The Thing Around Your Neck -

Akunna wins the "American visa lottery" and moves from Nigeria to Maine to live with her uncle. She quickly realizes that the America she expected—one of abundance and ease—does not match the reality of her struggle.

Akunna eventually receives a letter from home informing her that her father has died. Her family had used the money she sent home to pay for his funeral. She decides to return to Nigeria alone, leaving her relationship and her status in America uncertain. Themes and Symbolism The Thing Around Your Neck

The title refers to a metaphorical "thing" that wraps around Akunna's neck at night, symbolizing her suffocating loneliness , anxiety, and the heavy burdens of her identity as an immigrant. Akunna wins the "American visa lottery" and moves

In Connecticut, she works as a waitress and experiences profound loneliness and cultural isolation. She meets a young white man who is genuinely interested in her culture, and they begin a relationship. However, cultural tensions persist; he often displays a subtle condescension or fails to understand the depth of her immigrant experience. Her family had used the money she sent