Lilian Martin

Mrs. Klein

9th Grade Literature

Jan. 18, 2019

Purple Hibiscus ​Essay

In ​Purple Hibiscus​, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the story of Kambili, a teen living

in Enugu, Nigeria, with her family. The book follows the life of Kambili learning how to live and

make decisions without her father. She and her brother, Jaja, learn how to decide their own fate,

and to stand up to Papa after a series of unfortunate events take over their lives. Throughout the

story, Kambili is shown to have transitioned from a shy, timid, and obedient young girl, to an

older, more mature version of herself. Kambili is exposed to different people and cultures, which

influences her change. Her exposure to Aunt Ifeoma, her cousins, Father Amadi, and

Papa-Nnukwu changes her perspective on faith and her father. Because of this, she is no longer

afraid to speak up and tell the truth.

When we first meet Kambili, she is a shy girl that keeps to herself and tries to appease

her father at all times. She doesn’t speak to her classmates much and quickly leaves school so

she doesn’t get her driver, Kevin, in trouble. Her brother, on the other hand, isn’t as afraid as her.

Kambili bends over backward to compliment her father’s products, whereas Jaja isn’t as afraid to

ignore him. Adichie describes a moment in chapter 1(pg. 13) by saying, “‘Have you nothing to

say, ​gbo,​ Jaja?’Papa asked again. ‘​Mba,​ there are no words in my mouth,’ Jaja replied. ‘What?’

There was a shadow clouding Papa’s eyes, a shadow that had been in Jaja’s eyes. Fear. It had left

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Jaja’s eyes and entered Papa’s.” This statement showed that Jaja no longer fears his father, and

that scares Papa. Although this scene takes place after Palm Sunday, and that is later on in the

timeline, it shows how Jaja grows in his character. Throughout the book, Kambili has been

heavily influenced by Jaja, and this is one of the few moments where Kambili sees her brother

stand up against their father’s tyranny.

During Kambili and Jaja’s trip to Nsukka, we meet some of the most influential

characters presented in the novel, who are coincidentally also foils. Aunty Ifeoma is a widowed

teacher at the University of Nigeria​, caring for her children, Amaka, Obiori, and Chima, as well

as their grandfather, Papa-Nnukwu. When Kambili and Jaja visit, they soon realize that Aunty

Ifeoma’s household isn’t as strict and authoritarian as their home back in Enugu. Aunty Ifeoma

stands up for what she believes in and isn’t afraid to speak the truth about Papa Eugene, whereas

Mama is victimized and quiet. Aunty Ifeoma also lets her children make their own decision and

doesn’t force them into a daily schedule, whereas Papa keeps his children under strict

supervision, harshly punishes them, and fills their days with studying and prayer time. Adichie

even states in chapter 8(pg. 114), “‘Nne, don't behave like a guest. Come in, come in,’ Aunty

Ifeoma said, coming out from the kitchen.” This shows that Aunty Ifeoma treats them just like

she treats her children, and she will make them work around the house just as hard. Later on(pg.

119), Adichie writes, “‘Today we'll treat Kambili and Jaja as guests, but from tomorrow they

will be family and join in the work,’ she said.” Adichie continues, “Aunty Ifeoma said the grace,

and after my cousins said ‘Amen,’ I still had my eyes closed. ‘Nne, we have finished praying.

We do not say Mass in the name of grace like your father does,’ Aunty Ifeoma said with a

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chuckle. I opened my eyes, just in time to catch Amaka watching me.” This passage shows that

Aunty Ifeoma and their cousins aren’t as religious as Papa is, and they don’t understand the

reason behind his extended prayers.

By the end of the novel, Kambili progresses ​from a ​victim with no voice, to someone

who can advocate for herself and others. In chapter 7(pgs. 100-102), Adichie writes, “‘What are

you doing Kambili?’ I swallowed hard. ‘I...I…’ ‘You are eating ten minutes before Mass? Ten

minutes before Mass?’ ‘Her period started and she has cramps-’ Mama said. Jaja cut her short, ‘I

told her to eat corn flakes before she took Panadol, Papa. I made it for her.’” This shows that

Kambili let Mama and Jaja speak for her and take the blame. While Kambili gets beaten for this

occurrence, too, she still didn’t take responsibility for her “sin”. In contrast, in chapter 11(pgs.

209-210), Adichie writes, “‘What is that? Have you all converted to heathen ways? What are you

doing with that painting? Where did you get it?’ Papa asked. ‘O nkem. It's mine,’ Jaja said. He

wrapped the painting around his chest with his arms. ‘It's mine,’ I said. Papa swayed slightly,

from side to side, like a person about to fall at the feet of a charismatic pastor after the laying on

of hands. Papa did not sway often. His swaying was like shaking a bottle of Coke that burst into

violent foam when you opened it. ‘Who brought that painting into this house?’ ‘Me,’ I said.

‘Me,’ Jaja said. If only Jaja would look at me, I would ask him not to blame himself.” This

passage demonstrates that Kambili doesn’t want others to suffer from her actions, and she's

willing to take the repercussions her father gives her.

Throughout the novel, Kambili isn’t the only person to grow. As shown in the first few

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chapters where we first meet Obiori, we see Jaja comments on how although he is only fourteen,

he is still able to hold his family together. As Adichie writes in chapter 16(pg. 289) , “‘Won't you

drink some Bournvita?’ I asked, finally. He shook his head. ‘Not with those cups.’ He shifted on

his seat and added, ‘I should have taken care of Mama. Look how Obiora balances Aunty

Ifeoma's family on his head, and I am older than he is. I should have taken care of Mama.’ ‘God

knows best,’ I said. ‘God works in mysterious ways.’ And I thought how Papa would be proud

that I had said that, how he would approve of my saying that. Jaja laughed. It sounded like a

series of snorts strung together. ‘Of course God does. Look what He did to his faithful servant

Job, even to His own son. But have you ever wondered why? Why did He have to murder his

own son so we would be saved? Why didn't He just go ahead and save us?’” This shows that he

is remorseful for how he has been acting​, and he feels somewhat responsible for his father’s

death and his mother’s miscarriages. Later on(pg. 291), Adichie states, “The policemen came a

few hours later. They said they wanted to ask some questions. Somebody at St. Agnes Hospital

had contacted them, and they had a copy of the autopsy report with them. Jaja did not wait for

their questions; he told them he had used rat poison, that he put it in Papa's tea. They allowed

him to change his shirt before they took him away.” This is the final act Jaja does to show he

feels regretful. He takes credit for killing his father, so his mother won’t have to endure any more

pain.

While some think ​Purple Hibiscus​ is too advanced or mature of a subject to be taught to

9th graders, the truth is that the material is written to be easily understood, and many 9th graders

could benefit from learning about worldwide issues. Ninth graders need to connect with their

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peers, and try to understand what other people are going through. Because of their busy lives,

some teenagers aren’t concerned about what is happening worldwide, unless​ ​it’s affecting them

directly. They are more concerned with their grades, relationships, and/or extracurriculars. I am

even guilty of choosing to watch a comedy over an important news segment, but this book brings

a lot of things into perspective, showing examples of abusive/unsafe behaviors & environments.

In order to push the world and our society forward, we need to be more aware of our surrounding

and our relationships with people. Understanding the problem is the first step to solving it.

Hearing about abusive/unsafe behaviors & environments, helps us understand what to look out

for, and how to stay away from unsafe environments. Additionally, the Lexile score of ​Purple

Hibiscus​ is a 920L, which is in the 4th-6th grade reading level. According to GADOE, 9th grade

reading level is 1040-1350L. This being said, if a student hasn’t read ​Purple Hibiscus​ already,

they should definitely read it in 9th grade. Overall, I think ​Purple Hibiscus​ should be taught to

all 9th graders at Drew. Reading​ Purple Hibiscus,​ we see how our peer’s lives could be, and ​we

become​ more aware about unsafe and abusive behavior.

Although Kambili’s journey was long and had many ups and downs, we can see her

progression and influence throughout the book. I think all audiences should read this story

because of the impactful messages shown. Throughout the story, Kambili is revealed to have

transitioned from a shy, timid, and obedient young girl, to an older, matured version of herself.

Kambili is exposed to different people and cultures, which influences her change. Her exposure

to Aunt Ifeoma, her cousins, Father Amadi, and Papa-Nnukwu changes her perspective on faith

and her father. Because of this, she is no longer afraid to speak up and tell the truth.