In many of the stories collected in "The Thing Around Your Neck," the narrator or protagonist of the story is unnamed. This prompts the audience to ask a central question: why does Adichie choose to write stories about unnamed characters? In some stories, like "Tomorrow Is Too Far," the protagonist may be unnamed in order to preserve her anonymity. After she admits that she was the person who baited her brother to climb the tree, it is evident that she is culpable in his accidental death. In this way, Adichie's decision not to name the protagonist prevents the character from being particularly identifiable or judged for her actions.
In "The American Embassy," the central character is also unnamed. Instead, the reader knows the name of the protagonist's deceased son, Ugonna. In this way, Adichie contends that the main character of the story is actually Ugonna and not Ugonna's mother. As a helpless child and victim of state violence, Ugonna is not given a voice or a platform. In this way, Ugonna's mother serves as the voice for Ugonna, as she is able to explain the tragedy that her family has experienced due to corrupt governmental practices.
Finally, Adichie's decision to include unnamed characters in her story suggests the universalism of the protagonists. Because the individual is not given any specific identifiers, the audience is made to sympathize with and relate to the character's experience. Adichie aims to write a narrative that highlights women and the specific adversities that they encounter. In this way, Adichie aims to unite women across diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds by highlighting stories that detail the female experience.
