The Thing Around Your Neck

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.

Cultural clashes, colonialism, and their effects on people are explored in “The Thing Around Your Neck,” “Jumping Monkey Hill,” “On Monday of Last Week,” and “The Headstrong Historian.” Choose two of these stories and compare and contrast how they approach these issues.

Sibling relationships between brother and sister are often portrayed as contentious. How does this complicate family dynamics?

Unlikely relationships, such as between Chika and the Muslim woman in “A Private Experience” and Ukamaka and Chinedu in “The Shivering,” are portrayed as unifying. How do these relationships further the theme of The Rejection of Societal Expectations?

Choose one story from the collection and one of the three major themes discussed in this guide. How does this story explore the chosen theme?

Universities, both in Nigeria and in the US, are common in these stories. What effect does this choice of setting have on the stories?

“The Headstrong Historian” draws from China Achebe’s 1958 novel Things Fall Apart. Discuss the short story’s relationship to Achebe’s novel. How does the multiplicity of viewpoints complicate or expand one’s understanding of British colonialism in Nigeria?