In terms of Postcolonial Studies "The Thing Around Your Neck" and "The Arrangers of Marriage" by Adichie are interesting stories to analyse because both are connected to history, migration, the search for identity and the consequences of displacement. Adichie as a typical postcolonial writer provides her stories with realistic characters facing identity struggles as well as inner and outer bondages.
Due to relocation and heteronomy in the context of imperialism and colonialism and the current development of increasing migration home and belonging were and are important determinants in life.
Table of Contents
1. Main thesis statement and introduction
2. Basic postcolonial concepts: home and belonging
2.1 Concept of home
2.2 Concept of belonging
3. Analysis of The Thing Around Your Neck and The Arrangers of Marriage
3.1 Reference of home and belonging to migration
3.2 Home and belonging in the short story The Thing Around Your Neck
3.3 Home and belonging in the short story The Arrangers of Marriage
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This work explores the multifaceted concepts of home and belonging within the context of postcolonial studies, specifically analyzing how protagonists in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's short stories navigate identity, displacement, and cultural adaptation.
- Theoretical examination of "home" and "belonging" as subjective constructs.
- The impact of migration and displacement on individual identity formation.
- Textual analysis of "The Thing Around Your Neck" regarding identity struggles.
- Textual analysis of "The Arrangers of Marriage" focusing on forced adaptation.
- The intersection of personal heritage and the desire for social acceptance.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Home and belonging in the short story The Thing Around Your Neck
The metaphorical title of the short story gives reason to think about situations or things that contract oneself and that limit ones personality. This impression can be recovered in themes like searching for identity and a free personality meaning evolvement.
When the protagonist Akunna wins the American visa lottery and gets the chance to leave Lagos, Nigeria to live with her uncle -actually not related by blood- in America she has great expectations. New possibilities in a different country and maybe a better life. “In a month, you will have a big car. Soon, a big house. But don´t buy a gun like those Americans.” (137) -images and stereotypical ideas strengthened by family and dependants which would presumably love to go themselves-.
Akunna leaves her home country with the intention to send her family money, handbags, shoes and other luxury things from America. On the one hand its “[...]okay, no problem.” (137) for her to send things home because at this moment she has no realistic non-sugarcoated picture of her future life in America. On the other hand its naturally and self-evident for her to support the ones at home whom she belongs to in a familial and heritable way.
Chapter Summaries
1. Main thesis statement and introduction: This chapter introduces the core importance of home and belonging as central themes in Adichie’s postcolonial fiction and outlines the paper's focus on migration and identity.
2. Basic postcolonial concepts: home and belonging: This section defines the two core terms by exploring their subjective nature, historical contexts, and their significance in the lives of immigrants.
3. Analysis of The Thing Around Your Neck and The Arrangers of Marriage: This section applies the theoretical framework to Adichie's stories, examining how protagonists experience migration and the tension between their original roots and new environments.
4. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes findings, noting that there is no universal definition of home and that individual experiences of displacement require nuanced interpretation in postcolonial literature.
Keywords
Postcolonial Studies, Home, Belonging, Identity, Migration, Displacement, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Thing Around Your Neck, The Arrangers of Marriage, Cultural Identity, Adaptation, Alienation, Heritage, Subjectivity, Diaspora.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
The work examines how the concepts of "home" and "belonging" are depicted in two specific short stories by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, focusing on the struggles of characters undergoing migration and identity transformation.
What are the central themes discussed in the paper?
Central themes include the search for identity, the consequences of physical displacement, cultural adaptation, familial expectations, and the subjective definition of "home" in postcolonial environments.
What is the primary research objective?
The goal is to analyze how postcolonial literature illustrates the complex psychological and social processes involved in finding or losing a sense of home when moving between vastly different cultural spheres.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses a qualitative, text-based analytical approach, incorporating definitions from sociological and postcolonial theorists to interpret the narratives within Adichie’s selected short stories.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section moves from theoretical definitions of home and belonging to a detailed textual analysis of "The Thing Around Your Neck" and "The Arrangers of Marriage," specifically looking at migration, cultural acclimatization, and the loss of individual autonomy.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Postcolonial Studies, Home, Belonging, Migration, Identity, Displacement, and cultural adaptation.
How does Akunna in "The Thing Around Your Neck" struggle with belonging?
Akunna experiences a conflict between her familial roots in Nigeria, her difficult living situation with her uncle in America, and her developing personal relationship, which forces her to navigate the meaning of "home" without a permanent sense of safety.
What role does the arranged marriage play in "The Arrangers of Marriage"?
The marriage serves as a catalyst for "forced adaptation," where the protagonist Chinaza is stripped of her cultural identity and autonomy by a husband who insists on assimilation, illustrating the negative consequences of migration when it demands the erasure of the self.
- Citation du texte
- Theresa Stitz (Auteur), 2014, Concepts of Home and Belonging and their meaning in the postcolonial fiction "The Thing Around Your Neck" and "The Arrangers of Marriage" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/378956
