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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:
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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.
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Chinaza lies in bed with Ofodile on her first night in America, thinking about her disappointment in her new husband and his living arrangements. Her disillusionment stems from the way her aunt and uncle built up the idea of the American dream, as represented here by her coveted doctor husband and the hoped-for house. She'd been led to believe that America was a land of utopia, but already at less than 24 hours in the country, it's becoming clear that America isn't what Chinaza thought it would be. In addition to the disappointment in the particulars of the American dream, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Pos
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?
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As she sits in Nia's kitchen after leaving Ofodile, Chinaza thinks of what her aunt and uncle would say if she told them what she'd done. This imagined response from her Aunty Ada makes it very clear how important marriage is for many women. In Aunty Ada's eyes, marriage is an achievement and a privilege afforded to lucky women. Placing marriage in this light is another way that women lose power and autonomy in their relationships—marriage is something that happens to women; it's not necessarily something they're active participants in. When Aunty Ada mentions the "many women" who would sacrifice Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupt
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Ofodile Character Timeline in The Thing Around Your Neck
The timeline below shows where the character Ofodile appears in The Thing Around Your Neck. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Arrangers of Marriage
Chinaza's husband, Ofodile, carries her suitcase up to their apartment. Chinaza tells the reader that she imagined that...
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Chinaza says she's tired and Ofodile agrees. They go to bed and Chinaza curls up and hopes that Ofodile won't want...
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The next morning Ofodile wakes Chinaza by lying on top of her. He pulls her nightgown up and Chinaza...
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The phone is “engaged,” and when Chinaza tells Ofodile that, he corrects her that Americans say "busy" instead of "engaged." Ofodile makes Chinaza breakfast....
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Ofodile's neighbor knocks at the door. Ofodile lets her in and introduces her to Chinaza. Because...
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Ofodile takes Chinaza shopping so he can show her how to shop and use the bus....
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Ofodile gestures to a woman speaking Spanish and says that people like her won't move forward...
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Ofodile takes Chinaza to the mall. He buys her pizza, and she thinks it's greasy and...
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On Monday, Chinaza makes coconut rice. When Ofodile comes home and she greets him in Igbo, he tells her to speak English. The...
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...get a job at Macy's once her work permit goes through. Later, when Chinaza tells Ofodile about Nia, he tells her that Nia is a bad influence. Nia begins stopping in...
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...snows for the first time, Chinaza stays home all day and watches it fall. When Ofodile comes home that night, she asks about her work permit and he slowly explains that...
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Ofodile asks why it matters, and says that Chinaza wouldn't say no to her aunt and...
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While Ofodile showers, Chinaza packs her suitcase and goes to Nia's apartment. Nia offers to let Chinaza...
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...suggests that Chinaza give her marriage more time and asks why Chinaza always refers to Ofodile as "my husband." Chinaza thinks that it's because she barely knows Ofodile. Nia asks if...
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Nia tells Chinaza that she should wait, get her papers in order, and then leave Ofodile. She says that it's America, and Chinaza can support herself and start fresh. Chinaza thinks...
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