The Thing Around Your Neck Literary Elements

Short-story collection, literary fiction

The stories are set in both The United States of America (Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut) and Nigeria (Lagos and Nsukka). Jumping Monkey Hill takes place in Cape Town, South Africa.

The narrator and point of view vary by story. Some feature third-person omniscient narration, while others are told from a first-person perspective. Some use the rare second-person narration. In some of the stories, the narrator is unnamed.

A general tone of discomfort is evident in each of the stories. The overarching mood is melancholy and dissatisfied.

Each story has its own protagonist: An unnamed woman ("Cell One"), Nkem ("Imitation"), Chika ("A Private Experience"), James ("Ghosts"), Kamara ("On Monday of Last Week"), Ujunwa ("Jumping Monkey Hill"), Akunna ("The Thing Around Your Neck"), another unnamed woman ("The American Embassy"), Ukamaka ("The Shivering"), Chinaza ("The Arrangers of Marriage"), another unnamed woman ("Tomorrow is Too Far"), and Nwamgba ("The Headstrong Historian"). Rather than having a central antagonist, most stories involve a character struggling with social issues such as political upheaval, sexism, and racism.

The overarching conflicts involve characters struggling against larger social forces, such as racism, sexism, and political conflict.

The climax of each short story can be identified by the story's changing tone or conflict. For example, the climax in "On Monday of Last Week," occurs when Kamara develops a crush on Tracy. Kamara's downtrodden tone transforms to being upbeat and invigorated. In "The Shivering," the climax is evident when Ukumaka and Chinedu fight about Ukumaka's past relationship. This conflict eventually brings the two characters closer together, thus solidifying their friendship.

In "Cell One," the narrator's family witnesses two policeman repeatedly hitting a young boy who was lying on the ground. Although the person at the hands of the policemen's abuse was not Nnamabia, this violence foreshadows the violence that Nnamabia will soon experience while imprisoned.

In "On Monday of Last Week," Neil tells Kamara that he is unsure about placing Joshua in the quiz bowl. He explains that competition is a bit unhealthy at Josh's young age. This is an understatement, as forced competition can have damaging effects on young children. This further highlights the irony of Neil's parenting style. Although he attempts to control Josh's environment to make it as nurturing as possible, he inevitably brings unhealthy factors into his young son's life.

The riot that occurs in "A Private Experience" is a historical allusion to life in post-colonial African society. Following colonization, tensions between different religious and ethnic groups in Africa led to major conflict. African countries experience problems when they are left to govern themselves after decades of control and cultural suffocation. In addition, many white colonizing powers redrew borders for their own economic gain, thus causing conflict within African communities.

The narrator of "The American Embassy" uses vivid visual imagery to describe her young son’s dead body.

In "Ghosts," it is paradoxical that James rejects all Nigerian folkloric beliefs while simultaneously believing in the ghost presence of his wife.

Both Kamara and Chinaza immigrate to the United States to join their husbands. However, after they move, each character experiences strained romantic relationships. Kamara finds that her relationship with her long-term boyfriend changes after years of separation and the struggle of adjusting to a new country. Meanwhile, Chinaza is disappointed by her arranged marriage.

An example of synecdoche can be found in "The Thing Around Your Neck." Before returning to Nigeria, Akunna explains that her boyfriend looked at her face uncomfortably. In this example, the face represents Akunna's overall identity. Ultimately, Akunna feels judged by her partner, and she never truly feels comfortable or secure in her relationship.

An example of metonymy also appears in "The Thing Around Your Neck." The "thing" that Akunna feels suffocating her is representative of her overall anxiety and dread about her American life.

In "The American Embassy," the reader personifies her environment. She explains that she encounters a "breathing sidewalk," which symbolizes the number of people that wait outside the American Embassy in hopes of escaping war-torn Nigeria.