The Cultural Displays in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

The monster under our bed, the boogey ma in our closet, or the tough bully. At school that everyone runs away from out of fear; psychological terrors experienced. At a young age, whether we realize the fact early on or not, shape and define our mental progression. Kambili's abusive father prohibits her from rebelling, and as a result for most of her life she limits herself and what she believes she can or cannot do. Speaking, to Kambili at least, remains a privilege granted only to those who do not worry about disappointing those that they rely on. Surrounding her own self-doubt flows a sea of cultural influences, good and bad. Some help Kambili find her way, and some curb her ability to grow into a young woman. Within Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus, cultural characteristics of modern Nigeria play. A role in the development of the central character, Kambili. And help to define societal norms and interactions, alongside revealing how outside pressures impact Kambili's mental growth.

Some may say that the end result of cultural stresses. Individualistic expression, makes hard times worth their caused. Aches and pains, and in the novel Purple Hibiscus this remains a key concept. When Kambili and Jaja travel to Aunty Ifeoma's they discover a family with an abundance of opinions, such a stark difference from the silent and quite often reserved state of their own house most of the time. In fact, Kambili's comfortability within the situation at first could be characterized as shaky and awkward, yet as she spent more time with her extended family she realized "speaking seemed to define all that they did" (Hewett 10). In contrast under Eugene's strict hand and demanding fist, talking openly and voicing your opinions did not suffice. For this reason Kambili, (used to a household built around the concept of silence), took advantage of opportunities to showcase herself individually and uniquely while at Aunty Ifeoma's. At one point Kambili and Amaka argue over a yam, and for the first time in her life Kambili stands up for herself.

Of course one could deduce that the pent up anger from years of abuse led her to finally blow, and even by the mini meltdown she experienced Kambili grew. This one development actually acted as a catalyst for Kambili's future character growth, as the argument ended up encouraging her to take a stand in other areas of her life. From this one could note that a connection between the expression of individualism and oppression does indeed exist. After this occurred Kambili developed a sense of self more rapidly, and in a way her father's abusiveness also propelled her along the journey to discover the person buried deep within her. For example, Kambili forms a crush on Father Amadi, and soon falls in love with him. The very fact that she felt brave enough to do this speaks volumes about the level of personal and character growth she experienced in such a short time. "Father Amadi brings up past anxieties and fears for people such as Father Benedict and Eugene," as her represents a movement away from old colonial ways back into seemingly sinful tendencies. The last thing her father-Eugene would want would be these two getting together in a relationship, and Kambili, who usually plays the role of the obedient and studious daughter, simply does not care.

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Even though struggling through life does not guarantee that you will become a better person, knowing how adversity feels helps one to formulate better and stronger choices for their futures. Take Kambili again for instance: she at one point could not ever consider doing anything to defile the image of her Papa, yet in the end, even though her love for Papa did not fade, she developed a more real view of her situation and refused to experience victimization at the hands of her father again. The issues of domestic violence within a post-colonial Nigeria remain a topic explored by third-generation Nigerian novelists, simply because of the magnitude of mistreatment within their present day society (Ojaide 45). Adichie did not break the chain, and her portrayal of Kambili strikes similar to the molding of an object from clay: first raw and formless, yet quick to take shape and dry.

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