The Thing Around Your Neck

by

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The American Embassy Narrator Character Analysis

This unnamed narrator of the story "The American Embassy" is a grieving mother attempting to obtain an asylum visa from the American embassy. She's overcome with grief for her son, Ugonna, who was shot the day before by government officials looking for her husband. Ugonna gave the narrator a sense of purpose and an identity that she loved. The narrator decides that she loves Ugonna too much to use his story to get a visa, and elects to stay in Nigeria.

The American Embassy Narrator Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck

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

Yes, of course. Not all of us can do it. That is the real problem with us in this country, we don't have enough brave people.

Related Characters: The man behind her (speaker), The American Embassy Narrator
Page Number: 136
Explanation and Analysis:
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The American Embassy Narrator Quotes in The Thing Around Your Neck

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

Yes, of course. Not all of us can do it. That is the real problem with us in this country, we don't have enough brave people.

Related Characters: The man behind her (speaker), The American Embassy Narrator
Page Number: 136
Explanation and Analysis: