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Purple Hibiscus, her first novel, has won the
2004 Hurston/Wright Legacy award, the 2005 Commonwealth Writers’ Best First Book Prize and been
nominated for the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction
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Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun was
published in 2006 and is the winner of the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction
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The central character is Kambili Achike, fifteen for much of the period covered by the book, a
member of a wealthy family dominated by her devoutly Catholic father, Eugene
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Told through Kambili’s eyes, the story is essentially about the disintegration of her family unit and her
struggle to grow to maturity
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This household offers a marked contrast to what Kambili
and Jaja are used to
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In this nurturing environment
both Kambili and Jaja become more open, more able to voice their own opinions
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Ultimately, a critical mass is reached in terms of the lives of Kambili, Jaja and the existence of their
family as it once was
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Jaja takes
the blame for the crime and ends up in prison
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The novel ends almost three years after the events just described, on a cautiously optimistic note
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Their mother,
Beatrice, having deteriorated psychologically to a great degree, shows small signs of improvement
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KEY CHARACTERS
Kambili Achike
Kambili Achike is the central character in Purple Hibiscus and also the narrator of the story
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At the same time,
Kambili is shy and inhibited, at least until she has spent an extended amount of time away from her
family home at the house of Aunty Ifeoma and her family
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Eugene Achike
Eugene Achike is Kambili’s father
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Indeed, for
much of Purple Hibiscus he controls almost every aspect of his family’s life, including imposing a
schedule upon the lives of Kambili and her brother Jaja so that every minute of the day is mapped out for
them
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Beatrice Achike
Beatrice, mother and wife in the Achike family, is a quiet, maternal figure for much of the work,
presenting a softer, warmer presence in the home in contrast to the often tyrannical presence of Eugene
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In this context, Kambili
says, “there was so much that she did not mind (p
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”
Ultimately, however, Beatrice cannot cope with Eugene’s behaviour and poisons him
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At the conclusion of the novel,
however, with Jaja’s impending release from prison, there are some indications that her condition will
improve
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For most of the novel, in the same way as the rest of his family, he is dominated by his
father, although ultimately he displays more overt defiance than them, especially by not going to
communion on Palm Sunday and causing a massive family scene as a consequence
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Through this time, his personality has hardened but not been broken
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She is highly capable in many aspects of her life, displaying determination and
resourcefulness in bringing up her children without a husband
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Father Amadi
Father Amadi is a young attractive priest in the circle of Aunty Ifeoma and her family
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When Kambili falls in love with Father Amadi, he shows considerable thoughtfulness and honour in the
sensitive way he makes it clear to her that, because he is devoted to the church, he will never be able to
become her partner
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He
is a kind, loving man rooted in the traditional non-Christian beliefs of his indigenous culture, presenting a
marked contrast, in particular, to his son Eugene’s adherence to European religion and lifestyle
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These include: Father Benedict, Ade Coker and Amaka, Obiora and Chima,
Aunty Ifeoma’s three children
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These include:
The dangers inherent in religious zeal
Money and social position do not equal happiness
Corruption in a society struggling for political stability
The difficulties of everyday life in a country that is politically unstable
Personal sacrifice and its various manifestations
Traditional indigenous belief in relation to contemporary Western belief
Youthful love, in particular Kambili’s feelings for Father Amadi
The relationship of the natural world (e
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fauna and flora, climate and geography) to everyday
life
The consequences of silence (e
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not communicating within a family, not speaking up about
societal ills)
The profound effects of various forms of violence
The difficulties of adolescence
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STRUCTURE
Purple Hibiscus is divided into four main sections, each containing a number of chapters that are not
numbered or titled
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(These sections are
titled “Breaking Gods – Palm Sunday”, “Speaking with Our Spirits – Before Palm Sunday”, “The Pieces
of Gods – After Palm Sunday” and “A Different Silence – The Present”
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LANGUAGE
The language of the novel is basically that of its first person narrator, Kambili Achike
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Some examples are:
“When Aunty Ifeoma woke me up, the room was dim and the shrills of the night crickets were dying
away
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”(p
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”
(p
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” (p
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DISCUSSION TOPICS
1
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Discuss
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Is Eugene a victim as much as an oppressor?
3
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Aunty Ifeoma and her family are extreme opposites of Eugene and his family
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5
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Discuss
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Could Kambili’s feelings for Father Amadi better be described as youthful infatuation rather than love?
7
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Discuss
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To what extent is Eugene a hypocrite – espousing religious values on the one hand but, on the other,
being violent and inflexible in his family home?
9
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Compare Father Benedict and Father Amadi
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What is Papa-Nnukwu’s role within his family?
12
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257) What does she mean?
13
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What role does this focus serve in relation to the novel as
a whole?
14