Purple Hibiscus Father Quotes

One Blooming Hibiscus

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Kambili is a younger girl who is enduring her journey of up’s and down’s to adulthood. Throughout her experience in Nigeria, she has relationships with many adults who play a key role in her “coming of age”, mostly positive, but some negative. Kambili’s relationship with Papa, Aunty Ifeoma, and Father Amadi play different roles in her “coming of age”, which refers to her patience and learning attitude, the development of her inner confidence, and the exploration of her sexual self.

As Kambili grows up, her abusive relationship with Papa causes her to develop some passive tactics and fear “speaking out” for what is right. Despite this, she learns a lot from her time with Papa

Early in the novel, she describes her experience drinking Papa’s tea: “I held it with both hands, took a sip of the Lipton tea with sugar and milk…feeling the love burn my tongue” (31). Early on in her life, Kambili learns from Papa that love is quite painful. “Love burns my tongue” is a representation of her tough relationship with her father. “Burning” hurts at the onset, but it continues to cause damage and pain after the fact. Despite the situation’s negativity, Kambili learns to stay patient and develops a tolerance for Papa’s antics. Later in the novel, Papa is burning Kambili’s feet to rid the horrible acts and to receive forgiveness from god. Kambili describes this experience as, “The pain of contact was so pure, so scalding, I felt nothing for a second. And then I screamed…Fear. I was familiar with fear, yet each time I felt it…it came in different flavors and colors” (194). The reference to the

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. Later in the novel, Kambili learns a valuable lesson from Aunty Ifeoma: “Being defiant can be a good thing sometimes. Defiance is like marijuana – it is not a bad thing when it is used right” (144). The phrase “defiance can be a good thing” sparks a new chain of thought in Kambili’s mind because she had always been surrounded by her passive mother. Although abiding by the rules was