Convocatoria: November 2023

Studente code: kqy874

Word count: 1195

Literary work: Short-story: The thing around your neck, written by Chimamanda N´Gozi

Adichie.

Concepts: identity & culture.

Line of inquiry: To what extent are themes such as culture, migration, and freedom explored

in N'Gozi's short story, The Thing Around Your Neck, and how do these condition the fate of

the main character?

Thesis statement: While there are emigrants who have difficulties connecting with the

society they are incorporated into, there are others whose identity and lack of

open-mindedness do not allow them to integrate due to the difficulty of appropriating a

culture and its social characteristics such as the economy, customs and language, generating

feelings of confusion and exclusion in terms of the new identity and culture, therefore

encountering obstacles such as adjusting to the social norms of their new environment while

maintaining their origins since a struggle between identity and freedom would be provoked,

making it difficult to be able to feeling that you belong and are accepted in society.
In the story The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the main

character is a migrant who created barriers that prevented her from adjusting to society

because by migrating she left family, friends, and a life behind, thus the barriers were created,

to deal with homesickness, therefore hindering your ability to make new connections and

meaningful relationships. On the other hand, the cultural shock that Akunna lives implies a

struggle between identity and freedom. The clash would be the representation of the cultural

background of the protagonist and the new society in which she finds herself, creating tension

and challenges to her sense of identity and personal freedom.

Throughout the story, a culture shock can be perceived, this is because Akunna moves to the

United States, she finds different norms and values, which is why she also has a hard time

understanding and adapting to American customs, which make her feel excluded. or isolated.

Despite having arrived in a familiar home environment and having found a job where her

place of origin is not a determining factor, she continues to complicate her adaptation and

integration into this society. In the case of this protagonist, her language was not a barrier

since she is fluent in the local language, so her communication with society was not difficult.

She did not limit her ability to connect with others, as she found a job as she hoped.

Migrants can often face discrimination and prejudice in their host countries, however in the

case of our protagonist it was not a bad way of prejudice, and she felt marginalized or

rejected in her own mind, meaning that what was hindering her social and emotional

development adaptation was his own bias towards Americans and their culture, within the

book when Akunna says: “Some people thought you were from Jamaica because they thought

that every black person with an accent was Jamaican. Or some who guessed that you were
African asked if you knew so-and-so from Kenya or so and so from Zimbabwe because they

thought Africa was a country where everyone knew everyone else.” This shows that

prejudices are only the assumption of their origin. After leaving their country of origin,

migrants can lose the family and social relationships they had before, however, this did not

happen in this story since she was still in contact with her parents, a clear example of this is

when her mother informs him about the death of his father.

“Individuals who migrate experience multiple stresses that can impact their mental

well-being, including the loss of cultural norms, religious customs, and social support

systems, adjustment to a new culture, and changes in identity and concept of self. Indeed,

mental illness rates are increasing in some migrant groups.” What the Aunna lived implies a

struggle between identity and freedom, generated by the representation of the cultural

background of the protagonist and the new society in which she finds herself, thus creating

tension and challenges to her sense of identity and personal freedom. When Akunna is caught

between the expectations and values of her own culture and those of the society in which she

now lives, there is a sense of confusion and uncertainty about her identity, as she may feel

pressured to conform to the cultural norms of her new environment and, at the same time, try

to maintain their own cultural identity.

When restrictions are being placed on the protagonist's personal freedom because some

customs, traditions, or social expectations in her new environment limit her ability to express

herself or pursue her own aspirations; On the other hand, Akunna also deals with the desire to

be true to herself and her cultural heritage as she seeks acceptance in this new society, as she

must face internal conflicts while trying to balance the need to belong with the need to of

freedom. personal and self-expression. The clash of cultures also leads the protagonist to

internalize stereotypes and prejudices of American culture, which affects her perception of

her identity and limits her sense of personal freedom.

The main obstacle that the protagonist faces is her internal conflict regarding her identity as a

migrant, since she feels trapped between her culture of origin and the new culture to which

she is adapting, which makes it difficult for her to feel that she belongs and is accepted in the

society . This happens when being in another society and feeling compelled to question and

reevaluate their own beliefs, which are the fundamental pillars of their identity. This

generates a confrontation between the cultural norms and expectations that they have

internalized and the new perspectives that they find. leads to reconsider their identity and

their place in the world.

Returning to what was said above, it is evident how in this story, thanks to Akunna's

perspective, she is accepted. An example that illustrates this is when she meets the young

university student and instead of asking her many questions about her racial origins, if not for

another reason. Lado flatters her and surprises her with his knowledge of African culture,

thus breaking with that prejudiced and ignorant stereotype. The normal thing for a migrant

might be to negotiate and adjust her personality in order to integrate into the new society,

however, Akunna maintains a sense of authenticity and connection to her Nigerian culture.

What was previously discussed is complemented by what can be deduced throughout history,

since it is evident how Akunna undertakes a journey to discover belonging in terms of where

and to what place or group he really belongs, and for this very reason this search for

Belonging can affect her personality and her understanding of who she really is, since at

various moments mentioned above she criticizes herself for her way of thinking and acting,

since she realizes that the one who cannot integrate is her, and the rest of individuals with

whom they interact do not have the attitudes and ways of acting that she had thought.
Bibliography:

1. The thing around your neck, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

2. Bhugra, D. (2005, February 1). Migration, cultural bereavement and cultural identity.
PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414713/