The Thing Around Your Neck

A common theme in the stories of The Thing Around Your Neck is The Immigrant Experience, particularly of wives brought to the US by their husbands. Looking to the characters of Nkem from “Imitation” and Chinaza from “The Arrangers of Marriage,” discuss how Adiche uses these two characters to portray this experience, looking to their differences and similarities.

Violence comes in many forms throughout the stories in this collection. What are some of the different types of violence explored, and how do they affect the characters within the stories?

Community versus isolation is a common conflict throughout The Thing Around Your Neck. How do portrayals of immigration explore this conflict? Select at least two characters from the text and analyze how their experiences with immigration impact their experiences of community and isolation.