Purple Hibiscus

Purple Hibiscus In-Class Essay

Throughout the novel, Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the narrator- 15 year old Kambili- suffers from the restrictions that her devout father has implemented on every aspect of her life. Her every action revolves around the idea of religion and completing God’s purpose- due to her father’s piousness; however, when she visits her Aunty Ifeoma in Nssuka, she is liberated, as a clear change in Kambili is evident, brought by her time with her aunt and cousins. As a result, Kambili begins to become stronger, expressing herself and going against her father’s restrictive ways in order to form her own life. Through this, it can be seen that Kambili transforms into a stronger character througout The Purple Hibiscus, as a result of her exposure to her Aunty and cousins in Nssuka that sparked her change, shaping her to become a more independent character.

In the beginning of the novel, Kambili is restricted by her father, abiding to every order he gives and is unable to express herself or act as she wants with out suffering punishment. The clear hold that her father has over Kambili’s life is seen through how she describes the schedule, in which she said, “Papa liked order. It showed even in the schedules themselves, the way his meticulously drawn lines, in black ink, cut across the day, separating study from siesta, siesta from family time, family time from eating, eating from prayer, prayer from sleep,” (23-24). Through this quote, the amount of restraint that Papa puts on Kambili is seen, showing how she is given no time to ponder what she would like to do or even participate in other activities. However, her desire to please her father is matched with her fear of his anger, leading to it...

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...lippers sting ike bites from giant mosquitoes” (210). This shows how Kambili has changed, with the sparks of rebellion integrated into her action, showing how she had become expressive and open, making sure to fight for what she believes in, no longer in fear of her father.

Throughout the novel, Kambili embarks on a profound change from a girl who always remained in fear of her father, held back by his heavy restrictions on her, to an expressive and vibrant girl who fights for what she believes in. Her trip to Nssuka and encounter with characters like Amaka and Father Amadi intiated it, yet it was also an independent journey, with her longing to go against her father for what she believes finally shining through towards the end of the novel. As a result, she will continue to grow and defy her father’s restrictions, creating a conflict in the rest of the novel.