YEAR 12 ENGLISH REVISION - Revision guide



The Thing Around Your Neck –going deeper into the textTITLECENTRAL CHARACTERSKEY QUOTESSIGNIFICANT EVENTS,SYMBOLS OR MOTIFSCENTRAL THEMES AND IDEAS ‘Cell One’Nnamabia (lacks agency); his unnamed sister“Boys who had grown up watching Sesame Street, reading Enid Blyton, eating cornflakes for breakfast, attending the university staff primary school in smartly polished brown sandals, were now cutting through the mosquito netting of their neighbour’s windows, sliding out glass louvers and climbing in to steal TV’s and VCR’s.” (p.5)“When, at eleven, Nnamabia broke the window of his classroom with a stone, my mother gave him the money to replace it and did not tell my father…”(p.6)“Cult wars had become common…it was so abnormal that it quickly became normal” (p.7-8)“It [Enugu Prison] was where the police could do what they were famed for when under pressure to produce results: kill people” (p.10)“My father said something about how it was irrelevant whether or not the man knew where his son was”(p.15)“I saw my brother’s eyes fill with tears—my worldly brother—and I felt a tenderness for him…”(p.16) “It would have been so easy for him…to make a sleek drama of this story, but he did not”(p.21)Unnamed daughter (the narrator)The Purple Rain and Thriller videotapes the protagonist’s father brings back from AmericaNnamabia’s developing rash (p.11: “new, pimple-like insect bite on his forehead”, “bumps spreading across his face” p.12-13, “scratched at his bumpy face” p.16)The jollof rice Cell One (p.11)The cracked windscreen, as a result of the protagonist throwing a stone at her parents’ car (p.14)The treatment of the old, retired civil servant (p.15, Violence and corruption; siblings/family; religion; agency‘A Private Experience’Chika (lacks agency); unnamed Hausa woman“Even without the woman’s strong Huasa accent, Chika can tell she is a Northerner, from the narrowness of her face, the unfamiliar rise of her cheekbones; and that she is Muslim, because of her scarf…she wonders if the woman is looking at her as well, if the woman can tell, from her light complexion and the silver rosary her mother insists she wear, that she is Igbo and Christian” (p.44)“Later, Chika will learn that as she and the woman are speaking, Hausa Muslims are hacking down Igbo Christians with machetes” (p.44) “Riots do not happen in a vacuum” (p.48) “She wonders what purpose this lie serves, this need to draw on a fictional past similar to the woman’s” (p.50) “She cries quietly…not the kind of loud sobbing that the women Chika knows do…The woman’s crying is private, as though she is carrying out a necessary ritual that involves no one else” (p.51) [Hausa woman praying] “…she does not look. It is like the woman’s tears, a private experience, and she wishes that she could…believe in God…when the woman rises, Chika feels strangely energised”(p.52) After her experience, Chika “change[d] her mind about telling her mother that offering Masses is a waste of money” (p.52)“Chika will read in The Guardian that ‘the reactionary Hausa-speaking Muslims in the North have a history of violence against non-Muslims and… she will remember she examined the nipples of a woman who is Hausa and a Muslim” (p.55)Chika’s silver rosary (p.44) Chika’s Burberry handbag from London (p.43)The Hausa woman’s scarf at the beginning (p.44) and at the end, when Chika ties it around her bleeding leg (p. 54, 56)Burned cars after the riot (p.45-46) Chika’s T-shirt embossed with the Statue of Liberty (p.47) and the Hausa woman’s green wrapperThe Hausa woman bearing her breast to Chika, requesting medical help (p.49-50)BBC radio’s description of the riots as “religious with undertones of ethnic tension”(p.54) The stone covered in blood Chika keeps as “a ghoulish souvenir” (p. 56) Religion; violence and conflict; identity; cultural difference; common humanity and connection‘Ghosts’James; Ikenna“…Perhaps I should have bent down, grabbed a handful of sand, and thrown it at him, in the way my people do to make sure a person is not a ghost. But I am a Western-educated man…and I am supposed to have armed myself with enough science to laugh indulgently at the ways of my people”(p.57)[Men under the flame tree, carpenters, gardeners] “…of course they nurse resentment, as they well should, but it has somehow managed to leave their spirits whole” (p.59)[about Ikenna]: “There was an uncertainty about him, a diffidence that seemed alien, unlike the man who so easily got people to act” (p.62) “Speaking of death in English has always had, for me, a disquieting finality”(p.64) Description of Ikenna: “A man who carries with him the weight of what could have been” (p.66)James: “…thinking of the lives we might have had” (p.71)“…landscape of ruins” (p.65) “…a time immersed in possibilities” (p.66)James’ daughter Nkiru living in America: “a life cushioned by so much convenience that it is sterile”(p.67)“…grandson who does not speak Igbo, did not understand why he was expected to say ‘Good Morning’ to strangers, because in his world one has to justify simple courtesies” (p.66)“Things have fallen” (p.68)“…calls home with her faint, vaguely troubling American accent”(p.71) James being unable to obtain his pension for years (p.58-59) ‘dry winds’ of the Harmattan season (p.59)The whirling dust and wind in the trees (p.65 and p.71)“Dried-up looking clerks” (p.57)Ikenna Okoro (“the coming to life of a man who died thirty-seven years ago”, p.60)Ikenna’s “discoloured”, “hollow” laughter (p.62)Desecrated items in the house in Nsukka in 1970 (p.63)Ripped photographs and broken photo frames (p.63)The blood on the backseat of the car (p.65)The worn leather and peeled paint in James’ study (p.73)Nostalgia and grief; national identity; violence and war‘On Monday of Last Week’ Kamara (protagonist), Neil, Tracy, Josh “Since Monday of last week, Kamara had begun to stand in front of mirrors. She would turn from side to side, examining her lumpy middle and imagining it flat as a book cover, and then she would close her eyes and imagine Tracy caressing it with those paint-stained fingers.”Kamara watched Josh slot in a Rugrats DVD and lie down on the couch, a slight child with olive sink and tangled curls. “Half-caste” was what they had called children like him back in Nigeria, and the word had meant an automatic cool, light-skinned good looks, trips abroad to visit white grandparents. Kamara had always resented the glamour of half-castes. But in American, “half-caste” was a bad word.” “She had come to understand that American parenting was a juggling of anxieties, and that it came with having too much food: a sated belly gave Americans time to worry that their child might have a rare disease that they had just read about, made them think they had the right to protect their child from disappointment and want and failure.” (p82)“A sated belly gave Americans the luxury of praising themselves for being good parents, as if caring for one's child were the exception rather than the rule.” (p.82)“She could not complain about not having shoes when the person she was talking to had no legs” (p.86)Josh’s thank-you card that he gives to KamaraThe organic and soy-based foods and ‘Guide to Vegetable Juicing’ Kamara found in Neil and Tracy’s homeKamara’s newfound tendency to stand in front of mirrorsTracy’s compliments Familial relationships, isolation, connection, belonging, the migrant experience‘Jumping Monkey Hill’Ujunwa (initially lacks agency); Edward; Chioma (lacks agency)“…the resort had the complacence of the well-fed about it, the kind of place where she imagined affluent foreign tourists would dart around taking pictures of lizards and then return home still mostly unaware that there were more black people than red-capped lizards in South Africa”(p. 95)“As for the Ugandan, Ujunwa had disliked him from the airport, and did so even more now because of his toadying answers to Edward’s questions, the way he leaned forward to speak only to Edward and ignored the other participants.” (p.99)“The first thing that came to Uhunwa’s mind was to ask if Isabel ever needed royal blood to explain the good looks of friends in London”(p.98)“She sat there for a long time, trying to decide whether to name her character something common, like Chioma, or something exotic, like Ibari”(p.100)“You Kenyans are too submissive! You Nigerians are too aggressive! You Tanzanians have no fashion sense! You Senegalese are too brainwashed by the French!” (p.102) “Afterwards, everyone turned to Edward, even the Ugandan, who seemed to have forgotten he was the workshop leader” (p.107)“Which Africa?” [Ujunwa, in response to Edward’s critique of the Senegalese woman’s story as not “reflective of Africa”] (p.108)“The white South African said Edward would never look at a white woman like that because what he felt for Ujunwa was a fancy without respect”(p.109)[Ujunwa, in relation to women who are sexually harassed by Edward] “But why do we say nothing?...Why do we always say nothing?” (p112)“She wondered whether this ending, in a story, would be considered plausible”(p.114) The ostrich medallions Edward urges the writers to eat (p.101)Ujunwa’s character Chioma Ujunwa’s story about ChiomaThe unnamed writers at the writer’s workshop (eg: “The Ugandan”, “The Tanzanian”) (p.97)The names of the cabins at Jumping Monkey Hill (eg: Baboon Lodge, Porcupine Place) (p.95) The smoke from Edward’s pipe hanging over the room (p.107)African identity; the nature of fiction; cultural imperialism and appropriation‘The Thing Around Your Neck’Akunna (initially lacks agency); her unnamed American boyfriend“You thought everybody in America had a car and a gun” (p115) “…he bought you a hotdog with yellow mustard that nauseated you. Introduction to America, he said with a laugh.” (p.115)“…he enrolled you in community college…They gawped at your hair…You smiled tightly when they asked those questions. Your Uncle told you to expect it. A mixture of arrogance and ignorance, he called it.”(p.116) “America was give-and-take. You gave up a lot but you gained a lot, too”(p.116)“If you let him, he would do many things for you” [when her Uncle harasses her] (p.117)“…You wanted to write about the surprising openness of people in America, how eagerly they told you about …the kinds of things one should hide…the way people left so much food on their plates and crumpled a few dollar bills down, as though it was an offering, expiation for the wasted food”(p.118) “Sometimes you felt invisible and tried to walk through your room wall into the hallway, and when you bumped into the wall, it left bruises”(p.119) “…they thought that every black person with an accent was Jamaican”(p.119)“You were used to accepting what life gave, writing down what life dictated…you did not know…that people could dictate to life”(p.121)[Akunna remembering her father having a car accident with a foreign car] “The Big Man at the back did not come out, but his driver did, looking at your father’s sprawled form from the corner of his eye as though the pleading were like pornography, a performance he was ashamed to admit he enjoyed”(p. 122) “After you told him this, he…said he understood how you felt. You shook your hand free, suddenly annoyed, because he thought the world was, or ought to be, full of people like him. You told him there was nothing to understand, it was just the way it was”(p.123) America as a world “where you could buy presents that were just presents and nothing else, nothing useful”(p. 124) “You did not want him to pay for you to visit home. You did not want him to go to Nigeria, to add it to the list of countries where he went to gawk at the lives of poor people who could never gawk back at his life”(p.124-125) “You knew by people’s reactions that you two were abnormal”(p.125) “You hugged him tight for a moment, and then you let go”(p.125) Akunna’s two blank fortune-cookie slips (p.121)The stain on the carpet in Akunna’s new apartment (p.117)The ‘thing around your neck’(p.119 and p.125)The bruises on Akunna’s arms (p.119) Akunna’s unnamed boyfriend throwing up garri and onugbu soup in her sink (p.123) The glass Akunna drops in an argument with her boyfriend (p.126) Akunna’s goosebumps when nothing could warm her up (p.126) Agency; identity; cultural difference‘The American Embassy’Unnamed woman; her son Ugonna“’Our people have become too used to pleading with soldiers’” (p.126) The protagonist’s observations of people who “…fingered prayer beads and quoted the Koran…wore blue medals of the blessed Virgin Mary hanging around their necks”(p.137)The visa interviewer’s comment that “The United States offers new life” to those legitimately escaping Nigeria from General Abacha’s military rule (p.140) The unnamed narrator’s realisation, halfway through the interview, that she would rather die before she “hawked Ugonna for a visa to safety”(p.139)“’They don’t give our people immigrant visas anymore, unless the person is rich by American standards. But I hear people from European countries have no problems…”(p.134) [In relation to comments about her journalist husband’s bravery]: “It was not bravery. It was an exaggerated selfishness”(p.136)“They had not told her, ‘You will have many good children’. She had heard them tell that to the woman in front of her” (p. 138)“Her future rested on that face. The face of a person who did not know that palm oil when fresh was a bright, bright red and when not fresh, congealed to a lumpy orange”(p.141) The unnamed mother (the protagonist)The plastic file of documents under the protagonist’s arm (p.126)Ugonna’s gunshot wound: “the splash on his chest so red she wanted to scold him for playing with palm oil in the kitchen”(p.127) The soldier smashing a man’s spectacles (p.127)The soldiers’ swinging whips in the embassy line (p.128)The protagonist’s decision to jump out of the window despite the existence of other options to exit the house (p. 133) The scar in the shape of an ‘L’ carved into the protagonist’s husband’s forehead (p.135) The ixora flowers the protagonist wants to plant on Ugonna’s grave (p. 141) The protagonist’s decision to leave the visa interview (p.141)Violence; immigrant experience; agency‘The Shivering’Ukamaka (lack agency); Chinedu (lack agency)“Life was a struggle with ourselves more than with a spear-wielding Satan” (p.143)[after praying] “Then she felt herself start to shiver, an involuntary quivering of her whole body” (p.144)“…always agreed with him about almost anything” (p.144 – Ukamaka, in regards to her ex-boyfriend Udenna)“Us. Our country. These words united them in a common loss, and for a moment she felt close to him”(p.145)“…went back into his embrace, surprised by the familiar comfort of it, certain that he instinctively understood her crying from the relief of what had not happened and from the melancholy of what could have happened…”(p.147)“…she had been arranging her life around his for three years”(Ukamaka, in regards to Udenna p.148)“I never liked hot food until I met Udenna. I’m not even sure I like it now” (p.151) “’Have faith’, was like saying, ‘be tall and shapely’” (p.148)Ukamaka feels “uneasy” when Chinedu prays (p.143)“’Udenna did this to you and Udenna did that to you…Why did you let him?’” (Chinedu, asking Ukamaka) (p.160)“…feel so uncertain of a future, to lack control about what would happen to him tomorrow” (about Chinedu and his expired visa, p.164)Chinedu and Ukamaka meet when Chinedu knocks on her door suggesting they pray together (p.143) andChinedu and Ukamaka’s reconciliation and visit to the Catholic Church (p.166)Ukamaka’s habit of refreshing internet news pages (p. 142, 145, 146)Ukamaka’s photo of Udenna (p.151)Chinedu buying “few groceries” and his scouring of sale flyers (p.155)The mailbox without Chinedu’s name on it (p.162)Immigrant experience; male-female relationships; agency‘The Arrangers of Marriage’Chinaza (Agatha) (for the most part, lacks agency); Ofodile (Dave)Chinaza’s view of her new home in America: “airless”, “musty”, “old”, (p.167) “uncomfortable” (p.168) “They did not warn you of these things when they arranged your marriage. No mention of offensive snoring, no mention of houses that turned out to be furniture-challenged flats”(p.168) “’It is like we won the lottery for you!’ Aunty Ada had said” (p.170) “I had thanked them for finding me a husband…I did not remind them that I wanted to take the JAMB exam again and try for the university” (p.170)“’Busy, Americans say busy, not engaged’”(p.170)“’You don’t understand how it works in this country. If you want to get anywhere you have to be as mainstream as possible.’” (p.172)“What did it matter that you could or could not take the carts out? The point was, there were carts”(p.175)“They will never move forward unless they adapt to America”(p.175)“Uncle Ike would be horrified at the thought of eating here…there was something humiliatingly public, something lacking in dignity, about this place, this open space of too many tables and too much food”(p.176) “[I] shook my head; she [Nia], a black American, had chosen an African name, while my husband made me change mine to an English one” (p.181)“We spoke only English now”(p.182)Ofodile being married “just on paper” without telling Chinaza (p.185)The walls of the house being “uncomfortable” with each other, with so little between them (p. 168)Ofodile calling himself ‘Dave’ and wanting Chinaza to be known as ‘Agatha’(p.172) Ofodile controlling the brand of biscuits they buy when Chinaza wants to buy a familiar brand (p.174)Ofodile’s rattling car (p.175-176) The American food court (p.176)The coat the colour of “a gloomy day’s sky” Ofodile buys Chinaza (p.177)The Good Housekeeping All-American cookbook (p.179)Chinaza’s work permit applicationChinaza’s decision not to leave Ofodile yet Agency; identity; marriage; cultural difference‘Tomorrow is Too Far’ Unnamed woman; Dozie; Nonzo“She didn’t show you, because she said girls never plucked coconuts”(p.188)“You asked Grandmama why Nonso sipped first even though Dozie was thirteen, a year older…Grandmama said Nonso was her son’s only son, while Dozie was only a nwadiana, her daughter’s son”(p.188)Rain is “silver” (p.189)“She never left your room with that laugh” [when reminiscing about her mother’s deep laugh when saying goodnight to Nonso] (p.190)“You both needed Nonso to get hurt… to make him less loveable…Less able to take up your space”(p.195)“As though you were not there. Sometimes she would pat your back and say in Igbo, it’s good you are learning, nne, this is how you will take care of you husband one day”(p.194)The moment before Nnonso’s accident: “[a]n open moment…[with] a sky washed clean” (p.196)“You are weeping, standing alone under the avocado tree”(p.197)The idyllic garden (“fruits would rain down”, “tangled in leaves”(p.187)The deadly snake“tomorrow is too far” (p.188)The punishment (guilt) that follows the garden and the snake The mango tree that cracks when struck by lightning the summer Nonso dies (p.189)The avocado tree (191-192)Unnamed daughter (the protagonist) Agency; family; gender; regret‘The Headstrong Historian’Nwamgba; Obierika; Anikwenwa (Michael); Afamefuna (Grace)[description of Nwamgba]: “sharp-tongued, headstrong daughter who had once wrestled her brother to the ground” (p.199)Nwamgba being perceived by the local Catholic priest as “troublingly assertive”(p.209) “…since people ruled over others not because they were better people but because they had better guns”(p.204) “…the white men set up a court in Onicha where they judged disputes”(p.205) “…when the girls were separated and a woman teacher came to teach them how to sew, Nwambga found this silly, in her clan girls learned how to make pottery and boys sewed cloth”(p.208)“Father Shanahan told her that Anikwenwa would have to take an English name, because it was impossible to be baptised with a heathen name”(p.208)Anikwenwa: “He disliked the shorts and shirt that made him sweat…being in the same class as old men and missing out on wrestling matches…Anikwenwa’s attitude to school slowly changed…the curiosity in his eyes had diminished…as if he had found himself bearing the weight of a too-heavy world. He stopped eating her food, because, he said, it was sacrificed to idols. He told her to tie her wrapper around her chest instead of her waist, because her nakedness was sinful.” (p.210-213)“She felt her son slipping away from her”(p.211)“…a world that increasingly made no sense” (p.212) “Sister Maureen, told her…that primitive tribes did not have poetry”(p.216) “…the book she would write called Pacifying with Bullets: A Reclaimed History of Southern Nigeria” (p.217)“Grace…who…would change her name to Afamefuna”(p.218) The waters of the Oyi goddess (p.200)MissionariesSlaversObierika’s grasping cousins Anikwenwa being baptised as ‘Michael’ (p.208)The singlet and shorts given to ‘Michael’ following his baptism (p.209) Anikwenwa refusing to participate in his ima mmuo ceremony (p.210)The Gods had “changed”, asking for gin instead of palm wine (p.214)Mgbeke (Agnes) insisting that she keep her clothes on while bathing in the sacred Oyi waters Nwamgba naming Grace Afamefuna (meaning: My name will not be lost) Agency; religion; identity; cultural imperialismTHEMES: The Thing Around Your Neck Immigration and adaptationOne of the key themes and issues that the stories expose in The Thing around Your Neck is hybridism or self-adaptation, which is what happens when migrants leave their country and are exposed to another dominant culture. Many immigrants feel they must change themselves on all levels so they can fit into their new culture/country. As a result, their own culture may be suppressed or ‘forgotten’. Some governments in fact expect this from immigrant arrivals, and historically the politics of assimilation was the way to go. Most African nations have experienced in their past, the problems and trauma of European imperialism as their countries were taken over and colonised. In various ways, attempts were made by the Europeans to have ‘civilising missions’, which ends up resulting in a possible loss of people’s beliefs and pride in their language, their environment, their heritage, their unity and everything else. So people do not even have to leave their country of origin to feel the need to adapt themselves and let go of their own culture. Inevitability, one of the side effects of what happens when life is not good in one’s own country is that people chose to find a better path, often resulting in migration. Other people are not so lucky; as they may have to flee war, terrorism, political instability and so on, seeking refugee or asylum status. Once people migrate to a new country, we see a tendency to adapt and perhaps lose the original culture. Many of the stories in ‘The Things Around Your Neck’ deal with the psychological trauma of being a migrant which includes facing hurdles of life in the new country. Many immigrants face solitude, the sensation of not belonging to either the new or old culture anymore and generally a lack of a sense of home, including in themselves. Therefore many of Adichie’s stories cover not only issues in Nigerian society, but also many of the other post-independent African societies. A question to ask ourselves is, why have the characters in the stories decided to migrate? How does migration impact of their sense of identity and belonging? The collection is also about teaching Africans how important it is to maintain one’s culture in order to personally develop, rather than lose their culture. As no two societies are similar entirely, it is not uncommon to find cultural differences which create problems for individuals who are caught between them. In these cases, such an individual suffers from inner conflict and may feel like they don’t belong anywhere. Feeling caught between cultures encourages a sense of being a victim and living in a divided world where there are two cultures that are antagonistic to one another. Of course one does not need to move from a country as there can be psychological migration. Many African cultures have experienced great stress and historical trauma, because of slavery, revolution, civil war, political mass murder, oppressive military regimes, the loss of cultural identity and the like. There is much to be healed in these societies. As Salman Rushdie said in his article Imaginary Homeland, “My present, my foreign, and my past is home, albeit a lost home in a lost city of lost time”. Most of the narrators of the stories are young and female, so family and exile are major themes in the collection. Feeling a sense of nostalgia for a lost home often results in a dilemma, identity crisis, psychological limbo and cultural purgatory. Homesickness becomes a reality and many immigrants often reflect on the unusual nature of a new country’s culture and the fact they are silent and invisible. They are no one in their new country. This is where the title of the text comes from, “At night something would wrap itself around your neck, something that would very nearly choke you”.Displacement and Alienation There are various social, economic, political and other factors that force people away from their home land to migrate. Africans have especially migrated in large numbers every year. Some of the reasons have included post-colonial disillusionment, insecurity, corruption, poverty, lack of infrastructure, misconceptions, poor education and resources. Some may leave to be married, to give birth or to improve their status. The image of the ‘American Dream’ is one that has global reach and has been spread by popular culture via television, films and the Internet. This leads people to construct a fantasy that life in a western country will be easier and filled with opportunity. Nearly always, such high expectations are never met and often a new set of problems become a reality for the migrants. Many migrants experience great suffering due to solitude, racism, loss of identity, a lack of a stable sense of self, disappointment, despair, trauma and they live permanently in regret, pining for their home. The author Adichie is an African who has lived in the United States and has found that displacement is usually followed by a nostalgic longing for the past because the new environment has failed to satisfy.Agency and disempowermentThe text argues that when individuals lack agency (the power or ability to make decisions and act on them) in their lives, they are left with little hope or positivity. Many of the characters –particularly, but not exclusively, the women—are disempowered and do not have the means to direct their lives. Sometimes this power has been removed externally, such as when Chinaza is sent to a new life with a new husband in a new country. In other cases, characters such as Akunna simply do not know how to take control: she ‘did not know…that people could dictate to life’ (p.121). Few of the stories portray their protagonists as content with their lives. Rather, they are often suffering, whether through the loss of loved ones (as in ‘A Private Experience’, ‘Ghosts’, ‘The American Embassy’, ‘The Shivering’, ‘The Headstrong Historian’ and perhaps even ‘Tomorrow Is Too Far’), the loss of ideals or possibilities (‘Cell One’, ‘Ghosts’) or a more general dissatisfaction with the way things are (‘Jumping Monkey Hill’ and ‘The Arrangers’). In all these instances, a lack of control or agency can be seen as the cause of the suffering. If the characters had the means (confidence, finances, permission, knowledge or power) to change their circumstances, things would likely improve. Cultural identity and belonging The idea of African (usually Nigerian) identity is central to most of these stories, and particularly those set in America, where the immigrant Nigerian characters have the opportunity to view their culture from a distance, and by comparison with their adoptive culture, to assess its values and impacts on individuals. The stories also examine notions of multiple micro cultures within Africa, and particularly Nigeria –as defined by race, class or religion.Marriage and relationships ‘“Staid” was the word he had used…Staid, and yet she had been arranging her life around his for three years.’ (‘The Shivering’, p.148)‘…it was better that he let her go with the man she chose, to save himself years of trouble when she would keep returning home after confrontations with in-laws.’ (‘The Headstrong Historian’, p.199)In The Thing Around Your Neck, the gender roles in marriages (as well as in other male-female relationships) tend to follow a similar pattern: females are financially and emotionally at the mercy of their fathers, brothers or husbands. Many of the central characters in these stories are young women, and approximately half are married. Overwhelmingly, the marriages are not happy ones – while the women may not be in crisis, many feel isolated or trapped in their relationships. Even when the marriage was by choice, as in the cases of Nkem or Kamara, the wives are subservient and often have little power in their day-to-day or long-term lives. The text suggests that marriage is often not an ideal for young Nigerian women, but a fate determined by others, and one to be endured. There is the implication that this reflects traditional gender roles and power dynamics, but this is not explicitly stated. Stories like ‘The Arrangers of Marriage’ illustrate for readers the practice of marrying young women without their consultation, but in other stories it is not so simple. Nkem, for example, was pleased to accept Obiora’s proposal, but she does note that she would have been ‘happy simply to be told’ (p.32), suggesting that she comes from a background where a woman does not expect to have a choice when it comes to marriage. The text does not offer us much insight into the males’ feelings about marriage, since the central characters are usually wives rather than husbands. Even when we do have access to the male characters’ emotional experiences, we tend not to learn how they feel about their marriages; for example, Neil’s thoughts and feelings tend to relate to his role as Josh’s father, rather than his relationship with Tracy. Even the incidental relationships and marriages in the collection, such as that of Nnamabia’s parents, do not necessarily seem very happy (they disagree over parenting decisions). The protagonist’s parents in ‘Tomorrow Is Too Far’ are divorced, and Chioma’s parents (and perhaps Ujunwa’s) in ‘Jumping Monkey Hill’ separate too.Even in the stories where the marriages were once successful, usually one spouse is now absent; suggesting that married bliss cannot last forever even if it does occur. While the text argues that love and happiness are valuable and desirable, it implies that they cannot by themselves overcome the challenges of everyday life, and that they are far from permanent or unchanging. The unions in the following stories illustrate this:‘Ghosts’ – James’ wife Ebere has passed away (though James does still derive some comfort from her ghostly presence).‘The American Embassy’ – the unnamed protagonist has lost not only her son, but also her husband, who has presumably escaped to a new life of freedom in America. The story suggests that she will not follow him, and probably will never see him again.‘The Shivering’ – Ukamaka spends most of her time mourning a relationship, suggesting she was once happy. However, all her recollections suggest that the relationship was imperfect, and certainly it was not lasting.‘The Headstrong Historian’ – from early in the story, Nwamgba is mourning her beloved Obierika, and even seeks to find his reincarnated spirit in her grandchildren. Like James who is comforted by Ebere’s ghostly presence, Nwamgba finds comfort when she senses Obierika’s presence in her granddaughter, but this comfort is only a pale shadow of her past happiness.A common motif in many of the stories is the infidelity of husbands; occasionally women consider infidelity too. Examples include:Obiora, who has an ongoing affair with a woman in LagosThe married men with whom Nkem had relationships while she was singleKamara, who, while she doesn’t ultimately act on her desires with Tracy, considers itThe husband of Kamara’s friend ChinweChioma’s father (and, by extension, perhaps Ujunwa’s father)The protagonist’s ‘uncle’ in ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’, who attempts to initiate a relationship with her while living his wife and familyPossibly the American boyfriend in ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’; when the waiter at Chang’s asks if he has a girlfriend in Shanghai, he ‘smiled and said nothing’ (p.123)Abidemi, who becomes engaged to Kemi while with Chinedu; his intention to carry on his relationship with Chinedu, even after he marries demonstrates willingness to cheat on both his boyfriend and his wifeOfodile (Dave), who did not tell Chinaza he was already married – even though ‘just on paper’ (p.183)Ayaju suggests that Nwamgba take a lover, as ‘other women in her situation did’ (p.201), in order to provide the heir that her husband was struggling to produce.The frequency with which infidelity occurs in the text suggests that it is, to some extent, an established cultural behaviour. Several stories also acknowledge the right for men to take more than one wife (for example, the husband of Kamara’s friend Chinwe takes another wife, and Nwamgba considers finding a second wife for Obierika). This might appear to be a form of infidelity from the perspective of cultures where polygamy is not morally or legally acceptable, including America and Australia. However, polygamy is not presented as infidelity in the text, and the way in which a reader responds to such relationships is an example of how cultural bias might colour an interpretation. The text does not offer a value judgement on polygamy, although readers might.The polygamy mentioned in ‘On Monday of Last Week’ and ‘The Headstrong Historian’ suggests a culture of acceptance of wandering affections, at least for males. This might partially explain the high incidence of infidelity among characters in these stories. In a culture where males may marry more than one wife, the infidelity of married men might not be seen in quite the same moral light as in a country such as Australia, where monogamy is largely the accepted marital state and the legal, if not ethical, model. Although it is not discussed in depth, passing mentions inform us that while infidelity may be accepted or at least tolerated in some Nigerian circles, there are rules about how it should occur. Some of the men flout these rules, and it seems that these transgressions – rather than the infidelity itself – are what the text critiques. For example, it is assumed that Obiora has affairs in Lagos, but it is when he brings the girlfriend into his marital home that the relationship becomes the subject of gossip and he is judged to have ‘no respect’ (p.22). Adichie suggests that transgression of societal rules is unacceptable. As readers, we should be careful to note what these rules are, as presented in the stories, and not assume that they align with our own.However, while society might accept the infidelity of husbands, the text does also suggest that the women whose husbands are unfaithful suffer because of it. For example, Chinaza is distressed on discovering Ofodile’s previous marriage, even though her marriage is not based on love or choice. Similarly, Obiora’s infidelity is what prompts Nkem’s pronouncement that they will return to Lagos. The Thing Around Your Neck, as well as demonstrating an acceptable cultural norm, manages to critique it subtly by demonstrating the impact of infidelity on the wives.Religion “Have faith” was like saying be tall and shapely’. (‘The Shivering’, p.148)‘She knows the woman is on her knees, facing Mecca, but she does not look. It is like the woman’s tears, a private experience, and she wishes that she could…believe in a god.’ (‘A Private Experience’, p.52)Religion is ever-present in these stories, whether in the foreground or the background. Religious affiliation is often a point of difference between characters, such as Chika and the Hausa woman (‘A Private Experience’), Ukamaka and Chinedu (‘The Shivering’) and Anikwenwa and Nwamgba (‘The Headstrong Historian’). In other stories, such as ‘Cell One’, religion is simply an element of the characters’ lives that is taken for granted. The collection suggests that religion is a central part of Nigerian existence. Even when characters do not discuss or practise a particular religion, they are aware of it in their surroundings. For example, when the protagonist of ‘The American Embassy’ observes those around her, she notices beggars ‘who fingered prayer beads and quoted the Koran’ or wore ‘blue medals of the Blessed Virgin Mary hanging around their necks’ (p.137). She catalogues such details just as she might mention what someone was wearing, reminding us that religious faith of some kind is the cultural norm.In the broad landscape of these stories, religious difference is responsible for conflict and violence, such as in the riots in ‘A Private Experience’. But in the more domestic sphere, Adichie shows characters attempting to respect one another’s differences, recognising similarities and showing compassion and tolerance. ‘A Private Experience’ offers a strong example of this. While religious difference outside the store is leading to extreme violence, inside, the Christian woman observes a respectful silence and distance while the Muslim woman prays (pp.51-2), even feeling ‘strangely energized’ (p.52) afterwards. In turn, the Hausa woman, far from judging Chika on religious grounds, continues to offer her protection and support, such as when Chika is injured (p.54). The two exchange sympathies, blessings and hopes for their respective family members who are missing, putting aside their differences to show basic kindness to each other. This story demonstrates that religious difference can be overcome, at least on a small scale, and that diversity is to be respected. The story also argues that cooperation and tolerance are to be valued: they lead to the survival of both women, while outside, in the midst of religious conflict, many lives are lost.A tolerance for differences of belief is also demonstrated in ‘The Shivering’, although perhaps not as explicitly. An important theme in this story is religion: Ukamaka goes to the Catholic Church (although she feels disillusioned, no longer experiencing the faith she held strongly as a teenager), and Chinedu is a passionate member of the Pentecostal community. They respect each other’s different connections to religion, and Ukamaka often questions Chinedu about his faith – a level of religious belief she can no longer find for herself (for example, pp.164-5). Structurally, Adichie demonstrates that religion is a central theme in the story, as key elements of the narrative are tied to religious experience. For example:The beginning – the main characters meet through religion (Chinedu comes to Ukamaka’s apartment so they can pray together)The conclusion – they reconcile after their argument, strengthen their friendship, and share a hopeful and positive experience while attending the Catholic ChurchThe title – this refers to Ukamaka’s unexplained physical sensation while they are praying (p.144; they also reflect back on it, p.164).In this story, Adichie demonstrates that by overcoming their religious difference, the two are able to form a lasting connection that offers them support and companionship. Again, the text argues for the value of tolerance and for individuals’ rights to choose their own faith and beliefs.While the collection argues that it is normal to have some connection with a particular religion, and that acceptance of others’ beliefs is to be valued, it does not suggest that faith is straightforward. Several characters question their religious beliefs and values, and the text does not draw a moral conclusion about this, rather suggesting that religion can be a very different experience for each individual. Characters who have conflicted relationships with religion include:Chika and her sister Nnedi. Nnedi scorns her mother’s faith, refusing to wear a rosary, refusing to wear a rosary. Chika is more equivocal – she has no strong religious belief, envying the Hausa woman her ability to ‘believe in a god, see an omniscient presence in the stale air of the store’ (p.52). She wears a finger rosary only to please her mother, but after her experience during the riot and after losing her sister, she will ‘change her mind about telling her mother that offering Masses is a waste of money’ (p.52), tentatively finding a new role in her life for the comforts of religion.Ukamaka, who is embarrassed by Chinedu’s dramatic prayer and demonstrative faith, and regularly questions the logic of God and the place of religion in her existence.Anikwenwa, who is raised in one religion and educated in another, and must face difficult decisions about which to follow. For example, he does not wish to participate in a traditional initiation ceremony (pp.210-11), and insists that his wife Mgbeke (Agnes) not attend her Anglican friend’s wedding (p.213).Agnes – while she has adopted Christianity and doesn’t actively question it – is caught between cultures. For example, she seeks solace in Nwamgba, but is fearful when Nwamgba tries to include her in a traditional custom (consulting the oracle). Similarly, she tries to join other women at the traditional sacred Oyi waters but keeps her clothes on, trying to maintain her ‘Christian decency’. All of these characters struggle with religion as they struggle with other parts of their lives, such as personal relationships and connections to cultures. This suggests that religion, like love and ethnicity, can form a significant part of our identity. ................
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