Purple Hibiscus Quotes

Jerry Spinelli’s, historical fiction novel, Milkweed describes a young orphan’s endeavor to survive in a Polish ghetto during WWII. As Misha continues to struggle, he hopes that he will survive the Holocaust. In this story, milkweed, a plant that can grow almost anywhere is a symbol of hope.

“Except Baba stunned me by saying, ‘I forgive you’” (Hosseini 112) Baba is a strict person. He doesn’t want anyone to do something

Kambili and Jaja break free from their father, Eugene’s, abusive and controlling ways in the novel Purple Hibiscus. Kambili is a shy and scared girl at the beginning, but by the end she was changed into a beautiful outgoing girl who develops her voice and her laughter. Jaja is more outgoing in the beginning and becomes more protective of his family throughout the book. The change didn’t come to Kambili and Jaja naturally; it came through Aunty Ifeoma and their time away from Eugene. Ifeoma’s rejection of Eugene’s Catholic-driven control inspires Kambili and Jaja to break free.

Children observe their parents, assess them carefully, and know their parents better than parents do their children, which explains why the power parents have towards influencing their children is substantial. In the novel Kawabata exposes this power by linking the parents and their children together, revealing how as parents begin to lose their tradition, so do their children. The protagonist of the story Kikuji states that “he had never been tempted to take up the [tea ceremony] himself, however...his father had never pressed him [to]” (Kawabata 52). Kikuji directly states that because his father had never pressed him to take tea

The novel “Purple Hibiscus” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells a story of how two Nigerain children rebelled against their very father. For these children to end up rebelling against their father they must first bring about a change in themselves, they must become more mature, more responsible and not so dependent on their father. Kambili is one of those children that does go through a considerable change in her character, she reaches maturity. In fact this novel is a bildungsroman which is a story about a character self-development, her change.

An important relationship in the novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie is the relationship between Kambili and her Aunty Ifeoma, and her family. It introduces Kambili into a less sheltered environment where she is not only free to speak her mind, she is encouraged to question things, and form her own opinions. She also looks up to and admires her cousin, Amaka, who influences Kambili to be more confident and free thinking, like she is. The relationship between Kambili and Aunt Ifeoma’s family also opens Kambili up to new relationships, such as her relationship with Papa-Nnukwu. She begins to

Papa’s final beating of Kambili is sparked by two defiances of Kambili’s. The first being Kambili bringing the painting of a heathen into her father’s house (even going as far as to accept it) and the second is when she refuses to let it go even with her father beating her and telling her how wrong what she is doing is. This final act of brutality by her father is a milestone for Kambili, as it is after this that Kambili blames her father for what he did. When telling Amaka that it was her father who did it to her (“Yes. It was him.” p.220) she is accepting that what her father does is wrong, thus moving away from her blind belief in him and learning her own independence.

In Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the characters Papa and Jaja’s relationship is put to the test when Jaja begins to rebel. When Jaja misses communion that is when everything changes, including Papa and Jaja's relationship. Jaja is forced to grow up at a young age after realizing there is world outside of his father’s home. After becoming his own person Jaja feels even more protective and responsible for his family. In Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the relationship between papa and Jaja is strained because of Jaja’s disobedience.

The novel Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is a story of a young girl , who tries to find her own voice and speak out against her violent oppressive father. The novel is set in post-post-colonial Nigeria, in a time in which the government was run by a military dictatorship. There are a number of symbols used to help develop ideas in the text; the three most important ones being purple and red hibiscuses and Mama’s figurines. The red hibiscuses are symbolic of the violence in Kambili’s life while the purple hibiscuses symbolise freedom, defiance and the freedom to speak out. The figurines are symbolic of Mama’s quiet character and of the violence in her home. These symbols are there to show the

Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus is a story set in Nigeria told from the perspective of Kambili and her journey towards independence; along the way, she looks to the female role models in her life, each which aid her path to liberation. Mama and Aunty Ifeoma are two vital female characters to the development of the story but with stark contrasts; Mama’s submissive and reserved demeanor provides a perfect foil to Aunty’s outgoing and independent personality. They both influence Adichie’s bildungsroman, but how they aid Kambili’s endeavor is strikingly different. Mama and Aunty Ifeoma represent the female figures in Kambili’s life; Mama shows Kambili to submit to the men in her life, while Aunty Ifeoma opens up the idea of being independent and free thinking. Mama stresses submission and dependency as a sacrifice to tradition while Aunty Ifeoma emphasizes independent thought to embrace oneself and progress over all others. The way that these two women uphold themselves throughout the novel, demonstrates how these patriarchal societies, like the one in Nigeria, restrict women like Mama, while women like Aunty are deemed rebellious to society.

Throughout Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie, Kimbili and her brother become more defiant. The two learn that standing up for what one believes in is of the utmost importance, even if it means defying those you love. This lesson is most relevant when the reader analyses the narrator's relationship with their tyrannical father, Eugene. Adichie portrays two different views on defiance through Kimbili's father and her brother, Jaja. This stark contrast facilitates the reader's understanding on Adichie's own conflicted stance on the topic of defiance by the death of Eugene and his brutal rule and his family's reinvention of themselves after Kimbili's trip to see her Aunt and cousins.

Religion is a very prominent theme in the “Purple Hibiscus”. The author, Adichie, uses a variety of characters to explore different ways of expressing one’s faith. She explores the ways in which three very different characters express their religion of the Catholic faith, as well as looking into the traditional Nigerian beliefs of Papa Nnukwu. By illustrating some very contrasting religious beliefs and methods of religious expression in her characters, she encourages readers to consider their own views on religion and helps them understand some valuable lessons on the subject.

Is silence and violence the way to handle problems in the household? In the novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kambili Achike is a fifteen-year-old girl who lives with her father Eugene, her mother Beatrice and her older brother Jaja. Papa is a wealthy factory owner, and he is a strong believer in the Catholic religion. Papa is a nice guy outside of his home, but inside his home he is strict and is a very violent person. Abuse and violence in your home can cause you to become distant from the world. Abuse can cause you not to talk and communicate through facial expressions and through silence. One of the symbols that emerges from the novel is silence as a symbol of abuse, fear, and punishment.

Purple Hibiscus takes place in Enugu, a city of political conflict in post Colonial Nigeria. The story is narrated by the protagonist Kambili Achike, a teenager and lives with her elder brother Jaja, who excels in academics like his sister but is withdrawn and sullen. Kambili’s father papa is a delightful but a harsh authoritarian whose faithfulness to

The novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was published by Anchor Books in 2004, a first person narrative of life in the political turmoil of post-colonial Nigeria. Purple Hibiscus, exemplifies how the western feminist theory has greatly failed to address the needs and wants of the african women and their children. This essay focuses primary on the forms of patriarchy presented in the novel and how each utilizes violence, religious oppression and silence as forms of control over the mother and the children of the Achike family. The family's patriarch Eugene, the patriarchal religious leaders and the corruption of the patriarchal government attempt to control homes, parishes, and nations through silence and violence.The use of