Purple Hibiscus Essay

An ironic tale of a dysfunctional house; the Achike family, despite riches, faith, and social status, silently lives under the tyranny of a patriarch, an atmosphere that indoctrinates fear, oppression, and pain into the hearts and minds of each family member. Fear, oppression, and pain, these are the pillars to which forged the main protagonists in Chimamanda Adichie's book “Purple Hibiscus”. Taking place in Nigeria during the 1990s, Adichie portrays a nation plagued with political instability, poverty, and cultural scars left from the era of colonialism. The book follows the experiences of Kambili, daughter of a well respected family from which throughout the story gives insight into the relationships involved between her brother Jaja,

Eugene, head of a successful anti government paper, who runs his family in a dictatorship like fashion. He strictly disciplines Jaja and Kambili through physical and mental abuse, and administers the same treatment to his wife, Mama. Contrastingly, Eugene’s sister Aunty Ifeoma, despite her lower social standing, poverty, and single mother of three, raises her family with respect, and promotes more individualism, values opposite of Eugene thus a significant character difference between the families of both families. The contrasting relationship between Aunty Ifeoma and Papa Eugene illustrates how the human experience can differ in regards to conditioning and the different environments from which they arise. Adichie illustrates a theme about the how each individual in every society develops differently. From youth to maturity, the human experience is forged by the societal and cultural pressures surrounding us, thus illuminating the idea that environmental factors are the core into shaping our

Every character in the book has been impacted by religion. For instance, Father Eugene is raised a Catholic, from which he applies Catholic values in his family very strictly. Father Eugene takes his faith seriously, from which he goes as far to physically and mentally abuse his family members for failing to meet with his religious expectations. When Jaja did not go to communion, “Papa flung his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the étagère” (22). Furthermore, Eugene finds all other forms of beliefs sinful, acting as far as kicking out his own father for following a traditional african religion. Contrastingly, Aunt Ifeoma has a very liberal form of Christianity, opting to integrate tradition Nigerian values along with the faith. This has a profound effect on Jaja and Kambili views on religion. For example, Jaja begins to outright disregard catholicism while Kambili would merge Catholicism with influence from Father Amadi and Aunt Ifeoma, thus symbolizing their individuality. This demonstrates how Adichie showcases the impacts of religion on the human Experience, causing individuals to act and behave in certain ways while influencing the people around them. This is no different from today as religions from all parts of the world affect each person's philosophy and