In Adichie’s short story “The Thing Around Your Neck”, it is a series focusing mainly on the lives and experiences of Nigerian women – women caught up in political or religious violence, coping with displacement, loneliness and disappointment in their new lives or their new marriages, surviving tragedy. (source: The Guardian)
In https://docs.google.com/document/d/1POx2gRxH1wm0GJaHP4mVLjm3E67YNTbiSmr0kvYtpL8/edit, the author uses a second-person point of view to narrate this short story which focuses on how the main character “you”, in this case, a woman from Nigeria, went to America, experiencing various stories, from the public as well as her own family.
In the beginning, before she came to America, she thought that everyone has a gun, she showed some concerns as to how people live in America, and how Africans like her are treated. This can be seen by the content within the first few paragraphs. “You thought everybody in America had a car and a gun…” She went to her uncle and applied for a waitressing job. She wondered why she has to be paid lower than everyone else. To summarise, she had a lot of questions about why Americans view her differently and apply stereotypes regarding Africans all on her as if all the countries in Africa are the same. This can be inferred by “Where you learned to speak English and if you had real houses back in Africa…” on page 116.
Additionally, beginning page 119, she met a man, in the beginning, that man tried to know more about her, as he is really interested in African cultures as well as literacy. “He told you he had been to Ghana and Uganda and Tanzania.” From here, as readers, we know that the man is interested in her culture. However, sometimes, the woman also finds him to be stereotypical. However, after a few deep talks with him, she found that she is in love with him.
In the end, she found out that he is not a bad guy. They began to start a relationship, as she felt that he is a man who truly wants to understand her and her culture. This can be shown when he wants to visit Nigeria with her together. On the last page, she found out that her father has passed away. That moment, she truly realized what is the thing around her neck.
“The Thing Around Your Neck” in this short story can be interpreted in different ways: It might be the pressure and burden for a foreigner to assimilate into a different culture. The anxiety and depression that she felt in America, the “American dream” is not always ideal and does not always lead people to great, bright futures. It could be the realization that she had when her father passed away…