Purple Hibiscus Symbolism

“The heart gets confused when it is constantly told I love you by the same person who destroys it”-R.h Sin. This portrays the moral idea of billions of abused individuals , as well as the characters in Purple Hibiscus. As a human being, we are always longing for companionship. But sometimes, one is too blinded by love in that relationship to notice that love is tainted; by emotional and physical torment. This reigns true for Kambili, the protagonist , and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda N. Adichie. Purple Hibiscus is a novel about the coming of age of a young girl named Kambili Achike. Adichie captivates the reader by her heavy use of imagery and symbolism. Throughout the story, Kambili overcomes hardships and obstacles thrown at her by her father.

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. She is still obedient and loyal towards him even though he has broken their family.This is displayed in her school environment and none of the other girls know what is happening in her household. Ezinne (one of the girls in her class) tells Kambili that the girls call her a backyard snob because she doesn’t talk to anyone. She suggested walking to the gates with the other girls to converse with them. Ezinne asked why she always ran off as soon as

Kambili obtains heightened emotional abilities and assertiveness which shows that she is a dynamic character. Father Amadi was leaving for Germany and for Kambili it felt like the days were slipping away too fast. His last day sneaked up on her and she didn’t want him to leave her. Father Amadi offered spending time together during his lunch ,but she refused because she was angry at him , and he came back later that evening to say farewell to her. Even though, Kambili was rejected by Father Amadi she still made efforts to love him. She did this by drawing his German address in her notebook repeatedly. On page 282 it reads, “ I was locking little parts of me up, because I would not need them if Father Amadi was not here”. This excerpt proves that adversity releases strength because it shows how Kambili has gained more control over her emotions. If she can put her emotions aside that means that she can use them whenever she needs to. In the beginning of the story, she had not control over her emotions and didn’t know how to show them in certain areas. Father Amadi has aided her into opening up her emotions like laughing and smiling. But, since he is leaving, she won’t be able to “unlock” her emotions because he was like her coping mechanism. Preceding this excerpt, Kambili says, “ I did not