Because Jaja has no reasonable excuse for missing church, Papa throws his missal at his son. Jaja has refused to go to church and receive communion. He punishes his wife, Mama (Beatrice Achike), and his children when they fail to live up to his impossibly high standards. Kambili’s father, Papa (Eugene Achike) is a strict authoritarian whose strict adherence to Catholicism overshadows his paternal love. Kambili lives with her older brother Jaja (Chukwuku Achike), a teenager who, like his sister, excels at school but is withdrawn and sullen. GradeSaver, Web.Purple Hibiscus takes place in Enugu, a city in post-colonial Nigeria, and is narrated by the main character, Kambili Achike. Next Section Purple Hibiscus Summary Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format McKeever, Christine. Adichie uses Purple Hibiscus to give a voice to African experience that is not typically presented by Western media. Inspired by her outspoken aunt and cousin Amaka, Kambili in particular learns to use her voice. While Jaja is not allowed to participate in the Igbo ritual of initiation, both children are able to take considerable steps towards their own adult identities throughout the novel. Purple Hibiscus is a coming of age story for both Kambili and Jaja. Adichie echoes real political activism and events in her novel.Īdichie was a good student in school but, unlike Kambili, she had a reputation for butting heads with her teachers Obiora is more like Adichie. Giwa was killed by a mail bomb in his home in 1986. Adichie modeled the character Ade Coker after Dele Giwa, a journalist and outspoken critic of the Nigerian government. Though Papa can be viewed as a metaphor for the dangers of fundamentalism, he tries to put his power to good use by raising social consciousness. The wave of bloody coups and corrupt military rule that comprises Nigerian politics are touched upon in the novel through certain characters. Told from the point of view of a child, overt political messages are held at an arm’s length, but they inform Kambili’s coming of age. Purple Hibiscus is a story of the corruption and religious fundamentalism that grips Adichie’s native country. She was born in Kambili’s home town of Enugu, raised in Aunty Ifeoma’s university environment in Nsukka, is of Igbo descent, and is a Catholic.
Adichie uses her own childhood experiences to inform the lives of her characters.
Shortlisted for and awarded several prestigious prizes, Purple Hibiscus was praised for capturing a character and a nation on the cusp of radical change. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s first novel, Purple Hibiscus, was widely acclaimed when it was published in 2003.
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