CARIBBEAN ADVANCED PROFICIENCY EXAMS (C.A.P.

E)

NAME OF CANDIDATE: Precious Placide (160076)

SCHOOL: St. Stephen’s College
CENTRE NUMBER: 160076
SUBJECT: Literature
TOPIC: A review of ‘Purple Hibiscus’ by Chimananda Adichie
TEACHER: Mrs. Naila Lallay-Arjoon
TERRITORY: Trinidad
YEAR OF EXAM: 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE NUMBER

Section I ................................................................................................ 3 – 4

Section II ............................................................................................... 4 – 6

Bibliography .......................................................................................... 7
 SECTION I

Chimananda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus tells a harsh and forbidding story through
15-year-old Kambili's eyes. Where she and her brother Jaja are ruled under the iron
fist of their father Eugene but soon discover how much more life has to offer
beyond the tall walls and Frangipani trees. In a life engulfed in physical and
emotional warfare, love in all guises and politics interweaving into home lives,
Kambili fights for her freedom.
Adichie's novel offers a powerful portrayal of the devastating effects of child abuse
within the confines of the family home. However, the story delves even deeper,
exploring themes of corrupt governance and political persecution within the
context of a newly formed Nigerian nation. Through the characters' experiences
and struggles, Adichie critiques the abusive and unjust leadership that plagued the
country during the 1980s, shedding light on the pervasive nature of oppression and
resistance. In this way, the novel serves not only as a story of personal growth and
healing, but also as a commentary on the larger socio-political issues facing
Nigeria and beyond.
The novel is set several decades after the Nigerian Civil War during the reign of
General Ibrahim Babangida. The war was the result of tensions between the federal
Nigerian government and the Igbo people in the South-East, intensified by
Nigeria's independence. The violence began in 1966 with a political coup by Igbos
within the military, resulting in the assassination of General Johnson T. U. Aguiyi
and the killings of several thousand Igbos. In 1967, Biafra was declared as a
separate state, but Nigeria took up arms against it to retain control of oil fields.
This led to an economic blockade, causing depleted resources, malnourishment,
and extreme famine among civilians. The war ended in 1970, but the idea of an
independent Biafran state persists. Corruption and political turmoil also plagued
Nigeria during the 1980s and '90s, during Babangida's regime. Adichie's book
critiques the oppressive leadership of Nigerian government and the persecution of
its opponents, paralleling the despotic disposition of Babangida's regime through
the character of Eugene's hegemonic and religious rule. The novel also draws
parallels to real-life human rights abuses such as journalist Dele Giwa's murder and
Ken Saro-Wiwa's execution.

This book can be read as a postcolonial text that denounces the violent aspects of
Christian religion, colonial forces, and patriarchal values. However, the novel also
challenges this critique by offering parallel critiques of Igbo culture through
contrasting characters who represent the diverse interpretations of secularism. This
is not a rejection of either Igbo culture or Christianity, but rather a continuous
process of questioning and embracing cultural norms. Therefore, to fully
appreciate the novel, readers from a Western perspective must avoid
oversimplifying this complex paradox.

SECTION II

Adichie explores themes and stylistic features relating to betrayal, cruelty, and
leadership issues as well as family life, interpersonal relationships, societal
interactions, and influences being seen through a perspective where the story is
told using direct, indirect, and free indirect speech.
Purple Hibiscus creatively employs indirect and free indirect speech, particularly
when Kambili narrates the convictions and judgments that her father, Eugene,
imparts to the family. As Kambili is the auto diegetic narrator and fixed internal
focalizer, situations and events are only recounted from her perspective. The novel
features all three major types of speech presentation, including direct speech,
indirect speech, and free indirect speech, with thought presentation found in the
forms of indirect and free indirect thought. The opening sentence of one quotation:
“Papa looked sad; his rectangular lips seemed to sag. Coups begat coups, he said,
telling us about the bloody coups of the sixties, which ended up in civil war just
after he left Nigeria to study in England. A coup always began a vicious cycle.
Military men would always overthrow one another, because they could, because
they were all power drunk. Of course, Papa told us, the politicians were corrupt,
and the Standard (Eugene's newspaper) had written many stories about the cabinet
ministers who stashed money in foreign bank accounts, money meant for paying
teachers' salaries and building roads.” showcase represented perception, but the
following phrase, "Coups begat coups," initially appears to be free indirect thought
until this impression is corrected by the reporting clause "he said," indicating that it
is an instance of indirect speech.

This form of writing may be viewed as the "garden path effect," a psycholinguistic
occurrence where the sentence's syntax suggests an interpretation that is incorrect.
The subsequent two sentences blur the narrator's voice, making it challenging to
decide whether they are free indirect thought or an unintentional slip into free
indirect speech, resulting in polyphony. The manipulation of speech presentation,
as evidenced in the garden path effects and blending of free indirect thought and
speech, blurs the line between Kambili's and Eugene's words, making it seem like
Kambili has internalized her father’s thoughts as her own.
The novel's structure is also another particularly notable feature of the novel,
divided into four parts with a complex plot structure that enhances the narrative.
The first part, "Breaking Gods: Palm Sunday," introduces the primary conflict
between Jaja and his father, which captures the reader's attention and leaves them
eager to read on to the next section, "Speaking with Our Spirits: Before Palm
Sunday." The second part reveals the oppressive and rigid religious setting of
Eugene's family and introduces the absurdity of their iron-clad rule. The third part,
"Pieces of Gods: After Palm Sunday," highlights how Jaja's daring attitude has
challenged his father's oppressive discipline and religious standards by planting the
purple hibiscus from Nsukka in their compound. In the fourth and final part, "A
Different Silence: The Present," the focus shifts to Jaja's experience and the
family's struggle to gain freedom. This clear thematic structure enhances the
reader's understanding of the novel, making it easier to follow the complex plot.
Additionally, the structure creates a sense of suspense by shifting the narrative
focus, building towards a fully developed plot. Each part could almost stand on its
own as a complete short story, leading some critics to view the novel as a
collection of interconnected short stories.
Adichie masterfully employs symbolism to make Papa another central theme in the
novel, particularly by contrasting his family with Aunty Ifoma's. In Enugu, Papa's
house has a garden of hibiscus flowers that have been repeatedly cut for church
and other events, which has turned them red and prevents them from growing
freely. However, in Nsukka, Aunty Ifoma has a small garden of purple hibiscus
that flourishes and remains untouched.

Kambili and Jaja initially accept their rigidly controlled lives in Enugu as the norm
until they visit Aunty Ifeoma and experience the joy and freedom that come with
an unusual way of life. Jaja is inspired to rebel against his father on Palm Sunday,
sparking a revolution in their family that results in their mother, Sister Beatrice,
poisoning Papa. Notably, Jaja takes a purple hibiscus from Aunty Ifeoma's house
and plants it in their Enugu compound, but it dies due to the hostile environment.
This hostility can be interpreted because of colonial training and values ingrained
in Nigeria and Africa more broadly, epitomized by Papa and other oppressive
figures such as the Sole Administrator.
Chimananda also employs symbolism to convey important themes and messages.
For instance, the hibiscus in Papa's compound and at Aunty Ifeoma's are
significant in diverse ways. While the red hibiscus represents danger, oppression,
and death in Papa's family, the purple hibiscus depicts freedom, love, and
happiness in Aunty Ifeoma's family. Additionally, Adichie's use of character names
is symbolic, as each name represents a specific idea or message. For example,
"Papa" signifies the authoritarian and distant nature of the head of the family, while
"Eugene" represents the legacy of colonialism and its foreign norms and teachings.
In contrast, "Jaja" symbolizes resistance against colonial powers, while "Papa
Nnukwu" embodies the ideal Igbo man and African wisdom. Finally, "Aunty
Ifeoma" is a portrayal of a strong, beautiful woman whose love and African
identity redeem the image of Africa. Through the skillful use of symbolism and
character naming, Adichie not only elevates the philosophical aspect of the novel,
but also highlights the struggles of a nation grappling with issues of identity and
oppression.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/16540/1/Tunca_Adichie_ETC.pdf

 https://studylib.net/doc/8506752/purple-hibiscus-teacher-resource-by-nikki-
copitch-and-kat...

 https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/english-literature/novelists/
purple-hibiscus/

 https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v40n1/peters.html

 https://journals.ezenwaohaetorc.org/index.php/AJLLS/article/download/
236/169