The Thing Around Your Neck
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Cell One Imitation A Private Experience Ghosts On Monday of Last Week Jumping Monkey Hill The Thing Around Your Neck The American Embassy The Shivering The Arrangers of Marriage Tomorrow is Too Far The Headstrong Historian
Themes
All Themes Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Stories and Representation Family and Lies Colonialism and Violence The American Dream
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Nnamabia Nkem Chika Professor James Nwoye Kamara Ujunwa Akunna The American Embassy Narrator Ukamaka Chinaza Nwamgba Grace / Afamefuna Cell One Narrator Mother Father Obiora The Woman Ikenna Okoro Neil Josh Tracy The Senegalese Edward The boy The man behind her Chinedu Udenna Ofodile Nia Tomorrow is Too Far Narrator Dozie Grandmama Anikwenwa
Symbols
All Symbols Cars The Benin Masks Nigerian Food
Upgrade to LitCharts A+
Instant downloads of all 1915 LitChart PDFs (including The Thing Around Your Neck).
LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.
Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.
The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play.
Literature
Guides Poetry
Guides Literary
Terms Shakespeare
Translations
Ask
LitCharts AI
Ask
AI
Literature
Lit
Poetry
Lit Terms
Terms
Shakescleare Ask AI

The Thing Around Your Neck

by

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Download this LitChart! (PDF)
Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Thing Around Your Neck makes teaching easy.

Ofodile Character Analysis

In "The Arrangers of Marriage," Ofodile is Chinaza's husband. He's studying to be a doctor in New York and believes that the only way to get ahead is to fully assimilate into American culture. He goes by the name “Dave Bell” and requires Chinaza to cook American food and speak American English. He married an American woman to get his green card and had a number of girlfriends, and kept that information from Chinaza.

Ofodile Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck

The The Thing Around Your Neck quotes below are all either spoken by Ofodile or refer to Ofodile. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Theme Icon
).
The Arrangers of Marriage Quotes

They did not warn you about things like this when they arranged your marriage. No mention of offensive snoring, no mention of houses that turned out to be furniture-challenged flats.

Related Characters: Chinaza (speaker), Ofodile
Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Theme Icon
Family and Lies Theme Icon
The American Dream Theme Icon
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:

You left your husband? Aunty Ada would shriek. Are you mad? Does one throw away a guinea fowl's egg? Do you know how many women would offer both eyes for a doctor in America? For any husband at all?

Related Characters: Chinaza (speaker), Ofodile, Nia
Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Theme Icon
Family and Lies Theme Icon
The American Dream Theme Icon
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Get the entire The Thing Around Your Neck LitChart as a printable PDF.
Download
The Thing Around Your Neck PDF

Ofodile Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck

The The Thing Around Your Neck quotes below are all either spoken by Ofodile or refer to Ofodile. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Theme Icon
).
The Arrangers of Marriage Quotes

They did not warn you about things like this when they arranged your marriage. No mention of offensive snoring, no mention of houses that turned out to be furniture-challenged flats.

Related Characters: Chinaza (speaker), Ofodile
Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Theme Icon
Family and Lies Theme Icon
The American Dream Theme Icon
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:

You left your husband? Aunty Ada would shriek. Are you mad? Does one throw away a guinea fowl's egg? Do you know how many women would offer both eyes for a doctor in America? For any husband at all?

Related Characters: Chinaza (speaker), Ofodile, Nia
Women, Marriage, and Gender Roles Theme Icon
Family and Lies Theme Icon
The American Dream Theme Icon
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Home About Contact Help
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
Terms Privacy Privacy Request
The LitCharts.com logo.
Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account
You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to request a guide
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account.
You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to access notes and highlights
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Saving guides requires a free LitCharts account
Easily access your saved guides anytime.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to save guides
Already have an account? Sign in