Some Motifs and Symbols in Purple Hibiscus

The color red is both a motif (it is a concrete image that occurs repeatedly throughout the novel) and a
symbol (it represents a complex set of abstract ideas and values)

Here are some instances:

28: “red was the color of Pentecost”; Mama’s wrapper and [Amadi’s] robe
16: hibiscus “startling red”
6: “red and green ribbons” in the missal.
Green: Solidarity among the pro-democracy demonstrators after the coup.
33: Mama’s blood; Kambili’s vision in following pages (35, 37)
89: Ifeoma “fearless” in red wrapper; Amaka and Ifeoma’s red lipstick
100: Kambili’s menstrual blood (foreshadowing of her being beaten)
99: Amaka spills the blood-red juice after criticizing Papa’s cashew juice
Papa’s red pajamas

One part of interpreting a motif/symbol like this is to think about what else it is associated with. In class
we hypothesized that Papa is associated with red most when he is feeling tired/remorseful/weak (for
example, after Ade Coker’s death). We looked for examples to support this idea; here is what we found.

 41: Papa’s red pajamas: Kambili comes in second in school; Ade Coker is arrested
 182: Red eyes: Papa has just learned Kambili & Jaja are staying in the same house as Papa
Nnukwu
 188: Red eyes: Papa has just learned of Papa Nnukwu’s death
 209: red eyes, red pajamas: when Papa discovers the portrait of Papa Nnukwu (right before the
main beating that puts Kambili in the hospital); also associated with the closing of his factory
(208).
 262: Papa’s red silk pajamas just before Jaja announces their return to Nsukka

Why does she use red to bring out Papa’s moments of weakness or the challenge to his authority?

Red is associated with Pentecost—possessed by the Holy Spirit. Papa has a much more rule-bound idea
about religion, and dislikes the “mushroom Pentecostal churches.” Red might symbolize his inability to
resist the power of the Holy Spirit which is a profoundly democratic spirit.

At the same time, red is associated with his rule in the house by means of the hibiscus: purple hibiscus
represents freedom, but red is associated with the time before Kambili began to feel free.

Other symbols/motifs:
Hibiscuses in general
Walls
Weather
Language
Ants/anthills