Does your novel represent a particular non-American culture? What does it say about that culture?

In the Heart of Darkness the natives are presented in a negative light for a majority of the novel. When Marlow is heading down to the Congo he passes a boat full of Africans rowing. At that time he almost admires them and takes note of their strength. However, as Marlow journeys farther into the Congo the Africans begin to be presented as savages. When Marlow overhears the conversation between the Manager and his Uncle the Africans are seen as violent and bloodthirsty. Then the culture of Africa is shown in a negative light again when cannibals become crew members of the ship. This stokes the fears of readers that Africans are inhumane as no European would ever think of eating a human. Then when it is revealed that the the natives will not let Kurtz leave the readers are led to believe that the Africans are imbeciles who believe a regular guy is their god. The Africans are made out to be the villains who are too ignorant to understand western culture. In conclusion, the Africans in The Heart of Darkness are presented as savages which would align with the European public's beliefs at the time.

Is there a puzzle in your story that the main character is trying to solve?

In the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad the main character, Marlow, is trying to solve the puzzle of who is this mysterious Mr. Kurtz.  When Marlow first hears of Mr. Kurtz at the companies headquarters he is interested how this one man can produce more ivory than the rest of the other outposts combined. However as he arrives at the next camp he becomes more and more captivated by Mr. Kurtz and it starts to become an obsession. Marlow is bewildered how Mr. Kurtz turned the canoes with the ivory around or how he is living without anymore white people. It just does not make sense to him and this becomes one of his main motivations as he goes farther down the river. The second chapter only heightens Marlow's obsession as they are attacked for the purpose of keeping Kurtz with them. Marlow now admires this man as many others see Kurtz as a rogue.  However, with all the time Marlow had on the river he builds up Kurtz to be larger than life. In trying to find out who Kurtz is Marlow imagines Kurtz as a savior. The puzzle of who Mr. Kurtz is was solved, but not to the excitement of Marlow. After being shown around the camp by the harlequin Marlow starts to believe that Kurtz has become savage. The skulls on the spears combined with Kurtz's unholy obsession with ivy has tarnished Marlow's opinion of him. This resentment is seemingly abandoned shortly after when a Marlow allies with Kurtz instead of the manager. I believe Marlow did this because he was still obsessed with the character of Kurtz, and in trying to find out Kurtz was he built a false pretense of who Kurtz actually was. Marlow never solved the puzzle of who Kurtz was, but instead used the image he had created for Kurtz on the way to his camp.

How Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche Ties All of the Stories together

The Thing Around Your Neck was the first novel I ever read of its kind. Each story is looking through a different lenses of how Nigerians are living in the world . At first this novel appeared disjointed as the setting and times periods changed every short story, and characters of a previous short stories were seemingly forgotten. However, as the novel progressed similarities began to appear. Adichie appears to break the short stories into separate categories all linked by their Nigerian heritage. One of the most prominent  groupings of short stories are the Nigerians immigrating to America. These stories all deal with retaining their Nigerian identity and adapting to the different culture of the U.S.A. In the story On Monday of Last Week Kamara notes how different it was to raise a child in America. The child she babysits, Josh, is always told he is a winner and his father constantly frets about his well being. Josh's diet changes daily as new health fads come and go. Kamara views this as ludicrous and how her childhood diet was what her parents could put on the table. Kamara also disagrees that you should never hit your child. She believes there is a different between discipline and abuse that has been lost in this country. Her preconceptions of how to raise a child clash fundamentally with how Neil believes a child should be raised. Then later on the story The Arrangers of Marriage is the most notable in relation to Nigerians immigrating to America. Dave, the husband, plans on completely abandoning his roots and fully embracing American culture. He fears difference and wishes to be invisible. However his wife, Agatha, is just like Kamara,  she keeps Nigeria in her heart throughout he time in America. She goes along with Dave's changes at first but harbors resentment of her lost Nigerian ways. Agatha and Kamara both hold on to their Nigerian roots and use that belief system to view the outside world.

         The other short stories deal with the Nigerians who stayed. These short stories showcase the violence and corruption that has overtaken Nigeria. Whether it is, bribes being required to visit your son in jail or the riots that overtake the markets and leave hundreds injured or missing. Nigeria is rarely shown in a positive light as these characters strive to survive not prosper. A prime example of this is the short story The American Embassy. As a woman waits in line to interview for asylum the reader is brought through the dark side of Nigeria. Her husband whisked out of the country and her son killed by corrupt soldiers. Freedom of speech is nonexistent as dissidents disappear and criminals are flogged in the streets. This short story lines up with others that cope with the failures of Nigeria.

The stories in The Thing Around Your Neck can be split into two groups: The Nigerians who left the country and the Nigerians who stayed. However, all these stories are linked by the Nigerians attempting to find an identity and how to live in the new world.

Are there any generational conflicts in your novel?

In the novel The Thing Around Your Neck, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie presents 12 short stories connected not by characters, but by common themes of Nigerian heritage and finding your place in the world. One short story that highlights generational conflicts was The Headstrong Historian. This story follows Nwamgba and her family as they experience the European colonization of Africa. The divide between generations is clear cut in this story as Nwamgba, after interacting with the European missionaries, hopes to hold on to her African roots. However, her son, Anikwenwa, abandons his families tribal ways for the Anglican church. Horror overtakes Nwamgba as Anikwenwa abandons tribal customs that were so integral to her lifestyle viewing his once friends and family as backwards savages. The mission has made him act as if he is above the savage practices of the other youth. He wants nothing to do with his ima mmuo ceremony, but instead looks forward to salvaging souls from hell. Watching this transformation is heartbreaking for Nwamgba as her families roots are being destroyed before her very eyes. Nwamgba never abandons her beliefs, but instead hopes for her traditions to be passed on to Anikwenwa's daughter. The generational gap between these two characters was recurring throughout the novel as Nigerians struggle with whether to become more western or stick to their Nigerian roots. An example of this is the short story Tomorrow is Too Far. While not the main point of the short story, the grandmothers distaste of how her grandchildren are being raised is a prime example of a generational divide. The grandmother fears her grandchildren have become too western and attempts to correct this. She never allows her granddaughter to climb trees because it is a "man's job". While she favors the only grandson, who is able to carry on the family name, Nonso. When Nonso dies the grandmother mourns the loss of her family name, not her grandchild. This shows a stark difference in just two generations her Nigerian mother staunch in her cultural beliefs, while her grandchildren are Americanized.  In conclusion, the generational divide between Nigerians is clear as younger generations start to abandon their beliefs and become more western in their ideology.

Are there any passages that stand out for you? Why?

In the novel The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the short story called The Arrangers if Marriage really stood out for me. This passage stood out to me not because of the arranged marriage which is viewed as a barbaric practice in America, but how Dave, the husband, tries to hide their African roots. Immediately upon arrival in America Dave tries to blend in to American culture and not embrace his differences. America is a country of immigrants and their differences have added to this countries composition. However Dave does not want to be a part of this and longs to be a cog in a uniform system. Instead of enjoying Agatha's homemade dish he fears that the other tenants with view them differently because they eat Nigerian food. He wants to erase all traces of his Nigerian descent even in the homestead, he doesn't allow Agatha to speak in Igaboo or use slang that makes her stand out such as calling biscuits cookies. Dave's wanting to blend in to America encompasses everything even his choice of wife. One of the reasons he chose Agatha was due to her lighter skin and how light skin Africans are more prosperous in America. The other reason that this passage stuck out to me is that my grandfather went through the exact same dilemma as Agatha and Dave . When my Grandfather immigrated from Iran in 1968 he introduced himself as Michael instead of Manocher. He feared his name was to hard to pronounce and scared people. However, he did not try to erase his cultural differences. He still celebrates Persian New Year and teaches his grandchildren about life in Iran growing up and how it has changed so much in his lifestyle. Dave and my Grandfather's views on how to live in America represent immigrant's struggles on how to live in America. Some immigrants want to erase who they were before while others want to keep in touch with their culture.