Purple Hibiscus Analysis

Campbell’s hero cycle is a very specific set of steps that shows is there is an epic hero. There are many components involved in this hero cycle including an ordinary world where the hero begins the story, a call to adventure, crossing into the unknown, several tests, the supreme ordeal, the road back, and more. If a story fits Campbell’s hero cycle, then the story must include most, if not all, of the steps in the cycle. I analyzed Purple Hibiscus to test if this novel followed the hero cycle or not. Purple Hibiscus follows the life of Kambili and Jaja, who both live in Enugu, Nigeria.

Introduction On October 1st 1960 , British rule over Nigeria as a colony ended, as well as most of its official structure. Nigerian leaders were left with the task of taking up the leadership of the Nigerian people from the British with a promise of democratic rule; however within fifteen years after independence various institutions experienced great changes bringing great instability and uncertainty to the newly founded government. Northern and Southern regions of Nigeria both felt the impacts in education, politics, religion and ethnically. This causes one to wonder what the British Imperialistic government did differently, and why the difference between the Southern and Northern region became so evident in the fifteen years after independence.

The novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, defines an important literary example of the historical conflict of European colonialism in Nigeria during the

Some would say that money and social position provide you with basic needs that are important for experiencing happiness, however, happiness is a complex emotion which is influenced by factors such as love, peace, and health, factors we cannot buy. This aspect is noticed in the novel Purple Hibiscus, written by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in which Kambili the younger daughter of Eugene and Beatrice, and I also found that . I found this novel in the library and what called my attention was the way that the complete story is told from the protagonist point of view, the second aspect was the terrible things she shows about her social life her family, specially her mother obedience and her father’s brutality and religious dogma until their visit to their cousins’ at Nsukka, where, surprisingly, to them life can be more cheerful and happy, even when they did not have too much

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a book based up on pre-colonial Nigeria back in the 1890s and it focuses on on traditional society’s and colonialism. The author presents the book Things Fall Apart through the eyes of the main character Okonkwo who was a respected elder in the village. Women in the book were all housewives and they were shown as weak, and as second class citizens of the Umuofian society. The roles of women in the Umuofia society is presented through several events that happened in in the village of Umuofia.

The tripartite novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, published in 1958 focuses on the changes taking place in Nigeria, as a result of colonization during the 20th century. Chinua Achebe’s pragmatics when writing the novel focused on changing the perspective of Western readers with regard to African society. He mainly wanted to falsify the assertions in books such as “Heart of Darkness” which he claimed gave people of African descent a dull personality. Social status is one of the novels’ main themes. Chinua Achebe successfully incorporates the importance of social status, giving readers the impression that for the Ibo society, social structure consists mainly of a hierarchy of both skill and strength.

The blooming of sleepy, oval-shaped buds in front of the house is symbol of the readiness of Jaja to rebel against his father’s iron-fist authority. These changes show the experiences what he learns from his Aunty Ifeoma’s house. Other symbol include Eugene’s heavy missal, which throws at Jaja for not going to receive Holy Communion. Papa-Nnukwu’s shrine says Kambili that it looks the grotto at Saint Agnes church and mama’s figurines, which the missal breaks into pieces as it lands on the étagère. Ballet Figurines represents an important symbol in this novel Purple Hibiscus.

Purple Hibiscus, written by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, is a novel set in post-colonial Nigeria where the protagonist, 15-year-old Kambili struggles growing up torn between two contrasting beliefs; Igbo traditionalism and western Catholicism. Religion as many believe is the hope in a power greater than ones self. It is also a means of worship, moreover as means of people uniting together as one and believing in one God. Religion is a very important aspect and can certainly impact and influence a person’s mentality. Adichie uses two conflicting religions to show the development of Kambili’s character and maturity, as well as explore the tension that is forced unto the her throughout the novel.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, Purple Hibiscus, reflects her perspective on gender because she distinguishes characters like Mama and Aunty Ifeoma as women with contrasting viewpoints on ‘shrinking themselves’. Mama embodies society’s standard to belittle herself by desiring to return home after Papa abuses her. In Nsukka, Mama decides to travel back to Enugu even though she suffers a miscarriage due to Papa smashing a table on her womb. Aunty Ifeoma compares the twisted family chemistry to “a house [that] is on fire” because of the insensible violence that her “nwunye m” faces (Adichie 213). Ifeoma refers to Mama’s mistreatment as a house that is burning down to foreshadow the rising tension in the family.

This is the case with Purple Hibiscus as well: in Ouma’s words, the novel is “informed by the experiences of movement and contact with other words”(49). kambili’s father’s sister, aunty Ifeoma, works as a lecturer at Nsukka University, where the country’s flaws are flagrantly visible: unpaid salaries, authoritarian management, and career stagnation are driving staff members into exile. The idea of leaving raises diverse feelings in kambili’s cousins. The oldest cousin, Amaka, feels that leaving means running away, and she asks her brother whether the problems of the crisis-ridden country cannot be fixed. “Fix what?”

Feminist Theory In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, they recognize the life of the Igbos which are a tribe in the village of Umuofia during European colonization. There are many topics brought up in this book like the effects of colonization, culture and tradition, religion, race, etc. It is relatively easy to read “Things Fall Apart” as an anti-feminist text due to the face that the Igbo clan’s customs and traditions seem to side towards masculine features, such as power and strength. The novel is told through a male protagonist’s point of view in nineteenth century Nigeria, while women there do not have much rights, they do wield heavy influence over the leaders of the clan.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the positive and negative impacts of colonialism. Key words: - Colonialism, Religion, Culture, Civilization, Conflict INTRODUCTION Things Fall Apart was published in 1958 just two years before Nigeria’s independence from the British’s rule in 1960. Achebe, who was born in 1930, had experienced colonialism in his country. The novel depicts the pre-colonial and early colonial Nigerian society.

Chinua Achebe’s 1958 literary classic, Things Fall Apart (Achebe, 1958), is renowned for its authentic account of the black African experience. Set in post-colonial Nigeria, the fictional novel discusses the cultural roots of the Igbos and follows the life of the tragic hero, Okonkwo. This acclaimed novel deals with strong patriarchal ideals of masculinity within the Igbo culture and how Okonkwo is a direct manifestation of this. Achebe depicts the relationship between masculinity and both male and female characters, and how this, in turn, has an effect on Okonkwo’s relationships. The strongest relationship in the novel is between father (Okonkwo) and daughter (Ezinma); their bond is strong because Ezinma is everything Okonkwo would want in a son.

Amid life in Nigeria, “Every day is for the thief, but one day is for the owner”. The day to day life in Nigeria present grueling challenges, that hinges upon one 's safety. From the beginning of modern public administration in Nigeria, there have been numerous cases involving misuse of funding and resources. The government has many corrupt aspects, and stemming off of that is a community gone to the dogs. Throughout Teju Cole’s novel Every Day Is For The Thief, Humanities immoral acts stem from the needs of survival, exposed through characterization and irony.

Purple Hibiscus is the first novel and Bildungsroman written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The story is set in Enugu, a city in post-colonial Nigeria during the civil war in 1960. The Nigerian households in the 1960s worked in a patrilineal manner where the father is the head of the household and he is obeyed. The wife and children have little say and the wife is only seen has the one who gives the man his children (Qualls, A). The main character and also the narrator, Kambili Achike explains what it is like living under the roof of her patriarchal Father, Eugene Achike.