In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book, Purple Hibiscus, Adiche shows the effects of colonialism in a patriarchal society. This book was set in the 1990s from the perspective of 15-year old Kambili Achike. She lives as part of the Igbo tribe in colonialist Nigeria. Kambili lives with her abusive father, Eugene, submissive mother, Beatrice, and headstrong brother, Jaja. Throughout the book, we meet her Aunt Ifeoma, who is the mother of Amaka, Obiora and Chima. Kambili's grandfather, Papa Nnukwu does not believe in Catholicism. Instead he worships Idols like his Nigerian ancestors. The conflict between Eugene and Papa Nnukwu is a major part of Purple Hibiscus. Written by Chimamanda Adichie, this book explores how Catholicism enforces and promotes abusive behavior and how the internalization of racism strips people of their self worth and power.
Papa is abusive to his whole family because he was taught to be that way by the Catholic Church. Papa has internalized everything that the colonialists have told him. He is now ashamed of Nigerian culture. Papa refuses to use Igbo as his main language. At the beginning of the book, we are told about how Father Benedict has taken over
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Colonialism has stripped Papa of all of his securities. Nowadays, people feel as if there is a limited amount of power in the world. In order to obtain this miraculous status, humans strip others of their power so that they cann acquire more. This is what Papa has been left to do after the Catholic Church took everything from him. Papa has created a concrete structure that if broken results in a severe consequence. An example of his tyranny is, the strict schedule, he has created for his kids. This schedule does not allow time for Kambili or Jaja to form their own thoughts. When visiting their Aunt Ifeoma's house, their eyes are finally opened to the beauty of