Dethroning The Infallible Father: Purple Hibiscus By Cheryl Stobie

Her use of color and elaborate expressions signifies a significant break from the stereotypes of the stoic native. Star uses color throughout her work to demonstrate the vibrancy of her culture, contrary to persisting stereotypes. This provides stark contrast to those stereotypes. Considering the recent creation of this piece, it could be easily reasoned that this indicates a commentary on the persistence of those stereotypes in to today. In addition to a commentary on native stereotypes, this piece also contains a commentary on subjugation of women. Both the original White Squaw and Star’s interpretation contain slurs of very sexist and objectifying statements, to the point of treating women as sex objects. This component reaching Star’s modern interpretation suggests an underlying message of the continuation of these ideas into modern culture today, and how those are analogous to the stereotypes that Native Americans

Several decades ago the idea of women as subordinate was considered to be a universality by the aforementioned white, Western male anthropologists who lead the field. Despite an anthropologist’s endeavor to be unbiased, the fact is these traditional anthropologists came from a culture where many aspects of human life were male dominant. Though many studied

The novel “Purple Hibiscus” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells a story of how two Nigerain children rebelled against their very father. For these children to end up rebelling against their father they must first bring about a change in themselves, they must become more mature, more responsible and not so dependent on their father. Kambili is one of those children that does go through a considerable change in her character, she reaches maturity. In fact this novel is a bildungsroman which is a story about a character self-development, her change.

Gender equality is an aspect of everyday life all societies in the world deals within their own way. It is the concept that men and women are equal to each other. In many places across the globe, women are seen as inferrer to men. Places in the Westerner world still have the ideology of how men are the superior and women are submissive to them. However, this is very untrue for the San society in Africa. It becomes evident that the ancient and long-lasting San society had gender equality when places in the world today are still struggling for the same results. The San society is the oldest and longest lasting hunter/gathering society in Africa. The book Nisa: The Life and Words of !Kung Women written by Marjorie Shostak is the life story of Nisa, women who grew up in the San society. Over the course of the book, her life story begins to unravel. Shostak goes into great detail about Nisa’s childhood, marriages and life thereafter. This gives the reader a clear insight into what it was like growing up and being apart of a gender-equal community that was the San society. Nisa is willing to share her story with the world so others could what it was truly like being apart of a community like the San.

Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus is a story set in Nigeria told from the perspective of Kambili and her journey towards independence; along the way, she looks to the female role models in her life, each which aid her path to liberation. Mama and Aunty Ifeoma are two vital female characters to the development of the story but with stark contrasts; Mama’s submissive and reserved demeanor provides a perfect foil to Aunty’s outgoing and independent personality. They both influence Adichie’s bildungsroman, but how they aid Kambili’s endeavor is strikingly different. Mama and Aunty Ifeoma represent the female figures in Kambili’s life; Mama shows Kambili to submit to the men in her life, while Aunty Ifeoma opens up the idea of being independent and free thinking. Mama stresses submission and dependency as a sacrifice to tradition while Aunty Ifeoma emphasizes independent thought to embrace oneself and progress over all others. The way that these two women uphold themselves throughout the novel, demonstrates how these patriarchal societies, like the one in Nigeria, restrict women like Mama, while women like Aunty are deemed rebellious to society.

When European settlers arrived, they had a pre-decided vision of what women ought to behave like based on the European women, which the indigenous women didn’t align with. Indigenous women were comprehended and characterized in ambiguous and conflicting terms. They could firstly be viewed as “noble savages” where they were seen as classic Indian Princesses, virginal, childlike, naturally pure, beautiful, helpful to European men, and open and willing to

An important relationship in the novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie is the relationship between Kambili and her Aunty Ifeoma, and her family. It introduces Kambili into a less sheltered environment where she is not only free to speak her mind, she is encouraged to question things, and form her own opinions. She also looks up to and admires her cousin, Amaka, who influences Kambili to be more confident and free thinking, like she is. The relationship between Kambili and Aunt Ifeoma’s family also opens Kambili up to new relationships, such as her relationship with Papa-Nnukwu. She begins to

The purple hibiscuses that grow at Aunty Ifeoma’s house in Nsukka are described as in the novel “rare, fragrant, with undertones of freedom”!!!!!. They are the most important symbols in the text (as can be seen from the novel’s title) as they represent acts of defiance and freedom to speak out The presence of these flowers!!!! “began to lift the silence” at home. Jaja’s hides the cuttings of the flowers from Nsukka in the fridge as he is afraid that Papa will confiscate them, therefore crushing his rebellion. The contrast between the purple and red hibiscuses symbolism is extremely effective in developing the theme of freedom vs. oppression. It is the love, warmth, laughter and free expression what they experience in Nsukka, home of the purple

Throughout Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie, Kimbili and her brother become more defiant. The two learn that standing up for what one believes in is of the utmost importance, even if it means defying those you love. This lesson is most relevant when the reader analyses the narrator's relationship with their tyrannical father, Eugene. Adichie portrays two different views on defiance through Kimbili's father and her brother, Jaja. This stark contrast facilitates the reader's understanding on Adichie's own conflicted stance on the topic of defiance by the death of Eugene and his brutal rule and his family's reinvention of themselves after Kimbili's trip to see her Aunt and cousins.

Nigeria, a barren wasteland, now an uprising land of civilization enters an era of ferocity, dominance, depravity. From the ashes of Nigeria, emerges Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author of Purple Hibiscus. She intertwines Purple Hibiscus with her personal memories; she wrote her tale based on her experience-religion, history, and politics. Purple Hibiscus is a novel expressing the complexity of the human nature. From tragedies to happiness, life is a pendulum of occasions. Life consists of abrupt changes; these changes are caused by external factors such as government. However, when a government is corrupt, two primary courses are presented: to submit or rebel. The corruption within government vastly expands towards major concepts-politics, economy, religion-that influences people’s lives. Therefore, Adichie exposes the detrimental transformation of a tyrannical government through her portrayal of the economic, religious, and political strife throughout Nigeria.

Since the beginning of the colonial process, Indigenous bodies have been seen as disposable. The dehumanization of the Indigenous body and the creation of the other, has allowed for the destruction of Indigenous Femininity. A system rooted in epistemic violence created by the colonial era. Continues to affect how Indigenous women are treated in modern societies. The demotion from “Indian Queen”, an exotic and powerful presence in colonial societies, to the “Dirty Squaw”, a figure depicted as lazy, and troublesome. Indigenous women have struggled to be seen as human people, rather than sexual object in the minds of the white settlers. A systematic dehumanization though through the process of epistemic violence. Which continues to affect how Indigenous women are treated today.

“No matter how prosperous a man was if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man”(53). Women in the Igbos villages are generally given to men when they gain titles, they are expected to cook and not engage in anything their society would consider masculine. If the novel’s location and time would be shifted to the 15th century, Caribbean islands, the gender rules would be completely different within the Arawak tribes. The women in the Arawak tribes were responsible for most of their agriculture. The women would vigorously work in the fields, prepare the food, and also take care of the village while the men were away.

During the novel “Purple Hibiscus”, we witness the transformation of Kambili Achike from a silenced, repressed and wary girl into a more confident, mature and happy young woman. This change is brought upon by significant characters in the story, who help show Kambili how joyous the world can be and how she also has a place within this joyous world. And through this Kambili finds a way to slowly crack through her father’s hold over her and come into her own.

In Purple Hibiscus “silence and Feminism” is a theme of grave adversity. The household in which the story surround comprised of Papa Eugene, mother Beatrice, daughter Kambili and son Jaja. Papa Eugene is a very successful and prominent figure who dominated the family with an iron fist. His devout to Catholicism propel him from a loving public figure to an authoritative husband and father at the hint of any religious indiscretion. His method of punishments is immoral by nature, but yet no one dear speak against him. They flout it, acting as if though nothing occurred and returned to normalcy just as fast as Papa violent outburst. The silence is abnormal and heavy; Kambili feels “suffocated” by it (Adichie 7).He is, a sick, demented man who is

In Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the characters Papa and Jaja’s relationship is put to the test when Jaja begins to rebel. When Jaja misses communion that is when everything changes, including Papa and Jaja's relationship. Jaja is forced to grow up at a young age after realizing there is world outside of his father’s home. After becoming his own person Jaja feels even more protective and responsible for his family. In Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the relationship between papa and Jaja is strained because of Jaja’s disobedience.