Purple Hibiscus Essay

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Patriarchy continues to play a domineering role in society even today. It is also one of the central themes in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. This essay will discuss patriarchy in Purple Hibiscus and how it is impacts not only the Achike children during what is their formative years before adulthood, but also how it influences Mama (Beatrice Achike), who is an adult already. Firstly, a definition of patriarchy will be given. Secondly, it will look closely at Papa (Eugene Achike) and what the reasons are for him being a patriarch. Thirdly, it will discuss the Achike family and how Papa demonstrates his dominance and how his actions determine the attitudes and behaviour of his wife and children. Patriarchy, as portrayed in this particular novel, can be defined as a social system in which males hold primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral …show more content…

He is wealthy and is very devoted to his Catholic faith. In public he uses his money and influence to the living standards of friends and family. He is also very outspoken against the government and publishes the only newspaper in Nigeria that openly criticizes the government’s corrupt acts. It is at home though that he seems to contradict everything that is good about him. To his wife and children he is a violent authoritarian. He sets his children high standards to comply with and they have to follow rigid rules set by him. His wife is not allowed to have an opinion and must also adhere to his rules. He often commits violent acts towards his family because he believes it is for their benefit that they be punished when they have sinned or faltered in his eyes. As a result of his missionary schooling, he is very Eurocentric and refuses to speak the native language, Igbo, or even associate with his own father, Papa-Nnukwu because Papa-Nnukwu refuses to convert to

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