Literary Analysis of Purple Hibiscus Bychimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Purple Hibiscus

Abuse can manifest in many different ways. For some, it comes in the form of physical violence. For others, it comes daily in the form of verbal abuse, where a person is degraded and cursed consistently. A third group experiences abuse as a removal of freedom, where the individual is oppressed to the point where he or she is obliged to "obey" the will of the abuser without being allowed to do anything beyond what the abuser wants. This is the case for Kambili and Jaja, two children in Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The children grow up in Nigeria, under the oppressive and restrictive hand of their father, Eugene, who was a businessman and very wealthy. However, once they come of age and are exposed to an unfamiliar lifestyle, this provides the catalyst they need to fulfill the purpose of the novel, which is to suggest that each person must fulfill his or her own mission in life. For that, one must break the bonds of restriction and abuse.

In the novel, Eugene represents the oppressive, restrictive, and abusive force, although only those closest to him -- his family -- experience this side of him. As such, he is the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing." In the community, he is regularly praised and awarded for the "good" things he does. He gives a large amount of money to charity and helps both the religious and political communities, helping prominent members to build their houses and run their campaigns, or helping religiously run charities to maintain their buildings or obtain tools to conduct their work. While his family admires these things, they also live in fear and awe of him. At home, they are subject to his violent temper, where he becomes abusive and violent the moment somebody steps "out of line," regardless of whether it is his wife or the children.

The growing children and wife are symbolic of the underdeveloped or not yet developed personality, who accepts everything that happens, because he or she is unaware that there are any other ways to be a family. The harshness that this paradigm creates for the family becomes evident in the descriptions of punishment. At one point, Jaja is punished for missing two questions on his catechism test, resulting in his not being named the best in his First Holy Communion Class. Earlier, Eugene (or Papa, as the children know him) is characterized as religiously fanatic. His religion is extremely important to him; practically overriding everything else in importance. He strictly adheres to the forms of his worship, even if others no longer do, such as kneeling at the cross and so on. He becomes extremely angry when his wife or children will not do the same. So, for not being best in his religious class, little Jaja receives the punishment narrated by Kambili:

"Papa took him upstairs and locked the door. Jaja, in tears, came out supporting his left hand with his right, and Papa drove him to St. Agnes hospital. Papa was crying, too, as he carried Jaja in his arms like a baby all the way to the car. Later, Jaja told me that Papa had avoided his right hand because it is the hand he writes with" (145). I

In addition to physical punishment, the children received harsh emotional treatment. Eugene kept them in a loop of fear, admiration, and seeking approval from him. It was the only life they knew.

The turning point in the novel comes when Kambili and Jaja visit their Aunt Ifeoma and cousins in Nsukka. They represent true family love and caring, regardless of how much wealth they have. This is an utterly foreign concept to the children, and they are shocked to see how the family treats each other, even without wealth and without servants. Each family member loves and respects the others, with the children being allowed to question the decisions and claims of the elders. Aunt Ifeoma does not demand agreement with all she says. The children are allowed to choose their own paths in life, without being forced into a direction by the aunt. As such, this family symbolizes the polar opposite of the restrictive environment created by Eugene. At first Kambili is unable to process what is happening:

"I had felt as if I were not there, that I was just observing a table where you could say anything at any time to anyone, where the air was free for you to breathe as you wished" (120).

For Kambili and Jaja, the experience at their aunt's home affects each in a unique way. Kambili is afraid to speak, having spent her entire life learning that to speak means punishment. Obiora had things Jaja's father never gave him: A sense of manly protectiveness over his family, the gift of articulate speech, and being allowed to be initiated into the Igbo culture. Eugene's affiliation with the Christian church and Westernized politicians would not let him allow Jaja to have the same.

It is from the solid basis of their aunt's house that the children can finally experience growth and the beginnings of personal freedom; they finally show some character development. It is here that the seed of the thought that their father is not always right. Jaja, being younger, transforms somewhat more easily than his sister. He is easily infatuated with the love and the lifestyle he sees at his aunt's house. He also becomes very enamored with the idea of being able to protect his family, after being so vulnerable to his father's moods and punishments. As such, his transformation can be connected to his gender and all that this entails in the Igbo culture. For Kambili, things are not as easy. She is unable to break her silence until her aunt becomes frustrated with her to the point where she shouts: "O ginidt, Kambili, have you no mouth? Talk back to her!" (170) This frightens Kambili into speech. When she realizes on a visceral level that there is no punishment for this speech, she finally understands in her heart that she can speak for herself and that it is good that she should do so. Kambili's development is finally finished to the point where she can return home and face her father.

When they return home, things are hardly better, but an important image is presented to them. Earlier in the novel, Jaja had planted a hibiscus. On their final return home before their father's death, Jaja says, "See, the purple hibiscuses are about to bloom" (253). The "about to bloom" suggests that the children have not yet reached the full fruition of their development, but that they are more than ready to do so. The intensely healing and growing experiences at their aunt's home are about to bring them to fruition. Understanding that they are no longer victims but rather persons in their own right is a powerful conduit for their growth and their decisions towards the end of the novel.