Purple Hibiscus Essay

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, Kambili often finds herself in tense situations. In those situations, where no one wants to break the silence or speak the truth, Kambili utilises eye-contact in order to understand what other people are thinking. Family and school mates know Kambili to be a quiet young woman. She hardly speaks, and when she does communicate, she prefers to do so without words. As the story develops, Kambili begins to use this eye contact to uncover information about others. When she is in confession with Father Benedict, she looks into his eyes and they remind her of a snake she once saw. She was initially wary of the aforementioned snake, but a gardener tells her the snake is harmless. The symbolism

When she responds to Amaka’s question about Papa’s abuse, she feels compelled to turn away before she can read Amaka’s expression, simultaneously displaying her gift and revealing that she does not want to know what others think of Papa’s

Jaja starts out as a rock for Kambili, someone who is there for her when she needs until, although he begins to change when they visit Aunty Ifeoma. During their stay, Kambili begins to pick up on the change in Jaja’s behavior. She looks into his eyes and realizes that “[She] had never seen… this piercing light in his eyes that appeared when he was in Aunty Ifeoma’s garden.” (Page 145) Since the light in Jaja’s eyes appears only when he is in Aunty Ifeoma’s garden, his new loquaciousness and enthusiasm must be a result of spending time with their Aunt’s family. Although this behavior is new to Kambili, she does not react to it negatively. She could see a danger in his eyes, or foolishness in the way he is acting, but she sees light. She sees a new potential in Jaja that could lead to something good for him. When she sees this new potential, she makes evident her openness to