Summary

The title “Glory” refers to the main character of the short story, whose full name is Glorybetogod Ngozi Akunyili. Born and raised in Nigeria until she was six, and then living in Minneapolis until the present moment, in her mid-thirties, Glory’s name feels like a sort of curse, as she appears destined to make wrong decisions in life, to needle other people in pessimistic ways. Depressed with her life working in a call center, feeling the disappointment of her parents, one day Glory goes as far as writing a suicide note and drinking wine while holding a fistful of sleeping pills. However, Glory soon falls asleep without the pills and, when she wakes up, feels regretful and “melodramatic” (178), quickly putting the incident behind her.

At Glory’s job, a Nigerian man who is new to the United States begins to work at the...