The Thing Around Your Neck

by

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In "The Thing Around Your Neck," The boy is an wealthy university student who pursues Akunna. He loves to travel and see the "real people" of different countries, which to him means the poor. He likes occasionally passing for African and doesn't correct waiters when they think that Akunna isn't his girlfriend. The boy is privileged and romanticizes the experiences of immigrants and of the poor in other countries.

The boy Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck

The The Thing Around Your Neck quotes below are all either spoken by The boy or refer to The boy. 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 Thing Around Your Neck Quotes

You did not know that people could simply choose not to go to school, that people could dictate to life. You were used to accepting what life gave, writing down what life dictated.

Related Characters: Akunna, The boy
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Thing Around Your Neck PDF

The boy Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck

The The Thing Around Your Neck quotes below are all either spoken by The boy or refer to The boy. 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 Thing Around Your Neck Quotes

You did not know that people could simply choose not to go to school, that people could dictate to life. You were used to accepting what life gave, writing down what life dictated.

Related Characters: Akunna, The boy
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis: