The Thing Around Your Neck
Tomorrow Is Too Far
Summary
‘Tomorrow is Too Far’ is narrated by a woman who is reflecting back on her
childhood and the events that happened over several summers. It is written in
second person narrative, placing the reader as the narrator herself, and has a
back-and-forth timeline, swapping between several summers from her childhood
and the present day from which she is reflecting back. The main event mentioned
by the narrator is that of her brother’s death and subsequent backlash. The
centrality of Nonso, the narrator’s brother, is clear, and his death, caused by the
narrator, is the most important time for their family, as it breaks them apart. The
narrator kills him by telling his to climb a tree, and then yelling to him that there is a
snake, the ‘Tomorrow Is Too Far” snake, and he falls, cracking his head. From then
on the story focuses on the unnamed narrator’s separation from her entire family,
and finishes with her and Dozie, much older, standing in the backyard of their nowdead grandmother. Dozie leaves, and a wave of secret memories are washed to
the surface of the narrator’s mind and she cries.
Character Map
Narrator
Narrator/Nonso’s
Mother
Nonso
Narrator/Nonso’s
Father
Dozie
Dozie’s Mother
(Mgbechibelije)
Grandma
Character Interrelationships
 Narrator – loves Dozie, kills Nonso, distant from her mother and father, dislikes her
grandmother.
 Nonso – loved by his mother, father, and grandmother, envied/disliked by Dozie
and the Narrator.
 Dozie – loves the Narrator, overshadowed by Nonso, ignored/belittled by
Grandmother.
 Narrator/Nonso’s Mother – split from husband, loves both Nonso and the
Narrator but shows more affection for Nonso.
 Narrator/Nonso’s Father – split from wife, love both Nonso and the Narrator but
grows distant from narrator after Nonso dies.
 Grandma – loves Nonso, Narrator, and Dozie but is obviously more partial to
Nonso, dislikes her son’s wife, her ‘old ways’ leave a divide between her, the
Narrator and Dozie.
Why is the narrator weeping at the end of
the story? For herself or for Nonso?
The narrator cries for herself more than for Nonso, her tears are more due to
the emptiness that her brother has left behind. The narrator states that ‘people
can take up too much space simply by being’ and this leads her to her
desperate act, which was an effort to survive through being ‘invisible’ to her
family. Her desperation and youth, which give plausibility to the extreme
action she takes, also shows her lack of insight. As she is young, she does not
realise that in the vacuum created by the loss/pain of her brother, her family
and the stability of her family will be destroyed. This profound emptiness that
engulfs the narrator’s life in the aftermath of her brother’s death causes her to
develop a need to ‘smooth out wrinkles’ and ‘flatten’ things, or push down the
memories of her brother to attempt to live a normal life.
How does the second-person narrative
impact on how the story is read?
The second-person narrative creates a bond between the reader and the
narrator, as it links them together as one. It makes the events and actions
within the story personalised, and therefore makes them more plausible and
less condemnable, as one is less likely to condemn themselves. It also creates
an emotional bond, making the narrator’s emotions, when stated or implied,
more connective to the reader.
Can the actions of the narrator be
understood or excused?
Yes, and no. This really comes down to more of a personal opinion, so whether
or not her actions can be understood or excuse is relative to the connection
that one feels to the story, and whether or not they identify with her or not. The
less connected to the story, the less-likely the actions of the narrator are seen
as excusable. In reality, her actions are not much more extreme than most
children who make mistakes, it’s just that her lack of understanding, of just how
much pain his pain would cause, or how high he would have to climb to just
be ‘maim[ed]’. Therefore, looking at the original thought and not the
conclusion the action can be seen as fairly excusable.
How was the narrator’s life changed after
eliminating Nonso? Was life better?
The life of the narrator is put on a different course after her brother’s death, but
not necessarily a better one. Nonso’s death was used as a way to grab more
attention, more love, and to just generally to have more ‘space’, and though
the narrator doesn’t get the first two, she does end up with more space. This
space could be seen as more of a divide between her and her family, it drags
her from Nigeria, separates her parents, and separates her from others her
age, making her more sombre, more introverted. These changes may have
altered her life in a mildly positive way in some people’s eyes, but whether or
not she is truly better off cannot be known, due to the life she would have
lived with Nonso alive being lost to her.
Culturally, the reason behind Nonso’s preferential
treatment is shown. How has this impacted on the
narrator, his ‘invisible’ sister?
The narrator is impacted by the dual culture and significantly worsened treatment
that she is subjected to by developing an extreme sense of desperation that
engulfs her life. Her dual culture is that of an American life crossed with a Nigerian
life, and this combination of cultures do not mix well with her personality. It is
possible that an ‘American’ trait that she has is one of self-entitlement, or the belief
that she is deserving of certain rights. This contrasts with the more humble Nigerian
view, which seems to run through the stories, that life is life and should be accepted
as it is. These clashing values create a sense of selfish desperation, fuelled by
childish logic that causes the ‘invisible’ sister to act out. These actions could also be
seen as being caused by lack of moral guidance by the parents and grandmother
of the girl, as they were too focused on the brother, and not invested enough in
the girl. Ultimately, the impact of being ‘invisible’ is expressed through the death of
Nonso, and this causes the isolation of a young girl, and the breakdown of an
entire family
What are the strengths and weaknesses of
this story?
The story has both strengths and weaknesses, but the weakness of the story is
more apparent. The weakness of familial relationships is extremely clear;
between the narrator and her brother, between Dozie and the grandmother,
and between the narrator’s parents, all these relationships are extremely weak
and fall apart at the death of Nonso if they are not already broken before it.
One strength of the story is that of resilience, living through the pain of a large
and damning secret is hard for the narrator and Dozie, and though the
narrator breaks down, her life up until that point is portrayed at relatively easy,
in the sense that she has a job and a life in America that seems ‘normal’. Dozie
seems to have been more affected, but perhaps this affectation has given
him the necessary reflective skills to survive through the memories of Nonso’s
death. In entirety, the story seems to be representative of the limitations of
culture, and the way that those caught between these cultures cope.