The Thing Around Your Neck

Arts | June 8, 2011 | Share

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1977- present) is a Nigerian woman writer, who is also the winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007 for her first novel- Purple Hibiscus (2003). She also won the 2005 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for her best first book. She is known for her civil war-time and semi-autobiographical feminist writings. Her works also talk of love affairs, motherhood and dislocation. She also is the author of the famous book- “Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)” which is her second novel named after the short-lived nation of Biafra and is set before and during the Biafran war.

Her third novel- “The Thing Around Your Neck (2009)” is a collection of twelve different stories which have totally twelve different themes in them which touch upon various social, cultural, religious, political, personal and economic issues.

Feminism is an important aspect of her writing. For example, in her first story- ‘Cell One’, Adichie questions the treatment given to her brother – Nnamabia by their mother. It’s extremely biased and unreasonably pardoning. In her story- ‘The Headstrong Historian’, she discusses the ways in which a tribal widow – Nwamgba successfully acquires her control over the ancestral land of the family after the death of her husband – Obierika. She refuses to get married for the second time which was much against the heads of her family and her tribe. Eco feminism is an important aspect of this story.

In the story, ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’, Adichie talks about Akunna – a Nigerian girl, in such a way as if it were a universally applicable story to that every ‘TESS’ who steps out of the threshold of her house to study and earn a living for herself and to support the whole family, but is exploited by her own relatives. Africana Womanism and Stiwanism are the significant features of this story. The ‘give-and-take’ policy of the materialistic world is clearly explained in it.

Adichie is basically a liberal feminist who keenly explores mostly the emotional and sexual abuses that Nigerian women face. In her story, ‘Imitation’, Nkem is the protagonist who marries Obiora – a rich businessperson in Nigeria, but is made to stay by him in the U.S. for the betterment of their children and to enjoy a better standard of living; but the issues of infidelity and promiscuity are brought in by Obiora in her absence as he has extra-marital affairs on sly back in Nigeria.

In another story, ‘The Arrangers of Marriage’, Chinaza marries Ofodile but faces identity crisis after moving to the U.S. with him. She is made to change not only her traditional ways of life but also her Nigerian name. Later, she learns that her Afro-American neighbor-cum-friend, Nia was also heart-broken because of Ofodile. He confesses to Chinaza that he married her because she was light-skinned. Transnational feminism and Black feminism are the sigficant aspects of these stories as things are also unfair for the dark-skinned Nia. As a housewife, Chinaza feels much oppressed because economically she is dependent on Ofodile. This stops her from starting her life anew.

In another story, ‘The Shivering’, Chimamanda portrays the emotional abuse that Ukamaka faces sounds lamentable after her long-term beau- Udenna leaves her. Not only does Ukamaka develop a low-esteem but also experiences loneliness in life and the need for reclaiming her lost self.

Adichie moulds her choice of words as per the requirements of the setting of the twelve different stories. Her language is simple; the structure of the sentences, short. She uses the words of Igbo only in half of her stories while depicting the native and tribal Nigerian culture, or while dealing with the Nigerian diasporas in the U.S. who strongly cling onto their native culture out of the fear of losing it. She depicts her native culture in a variety of ways as if her writings were a kaleidoscope.

The post-colonial thrust of her writing is reflected in many ways like in the story- ‘The Headstrong Historian’. Although, the protagonist- Nwamgba admits her son Anikwenwa in a catholic school but later on, feels agitated when he embraces Christianity and criticizes the nudity and superstious beliefs of the tribal. He marries a Catholic girl- Agnes, much against the desires of Nwamgba, in a Church. An insidious conflict between the tribal culture and the Christian culture imposed upon the natives by the missionaries is effectively depicted in it.

Besides urbanization and industrialization, Adichie also calls westernization & globalization the causes of dislocation for the Nigerians. Nigerians are shown moving to the U.S. for better jobs, lifestyle and pursuing higher education. In ‘Ghosts’- the only story with a male protagonist, Professor Ikenna Okoro moves to Sweden and then to the U.S. due to the Nigerian civil war and creates awareness about the “Biafran Cause” amongst the Nigerian diasporas.
This Third-world feminist scorns at the political system of her country, disregards every form of corruption and has a desire to upliftment her countrymen. Her writings reflect an utter want of liberty. She has smartly tried to maintain an edge over the feminist writers of the west by raising the issues of patriarchy and poverty in the best possible manner.

Complicated writings come from complicated emotions like shame, humiliation, fear and failure and the characters of Adichie’s novel seem to have been exposed very harshly to them. As one reads her work, Adichie appears to be both a traditionalist as well as a bohemian, at the same time. She pin-points the fact that no matter whatsoever changes does time bring upon any society of the world, the problems of women remain the same everywhere- unheard and unresolved.

Aditi Swami