The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of short stories written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In “The Arrangers of Marriage” and “Imitation,” she explores the role of friendship in supporting women to reverse their dictated fates. “The Arrangers of Marriage” presents the story of Chinaza, who is stifled by her new husband, Ofodile, by forcing her to have sex and be a housewife, as well as changing her name, diction, and the food she cooks. Similarly, “Imitation” unfolds a story about Nkem, who considers it a privilege to marry a “rich man,” hence tailors everything to her husband’s needs and undertakes the reality of being cheated on. Although both women take on subdued relationships with their husbands, they make friends outside of their marital relationship. Chinaza meets Nia in her apartment building, and Nkem has Amaechi, her housegirl, as company. In both stories, Adichie demonstrates that friendship not only draws two individuals closer but also invokes self-reflection and a search for one’s submerged identity. The appearance of Nia and Amaechi in the stories is significant in aiding the female protagonists to overcome the status quo. Their ways of influence vary but are deeply rooted in initiative and spontaneity. Nkem and Chinaza’s efforts in fighting for their own voice to uphold their identity, opinions, and needs are a product of their friend’s influence.
In “Imitation,” Nkem remarks that the “madam/housegirl line has blurred in the years [she has] had Amaechi” (Adichie 29). This indicates that her relationship with Amaechi is grounded on egalitarianism. Unlike other stories that usually depict one-sided relationships between the employee and employer, this detail serves as a base for the distant, subordinate relation to develop into a friendly, intimate one. Watching Amaechi cook, Nkem ponders why “she has never told Amaechi how similar their childhoods were” (32). She also notices that “they have never talked about Obiora except to discuss what he will eat, or how to launder his shirts, when he visits” (34). Amaechi’s presence and company help Nkem better understand herself, as reflections of her past conversations with Amaechi allows Nkem to acknowledge that she is afraid to speak about her marriage. Later, Nkem decides to leave Amaechi with the freedom of choice by not interfering with the way Amaechi will cook in the kitchen. Treating others how she wants to be treated denotes that Nkem wants to be liberated by Obiora as well.
When Nkem eventually brings up the topic about Obiora’s girlfriend that once seemed “taboo” to talk about with Amaechi, Amaechi tries to defend Obiora by questioning, “‘is [Ijemamaka] sure?’” (34) Nkem thinks to herself, but with firmness, that “none of this matters, because [I know] it is true: a stranger is in [my] home” (34). When Amaechi pacifies her that “‘men are like that’” (34), Nkem asks herself rhetorically, “is it knowing—[my] refusal to think concretely about other women? [My] refusal to ever consider the possibility?” (35) Although Nkem is still hesitant about refuting out loud and Amaechi is still reticent about discussing Obiora, this short exchange marks a milestone for Nkem, for it is her first-ever time expressing her resentments out loud. By doing so, Nkem essentially convinces herself that Obiora’s infidelity is a reality, and this initiative also helps pave the way to her rebellious behavior in the future. Amaechi and Nkem have established common grounds through a comfortable relationship to relate and talk about personal experiences and share private rituals such as having drinks as their way of celebration. This is an insinuation to Obiora that she desires her healthy friendship to be mirrored in her marriage—to be in a power dynamic with Obiora where she can contradict his authoritative demands and merely enjoy the little things in life with him, as she does with Amaechi. Fundamentally, Amaechi serves to reinforce Nkem’s voice when she does not receive assurance from anybody else. Her acts, such as resisting to wax her pubic hair and cutting her hair to a length that she knows Obiora will be against, are a ramification of the confidence instilled in her friendship with Amaechi. Now, she is the one who gets to determine her identity—not Obiora.
Chinaza's first image of Nia in “The Arrangers of Marriage” is of her “lipstick, a shimmery orange, and the eye shadow—similar to the shade of the lipstick,” wearing a “see-through top [...] so that her bra, a mismatched shade, glared through” (180). She makes an instant reference that “Aunty Ada would disapprove of [her appearance]” (180), which suggests that Nia is controversial due to her unconventional and conspicuous demeanor. This foreshadows that Nia’s underlying confidence behind the way she dresses will shape Chinaza. Along the way, Nia acts as her only source of shelter and dependence. When Chinaza goes to find Nia out of irritation toward Ofodile’s deceptions, Nia tells her to “‘stay as long as you want’” (184) even though they have met not long before. Nia gladly stepping up to treat her as family is key to driving them closer and solidifying their friendship. It also is relieving for Chinaza, as her desire to find a place that she is comfortable to call home is certainly not attainable in Ofodile’s “old, musty [house with] rooms that lacked a sense of space” (167). As they engage in a conversation where Chinaza uncovers her life, Nia expresses in disapproval that it is “‘really fucked-up’” (185) when Chinaza could not be with the person she loved because “‘he was too young and he had no money’” (185). In a way, Nia’s candor in her language and temperament provides stimulation for Chinaza to be audacious. It also alludes that she will use what she has gained from her friendship with Nia to take back the voice that Ofodile stripped from her.
Nevertheless, Nia’s language carries more than just the bluntness of “the noun ‘clitoris’ and the verb ‘fuck’” (182). “[Chinaza] like[s] to listen to her” (182) because Nia’s words are essentially a validation of her difficulties. Having someone speak for her buried truths releases and alleviates her burdens since she is reluctant to say them out loud—similar to how Chinaza replaces Ofodile’s use of American English with British English in her head. Eventually, Chinaza uses her newfound voice to overturn Nia, who has been dominating in their conversations. When Chinaza interrogates Nia if she “‘ever [met] the woman he married [...] or [...] any of his girlfriends’” (185), Nia is forced to confess that “‘[she] fucked him, almost two years ago’” (185). Sparked by Chinaza’s spontaneous voice, this conversation reflects Nia’s influence, which corresponds to the earlier finding in “Imitation,” where Nkem’s ability to voice her opinions in a reciprocal friendship ultimately drives her to implement the same balance in her marriage.
Amaechi and Nia’s influences also play pivotal roles in the conclusions of the stories. Nia advises Chinaza to “‘wait until you get your papers and then leave [Ofodile]’” (186). After deliberation, Chinaza convinces herself that she “could not leave yet” (186). She realizes that being a strong woman may mean to use her materialistic husband as a benefit, as opposed to escaping from his control by leaving him right that second. The latter is liberating but does not get Chinaza her work permit, leaving her nowhere to go. Chinaza’s decision that is logically thought out and self-affirmed proves that her mindset has matured to a sharp-witted and driven one like Nia. Likewise, Nkem announces that they are “‘moving back to live in Lagos’” (41) in the shower with Obiora. Her steadfast voice repeats the statement multiple times, which creates a drastic contrast to her self-abased voice she started with, apologizing even for having “‘a difficult day’” (29). Without waiting for a reply from Obiora or explaining more about her motive, Nkem continues to insist that “‘we can spend holidays here together’” and emphasizes the “we” (41). Ironically, “we” have been Obiora’s frequently used phrase to presume Nkem’s opinions. However, now she is starting to secure an active position in their relationship using her power of speech. Nkem’s declaration that “there is nothing left to talk about [...] it is done” (42) represents that she has accomplished her mission of fighting for what she wants to be done, a triumphant starting point to the greater things she will achieve in the future. The final scenes are strikingly identical, with both women creating changes for themselves that embody ideals and character qualities formulated throughout their friendships.
In essence, both female protagonists were once demoralized by their marriages, but are invigorated by their fellow companions to search for change. Nkem is motivated by Amaechi and breaks the unspoken rule of conveying her opinions about Obiora’s wrongdoings. Chinaza is driven by Nia, who acts like her “role model” of a brave, astute woman helping her find her voice. Even though their empowerment comes from rather trivial conversations and comments, it is the details from these conversations and perspectives that Nkem and Chinaza gain from the most. They stop to reflect the resonances of their friend’s valuable ideas, and even before realizing a change of behavior, they are demonstrating it. This is what makes friendships created by Adichie powerful. One’s words of affirmation hold a substantial impact on another because their bond lies within their values; their pursuit of the same urge to advocate for their identity, opinions, and needs allows them to amplify each other’s voices, and they become women who can dictate their own lives in their marriages.
Author 作者
Name: Cynthia Zhang
Grade: 10
School: Northfield Mount Hermon
姓名：张澜馨
年级：10
学校：北野山高中
Hailing from Beijing, Cynthia is a sophomore at Northfield Mount Hermon, a boarding school in Massachusetts. She explores the surrounding world through an artistic lens of creative writing. Outside of writing, Cynthia enjoys playing the works of Debussy and Liszt, debating, and mentoring young students English and piano.
Cynthia来自北京，是马萨诸塞州一所寄宿学校——北野山高中的高二学生。她通过创意写作的艺术视角探索周围的世界。除了写作，她喜欢演奏德彪西和李斯特的作品、辩论、以及指导年龄较小的学生英语和钢琴。
Something to Say about the essay 关于作品
In this paper, I compare “The Arrangers of Marriage” and “Imitation” in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck. I focus on the role of friendship in supporting women to reverse their dictated fates, and how their ways of influence may vary but are fundamentally grounded in initiative and spontaneity. The two female protagonists, Nkem and Chinaza, prove to us that they can become women who can dictate their own lives in their marriages. This is not merely a comparative analysis; it is an epitome of a larger idea about the power of friendship, and a sneak peak into the dazzling collection featuring 12 unique stories, with each reflecting on contemporary women and their problems in life, aided by Adichie’s background of a Nigerian immigrant.
在这篇文章中，我对比了来自奇玛曼达·恩戈齐·阿迪奇埃短篇小说集《The Thing Around Your Neck》中，“Imitation”和“The Arrangers of Marriage”两篇文章。我将重点放在了友谊支持女性扭转命运时起到的作用，以及建立在主动和自发的基础上，它的影响方式又是如何变化的。两位女主人公Nkem和Chinaza通过行动证明给我们，她们可以成为在婚姻中能够主宰自己命运的女性。此外，这篇文章不仅是一个对比分析的作品，也是友谊力量的缩影，和对于一个巧妙且拥有12个独特故事的小说集的预告；以阿迪奇作为一个尼日利亚移民的背景为基础，每个故事都是现代女性的真实写照，并反映出了她们生活中的各种问题。
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