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Nnamabia
In "Imitation," Nkem is a Nigerian woman living in Philadelphia with her children and her housegirl, Amaechi. Her husband, Obiora, is a “Big Man” in Nigeria. When Nkem and Obiora first got married, Nkem was so thrilled to marry him that she never questioned him or advocated for anything she wanted, and she continues to do this throughout their marriage. She begins to find her voice when she learns that Obiora has a girlfriend living in their home in Lagos, though she realizes she's always known that Obiora has lovers. She loves the optimism of America and wants her children to grow up not knowing the poverty that she experienced as a child in Nigeria.
Nkem Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck
The The Thing Around Your Neck quotes below are all either spoken by Nkem or refer to Nkem. 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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Imitation
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And although Nkem knew many Nigerian couples who lived together, all year, she said nothing.
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Get LitCharts A+"You got a great house, ma'am," he'd said, with that curious American smile that meant he believed he, too, could have something like it someday. It is one of the things she has come to love about America, the abundance of unreasonable hope.
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...America does not recognize Big Men. Nobody says "Sir! Sir!" to them in America. Nobody rushes to dust their seats before they sit down.
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Nkem Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck
The The Thing Around Your Neck quotes below are all either spoken by Nkem or refer to Nkem. 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:
).
Imitation
Quotes
And although Nkem knew many Nigerian couples who lived together, all year, she said nothing.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock explanations and citation info for this and every other The Thing Around Your Neck quote.
Plus so much more...
Get LitCharts A+"You got a great house, ma'am," he'd said, with that curious American smile that meant he believed he, too, could have something like it someday. It is one of the things she has come to love about America, the abundance of unreasonable hope.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
...America does not recognize Big Men. Nobody says "Sir! Sir!" to them in America. Nobody rushes to dust their seats before they sit down.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
