Microaggression, Marginalization, and Othering in Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Thing Around Your Neck”
The psychological lens in literature refers to the examination of human behavior, especially pertaining to dynamic characters like Akunna in Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s short story “The Thing Around Your Neck” in her vignette collection The Thing Around Your Neck (2009). Just as psychologists seek to understand and treat human behavior, critical readers can apply the psychological lens to analyze and understand why characters behave the way they do. Through this approach, readers can understand the causes of Akunna’s emotional tension in America and her responses to aggressive interactions.
Othering
Othering refers to a large group of practices that excludes individuals from the norm by pointing out their differences, labeling them in groups, and forcing them to the edge or fringe of society.
Microaggression
Many people are more familiar with the term “systemic racism,” or institutions that prolong discrimination against minority groups. However, according to the NPR broadcast “Microaggressions are a big deal: How to talk them out and when to walk away,” a less understood concept is microaggressions, or “thinly veiled, everyday instances of racism, homophobia, sexism (and more)” that can be harmful insults or unintended comments that make someone feel less included, especially ethnically or culturally. Upon arrival in Maine, Akunna, a 22-year-old student from Nigeria, experiences microaggressions at school and work. When Akunna relates her new friends’ curiosity about her hair and her experience of being praised for her English, her uncle describes the other students’ attitude as “a mixture of ignorance and arrogance” (Adichie 116). While the students at school may be genuinely interested, their behavior has the potential to make Akunna feel uncomfortable by highlighting her status as a foreigner, or just someone different. When people point out the differences of individuals, even to compliment them, the intention might be neutral or positive, but the effect on the receiver can be negative. For Akunna, who is expected by family and friends back home to succeed immediately in America like any other white American, being reminded that she is “not American” would make her feel behind.
Stereotypes
Another form of othering that Akunna experiences from her own family and friends, as well as her encounters in Maine and Connecticut, is stereotyping. From the moment she wins the “visa lottery,” Akunna is expected to make it rich in America and send back “handbags and shoes and perfumes” representing her success (Adichie 115). While her friends send her off with their hopes and expectations, Akunna cannot help but feel cornered by their desires. She wishes to do well and send money home as well, but the reality of her life as a recent arrival does not match expectations. Even a stereotypical comment meant as a compliment can be harmful, or misleading. For example, when she meets her new restaurant manager, Juan, he hires her based on his assumption that “all immigrants work hard” (Adichie 117). In this case, Juan’s belief works in Akunna’s favor, giving her the opportunity to work, but such an expectation puts pressure on individuals to fit a stereotype that is unfairly applied to them. One of the consequences of facing stereotypes is that Akunna cannot express the reality of life whenever she sends money to her family. Akunna reflects on how often she “wanted to write” but could not share her innermost thoughts with her family and friends due to her insecurity (Adichie 118). Being labeled an immigrant, having to work under the table, and having few options to advance her studies in America leaves her vulnerable but unable to share how she feels because of conflict between her reality and her family and friends’ expectations of her big lottery win to live in America.
Marginalization
As an immigrant, Akunna also experiences marginalization, which attacks her ego and makes her feel reduced, ignored, and pushed to the side. When she begins dating “the boy,” an older student at the state university, Akunna “knew by people’s reactions that [their relationship was] abnormal” as she suffered strange looks and expressions whenever they were together (Adichie 125). Within society, conventions and history often control how well people are accepted by others. Conventions, or traditions, continue as long as the same majority holds the opinion. They decide what is considered normal, saying how things should be because their perspective is all that matters.
Even when she meets the boy’s parents, who treat her fairly well despite some microaggressive comments, Akunna feels “grateful that they did not examine [her] like an exotic trophy, an ivory tusk” (Adichie 126). Compared to strangers who eye them as a strange couple, the boy’s parents are warm and accepting. Still, Akunna mentions the word “exotic” to highlight how different others think she is, especially being from a foreign country and having darker skin.
Sexual Assault by Her “Uncle”
Sexual assault is a traumatic experience that can shift how a person thinks and behaves. According to the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs website, the effects on survivors are numerous:
- Continuing anxiety
- Sleep disturbances
- Relationship difficulties
- withdrawal/isolation
In the story, Akunna’s sexual assault by her non-related uncle is passed over within the middle of one paragraph. It reflects the brief traumatic moment, something easy for readers to miss. However, this incident creates the rest of the storyline by affecting Akunna, who immediately escapes the situation. Taking care of her safety, Akunna gets on a Greyhound bus the very next day and “ends up in Connecticut, in another little town, because it was the last stop” (Adichie 117). The fact that she rides the bus until the route is finished shows her reasonable reaction to escape from her abuser, to get as far as possible from him. Because she loses her sense of safety in the house she should have called home, she has to work under the table, and her academic opportunities are severely limited. Fortunately, Akunna does not develop a victim’s mindset.
Conclusion
Observing the character Akunna through the psychological lens reveals reasons and outcomes regarding her behavior and choices. Challenged during her immigration process by experiencing Othering and sexual assault, Akunna finds her life different from how she, her family, and her friends imagined life would be like in America.
The benefit of the psychological lens is that readers can analyze behavior to connect events with relationships rather than just knowing a plot as a timeline. Every experience in human life is related to another, and all experiences combine to make an individual who they are. By learning about and explaining Akunna’s behavior, readers can gain a deeper understanding of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s own experiences as a Nigerian woman writer, which make her stories richer with complex characters and plots.
Work Cited and Weblinks
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. The Thing Around Your Neck. New York, Vintage, 2010.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy)#Imperialism_and_colonialism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4N50b76cZc
https://www.gannettfleming.com/blog/how-to-combat-marginalization-to-create-an-inclusive-workplace/
https://www.wcsap.org/help/about-sexual-assault/effects-sexual-assault
