RESHAPING IDENTITIES THROUGH IRONY IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S THE THING AROUND YOUR NECK (2009)
RESHAPING IDENTITIES THROUGH IRONY IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S THE THING AROUND YOUR NECK (2009)

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines Adichie’s use of irony in (2009), particularly in “The Thing Around Your Neck” and “Imitation”, as a means of exposing how Nigerian women navigate patriarchal and capitalist constraints. Irony reveals the illusion of choice they face, yet the situational irony they exist within ultimately catalyzes their shift from passivity to resistance. Applying Wayne Booth’s theories of stable and unstable irony and Linda Hutcheon’s discourse‐ based irony, this paper explores how Adichie critiques systemic oppression while reshaping postcolonial and gendered identities. By portraying Nigerian women as complex individuals rather than passive victims, Adichie challenges the “single story” and creates space for self‐definition.

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