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Purple Hibiscus

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Recommended: Purple Hibiscus: analysis

Adichie’s book, Purple Hibiscus conveys a certain message about old and new traditions, and the tensions that build between them. There is evidence of this everywhere in her novel. For instance, the way Kambili treats Papa-Nnukwu compared to the way Amaka treats him. They have different views on Papa-Nnukwu’s religion, which affects how they treat him. Amaka is very compassionate towards her grandfather because she has grown up with him in her life and has accepted his religion as a part of him. Kambili, however, has never known her grandfather very well so she does not respect him or his religion. Her opinion has been so heavily influenced by her father’s teachings that she does not even see him as human, calling him a ‘heathen’, until later
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Next, Kambili and Jaja overhear Amaka talking to Aunty Ifeoma about them. Amaka asks Aunty Ifeoma if “[Aunty Ifeoma’s] sure they’re not abnormal” (Adichie 141). Kambili overhearing Aunty Ifeoma and Amaka talking about her placid behavior opens Kambili’s eyes to her behavior. Before Kambili did not think that the way she acts will affect how others think of her but now she understands that she has to change her behavior for people to like

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1106 Words | 5 Pages

Kambili’s time with Ifeoma is eye-opening and proves to be a wonderful experience, showing her that she has the power to speak up and stand out. When Kambili is in Nsukka and is sitting at the dinner table, she is startled by a major contrast between her home life and Ifeoma’s family dynamic. She thinks to herself, “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). This experience is vital to Kambili’s growth because she is in a space where “the air was free to breathe” and she can express her feelings, showing her confidence and pride without any backlash. The repetition of the word “any” illustrates the freedom Kambili’s experiences at Ifeoma’s as a major part of her “coming to age” because she is developing into an independent individual away from Papa’s control and strict schedule.

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2743 Words | 11 Pages

She laughed for the first time, which is a big step toward her character development. The person to push her toward her character development is Father Amadi. Kambili sees Father Amadi as a romantic interest, and even though it is strange to the majority of people, it helps Kambili greatly. Father Amadi was able to help her awaken her feelings that she never encountered before, due to the oppressive and abusive environment she grew up in. Kambili trusted Father Amadi, which Father Amadi knew,

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410 Words | 2 Pages

Abuse was a big recurring theme in Purple Hibiscus. The book starts off with Papa throwing a bible at Jaja out of anger breaking one of Mamas figurines. This event was caused by Jaja being defiant with Papa. In the beginning abuse was very reserved or reticent. No one in the family acknowledged Papas abuse towards the family.

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830 Words | 4 Pages

Kambili develops new talents that she didn’t have before. Kambili was in the car with Father Amadi and she told him she loved him. On page 276,“ That eased the dryness in my throat as we got into his car and I said, I love you.” In the beginning of the book Kambili would have not told Father Amadi she loved him because she would have been afraid of rejection but new Kambili wasn’t afraid of rejection.

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644 Words | 3 Pages

“For a moment, Mariam heard Nana 's voice in her head, mocking, dousing the deep-seated glow of her hopes” (20). Mariam often thinks of her mother’s opinions in moments of self-doubt such as this one, as she knocks on her father’s doorstep. Mariam’s sense of self is largely defined by one of her mother’s words, in particular, harami. As she grows, Mariam encounters the obstacles being a harami, or bastard, means in her life. “She imagined they all knew that she 'd been born a harami, a source of shame to her father and his family” (39).

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898 Words | 4 Pages

The novel purple hibiscus,written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Bildungsroman novel showing the coming of age. In the novel Adichie shows what it is like for a catholic Nigerian family and we see it from the eyes of the narrator, Kambili. Adichie conveys many feelings throughout the book using many different techniques, she portrays the feeling of anger, hatred and violence mainly through the character Papa Eugene. We see a strong height between the character Papa Eugene and Papa Nnwukku, Adichie shows this by using violence towards him and we instantly feel a hate, "You knew you would be staying in the same house as a heathen" I heath and is someone who doesn't believe in God, Papa is strongly against this as he is very strong within his

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443 Words | 2 Pages

Title: The Illusion of Control in "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Introduction: In "Purple Hibiscus," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explores the theme of control and its effects on individuals and relationships. The novel follows the story of Kambili, a young girl living in Nigeria under the oppressive control of her father, Eugene. Through Kambili's experiences, Adichie illustrates how the illusion of control can lead to destructive behavior and damage the bonds between family members. Body Paragraph 1: Eugene's strict control over Kambili and her brother, Jaja, demonstrates the dangers of the illusion of control.

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1106 Words | 5 Pages

Nwoye, on the contrary, has been captivated by a hymn of the new faith because it “answered a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul –the question of the crying twins and why Ikemefuna was killed” (Achebe141). The lack of religious influence from his father further cements Nwoye’s struggles to fit within his culture and causes him to be one of the few early converts to the new faith. Despite the tension between him and his father, Nwoye is not at fault. All his life, he has been suppressed by his father –the man who was to guide him through life, be there for moral and emotional support and most importantly, answer the curious questions which arose from the growing teen’s mind. Instead, Nwoye grew up repeating similar steps to his father by bottling up his emotions and his true

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235 Words | 1 Pages

Nwoye struggles under his father, Okonkwo, who strives for masculinity and achievements in life. However, Nwoye’s attention focuses more on the moral folk tales told by his mother rather than the bloodiness of war

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2162 Words | 9 Pages

In the middle of the story, Kambili is spending time with her aunt and cousins in Nsukka; which causes her to start to become deceptive and understanding. At the end of the story, Kambili became sentimental because she had a lot going on in her life that causes her to be very emotional. In the beginning and Kambili’s adversities did not cause her to elicit new talents to come out. Mother Lucy called on Kambili to say the pledge, and Kambili was surprised, which caused her not to say anything .

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1227 Words | 5 Pages

longer followed by feelings of guilt that papa’s moralistic Christian worldview provoked in her earlier. Even though his teenage romance does not end happily from kambili’s viewpoint, her relationship with father Amadi is a strongly empowering one: not only does it allow her to find her sexual identity, but it also allows her to find a more tolerant and liberal interpretation, of religiousness and, above all, the courage of questioning. Later, father Amadi, with his tender and supportive attitude, becomes a new masculine authority for kambili, who believes that “his word is true” (302). Kambili’s admiration of father Amadi signals yet again her desperate need for a father figure. While the focus is Purple Hibiscus is admittedly the national, the transnational dimension represents an important narrative bypath.

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846 Words | 4 Pages

Not only did Okonkwo face the new idea of Christianity, but so did Chinua Achebe. During Achebe’s interview with The Paris Review, Achebe says “My parents were early converts to Christianity in my part of Nigeria” (Brooks). He saw the effects of the Christian religion moving through his village, something that Okonkwo couldn’t bear to live through. Religion is a major topic in the novel. Chinua Achebe uses religion to show the reader the God in the Igbo culture, their belief in reincarnation, and the colonization of Christianity.

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1038 Words | 5 Pages

Purple Hibiscus tells a story of struggle and pain, but also conquering of these dreadful emotions, in fact, Beatrice the mother of our protagonist Kambili experiences these events quite regularly. These specific traits and emotional events consistently characterise her. This essay aims to prove the statement as mentioned above by referring to multiple arguments in the text and extract at hand. Beatrice is a shy, soft-spoken Nigerian wife and mother who loves her children just as much as she loves her husband in spite of the emotional and physical abuse she has to endure within the confinements of their immaculate home. As a result of this Beatrice and her children unknowingly suffer from this toxic environment without speaking a word or

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1711 Words | 7 Pages

Purple Hibiscus, written by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, is a novel set in post-colonial Nigeria where the protagonist, 15-year-old Kambili struggles growing up torn between two contrasting beliefs; Igbo traditionalism and western Catholicism. Religion as many believe is the hope in a power greater than ones self. It is also a means of worship, moreover as means of people uniting together as one and believing in one God. Religion is a very important aspect and can certainly impact and influence a person’s mentality. Adichie uses two conflicting religions to show the development of Kambili’s character and maturity, as well as explore the tension that is forced unto the her throughout the novel.

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