What is the meaning of the title, 'The Thing Around Your Neck?' Explain that metaphor as it appears in the story

Overview

Author

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Year Published

2009

Type

Short Stories

Genre

War Literature, Women's Studies

At a Glance

The Thing Around Your Neck contains 12 short stories about Nigerians and Nigerian Americans. Most of the main characters are young or middle-aged women, many of whom must deal with the problems of immigration, asylum, and green cards (identity cards, also known as Permanent Resident Cards, for immigrants to the United States; possession of the cards entitles holders to legally and permanently live and work in the United States). Other stories address corrupt governments in Nigeria or touch on aspects of religion. The main themes running through the stories are racism and ethnocentricity (belief that one's group is superior), the female experience, anxiety, family, and disillusionment with the American dream.

Perspective and Narrator

Most of the stories in The Thing Around Your Neck are told from a third-person point of view. "Cell One" is a first-person narrative, and three stories—"The Thing Around Your Neck," "The American Embassy," and "Tomorrow Is Too Far"—are told in the second person. These second-person narrators are Nigerian women who either have ties with, or wish to immigrate to, the United States.

Tense

Most stories in The Thing Around Your Neck are written in past tense. However, "A Private Experience" is in present tense with some portions in future tense to tell what happens to the character Chika. "The Headstrong Historian" uses the future tense to tell what happens to the character Grace.

About the Title: I THINK YOU WILL FIND YOUR ANSWER HERE

"The Thing Around Your Neck" is the title of one of the stories in the collection. In the story the second-person narrator says, "The thing that wrapped itself around your neck, that nearly choked you ... started to loosen." "The thing" is a metaphor for anxiety, or dread, and causes troubled sleep. It is a feeling shared by many characters in the stories.

Summary

This study guide for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Thing Around Your Neck offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.

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