Purple Hibiscus

Purple Hibiscus” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, a deeply engaging and explores themes such as family dynamics, faith, and personal freedom. The novel is set in Nigeria in the amidst of the arising of political turbulence. The protagonist of the story is a 15-year old girl (Kambili) in an enigmatic household in Enugu. Her father, Eugene is a man of religion and a successful businessman. Although, throughout the novel, we see that Eugene’s unhealthy obsession with catholicism translates into authoritarianism in the household and abuse to the family members. From the commence of the story the atmosphere set in the house is tense and fraught, as Kambili and her brother (Jaja) lives under the rigid regime of their father and experience server punishments. Furthermore, the rising action in the plot, the readers come across a significant shift in the lives of Kambili and Jaja as they are allowed to visit their Aunty (Ifeoma) in Nsukka. Kambili contrast many aspects of Ifeoma’s household, such as her kids freely filling the house with laughter and show openness despite their circumstances. This new environment allows Kambili to have a glimpse of freedom, fostering her personal growth. This striking contradiction between the lack of liberty and Oppression in Enugu makes the novel both highlight aspects of personal understanding and to political corruption in the country. Whereas, Adichie’s writing is very vivid, capturing many essence of Nigerian culture and show short moments how families are touched by the post colonisation. The novel freely incorporates the political corruption and how military coup intensifies struggles on characters such as Eugene and Ade cocker.