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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus

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Sometimes I feel caged. My parents make me stay in the house,I can’t go out with friends, and I have to act accordingly at all times. I feel like I can’t be myself in the presence of my parents. This is exactly how Kambili and Jaja feel in “Purple Hibiscus” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Other main characters are Papa,Mama,Ifeoma,Amaka,Chima,Obiora, and Father Amadi. In “Purple Hibiscus Kambili went through alot; I’m going to break it down for you. In the beginning Kambili deals with living her life for Papa,domestic violence, and fear of public speaking(etc.). In the middle she deals with Amaka’s judgement, identity crisis, and her love for Father Amadi(etc.). In the end Kambili deals with Papa’s death,Mama’s confession, and Jaja being in prison. …show more content…

This proves Horaces’ argument that adversity leads to positive change. An example of this is when Father Amadi is getting ready to go to Germany and he’s riding around Nsukka to say his goodbyes. Kambili is with him and she knows that she won’t get to see Father Amadi again;once he leaves. So, Kambili tells Father Amadi that she loves him. Page 276 reads: “It was one of those songs...that eased the dryness in my throat...I said, I love you.”. In this moment, Kambili is bold. In the past Kambili would’ve kept her feelings to herself or have an internal conflict. She would’ve even thought about how Papa would think it’s unholy to love a priest. That all has changed,Kambili is embracing/letting her feelings be known; thanks to her time spent in Nsukka. This proves the assertion that Kambili’s adversities elicit new talents because Kambili has never been bold a day in her life, she’s usually by her lonesome. If she feels any kind of way she doesn’t express it but miraculously, this time she does. Another example of the assertion is when Kambili is visiting Jaja in prison, she’s reminiscing. Kambili is reminiscing on how she doesn’t worry about what she does anymore. Pages 303-304 read: “I no longer wonder if I have the right to love Father Amadi;I simply go ahead and love him. I no longer wonder if the checks I have been writing… are bribers to God; I just go ahead and write them.” In this moment Kambili is carefree. The Kambili you see in the end has come a long way. Kambili has gone from caring about what Papa,Amaka, and countless others say/think to not caring at all. This is good because now Kambili can live her life without caring what people say or tell her to do. This proves the assertion that Kambili’s adversities elicit new talents because now Kambili is her own person; now Kambili is a smart,bold,outspoken, and carefree young lady rather than her

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The Roman poet Horace once wrote, “ Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”. In Purple Hibiscus, Adichie utilizes the character Kambili to prove this idea to be true, but only when the victim is placed in an environment that displaces them from their aggressor. In the beginning of Purple Hibiscus, Kambili’s adversities do not elicit talents she never knew she had, which disproves Horaces’ argument that adversity leads to positive change. Since Kambili is abused by her father, she has no voice when it comes to her physical state.

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