Themes

Question 1

Colonialism and Nigerian politics

Answer 1

• Papa is described as a “colonial product”: a man who has bought into the colonialist mindset
• His sister Aunty Ifeoma, on the other hand, rejects the idea that whiteness equals superiority. She is frustrated by the corruption in Nigeria, but she still believes that the country should embrace its own resources and independence
• While colonialism sets the background for the novel, Purple Hibiscus also takes place during a turbulent time for the Nigerian government. The plot probably coincides with the real, historical military coup and the subsequent corrupt regime

Question 2

Family

Answer 2

• First, we see the dynamic of Kambili’s family, where they all live in silence and fear, following Papa’s strict rules and schedules. This quiet order is based around the terror of Papa’s sporadic violence for anything he sees as sinful or disobedient.
• Kambili and Jaja are very close, though they rarely speak.
• In Nsukka, Kambili and Jaja see how different they are from Ifeoma’s family, and start to realize how unhealthy and rigid their own family dynamic is.
• Through Aunty Ifeoma and her children, Adichie represents her idea of a healthy family—one that creates community and love, but also accepts differences and supports individuals as they grow and change.

Question 3

Freedom vs. tyranny

Answer 3

• Though Papa bravely stands up for political freedom, in the world of his own family—where he is the one in control—he acts like a tyrant.
• Kambili and Jaja thus get their first real taste of freedom at Aunty Ifeoma’s house.
• After seeing this totally different family dynamic—one where all the children are encouraged to speak their minds and question everything—Kambili and Jaja start feeling more rebellious and independent.
• Kambili’s assertion of freedom begins by keeping the painting of Papa-Nnukwu, while Jaja grows more openly rebellious, refusing to speak to his father and then refusing to go to church on Palm Sunday. Jaja’s Palm Sunday actions signal a turning point for the family.
• The most surprising twist comes at the end, however, as Mama turns to her own kind of tyranny—murder—to assert her freedom from Papa. This leads to prison for Jaja, which ends up as just another version of the cycle of freedom and oppression.

Question 4

Violence

Answer 4

• As with many of Adichie’s themes, the cycle of violence starts at the top and works its way down. The first violence was the oppression of British colonialism, which then led to corruption and violence in the Nigerian governments set up in its wake.
• Papa uses violence to enforce his own kind of oppression on his family, as he beats them, whips them, and pours boiling water on them. This violence then leads to more violence in the very attempt to escape it. Just as colonialism resulted in a corrupt independent government, so Papa’s violence compels Mama to poison and murder him.
• Thus, Adichie shows that violence almost always begets more violence, as a method of oppression but also as a struggle for freedom.

Question 5

Silence and speech

Answer 5

• The titles of two of the novel’s sections deal with this theme: “Speaking with our Spirits” and “A Different Silence.”
• Silence is associated with the fear of Papa that Mama, Kambili, and Jaja experience at all times. Kambili, especially, rarely speaks, because she is afraid to stutter and also never wants to anger her father. She and Jaja have a “language of the eyes,” speaking only with glances, as they are rarely left alone together and never mention Papa’s abuse out loud.
• Jaja also grows more comfortable speaking, and he then turns his silence (which is no longer a fearful one) into a weapon against Papa by refusing to speak to him