Point of View in "The Thing Around Your Neck"

        In, The Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, two stories are told from the second person point of view. This point of view is very rarely used in literature and makes these stories stand out. First, the second person point of view allows the reader to be closer to the story. In the short story,The Thing Around Your Neck, Akunna deals with immigrating to America, living at her abusive uncle’s house, and striking out on her own. The “you” perspective allows the  reader to empathize more with the characters because the story becomes more real. The sorrows and triumphs of the character are shared by the reader because of the second person point of view. In the story Tomorrow is Too Far, the main character remembers her brother Nonso’s death which she caused. The jealousy of the narrator towards her brother Nonso is experienced by the reader. It is her jealousy and her impulse that compelled her to scare Nonso and cause his death. The reader shares in the narrator’s guilt and sorrow towards the end when she weeps beneath the avocado tree.

  Another thing that the second person perspective does is creates a sense of distance for the character. Instead of using “I” and owning the story, the narrator uses “you” and distances herself from the events. In, The Thing Around Your Neck, Akunna is ashamed of her past and struggles with the pressure of her family back in Nigeria. She had a much different idea of what life would be like in America and now she is disappointed with what has happened to her. In Tomorrow is Too Far, the narrator, eighteen years after she killed her brother, is ashamed of what she has done and this guilt makes her push the reality of the story away.