resourceful and capable young man. He teaches himself the value of listening to one's conscience and of holding oneself responsible. Although he is fragile, he doesn't allow anyone to take advantage of him. Elvis is a representative of the youth, but he faces a more extreme version of the coming of age tale.
