The monster under our bed, the bogeyman in our closet, or the tough school bully that everyone runs away from in fear; The psychological terrors experienced at a young age, whether we are aware of them early on or not, shape and define our mental progression. Kambili's abusive father forbids 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, at least for Kambili, remains a privilege granted only to those who do not fear disappointing those on whom they rely. Around one's own doubt flows a sea of ​​cultural influences, good and bad; some help Kambili find her way, and some hinder her ability to become a young woman. In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus, cultural characteristics of modern Nigeria play a role in the development of the central character, Kambili, and help define societal norms and interactions, while revealing the impact of external pressures on mental growth of Kambili. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Hibiscus this remains a key concept. When Kambili and Jaja go to Aunt Ifeoma's house, they discover a family with a multitude of opinions, such a stark difference from the silent and often reserved state of their own home most of the time. In fact, at first Kambili's comfort in this situation could be described as fragile and awkward, but as she spent more time with her extended family, she realized that "talking seemed to define everything they did." (Hewett 10). Unlike Eugene's strict hand and demanding fist, speaking openly and expressing his opinions was not enough. For this reason, Kambili (accustomed to a house built around the concept of silence) took advantage of opportunities to present herself individually and uniquely at Aunt Ifeoma's house. At one point, Kambili and Amaka argue over a yam, and for the first time in her life, Kambili fights back. Of course, one could infer that pent-up anger from years of abuse finally caused her to explode, and even because of the mini meltdown she experienced, Kambili grew up. This 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 here, we can see that there is indeed a link between the expression of individualism and oppression. After that, Kambili developed self-esteem faster, and in a way, her father's violence also propelled her through the journey to discover the person buried deep within her. For example, Kambili has a crush on Father Amadi and soon falls in love with him. The very fact that she feels brave enough to do this speaks volumes about the level of personal and character growth she has experienced in such a short time. “Father Amadi evokes the anxieties and fears of the past for people like Father Benedict and Eugene,” as it represents a movement away from old colonial ways and back to seemingly sinful tendencies. The last thing her father, Eugene, would want is for these two to become a couple, and Kambili, who usually plays the role of the obedient, studious daughter, doesn't care. While struggling in life doesn't guarantee you'll become a better person, knowing what adversity feels like helps you make better, stronger choices for your future. Take Kambili again for example: at one point, she couldn't even consider doing anythingeither that could sully her dad's image, but in the end, even though her love for Dad didn't fade, she developed a more real vision of his situation and refused. to suffer re-victimization at the hands of her father. Issues of domestic violence in a postcolonial Nigeria remain a topic explored by third-generation Nigerian novelists, simply because of the extent of mistreatment within their current society (Ojaide 45). Adichie has not broken the chain, and her representation of Kambili resembles the casting of a clay object: at first crude and formless, but quick to take shape and dry. The battle between Catholicism and paganism played a central and strong role in the family life of Kambili and Jaja, and at times the harsh feelings that Eugene felt about it threatened to end their family and often threatened their lives . The British colonization of Nigeria left more than just physical scars; the entire landscape was ravaged by emotional discourse, because even with the fall of British power, many Nigerians disagreed on what the predominant culture should be. Most upper-class individuals, like Eugene, sided with Catholicism and generally avoided traditional pagan practices altogether. Adichie reflected this large-scale national conflict with the contrast and dichotomy between Aunt Ifeoma and Eugene; Aunt Ifeoma, with her carefree spirit and laid-back manner, reflects the passions of Nigerians who want to unleash the influence of European Catholicism on Nigerian culture, while Eugene, with his bold and strict nature, reflects the ideas and ideals of the elite who desperately want to keep Catholicism in order to maintain some semblance of authority and power over their communities. This divide can also be seen when the socio-economic factors and differences between these two characters are examined, as generally the rich strongly support British Catholicism, while the poor generally direct their support towards traditional Igbo ways. As Hron points out, "Adichie uses Eugene's fascination with Western society to point out the British mimicry that continues to define a major part of Nigerian society" (31). Whether or not Eugene's reason for choosing to uphold the past stemmed from the horrors of the past or from a just and general greed for wealth, he expressed a kind of obsession with ensuring that his life appeared immaculate and pristine. Eugene even copies the punishments of the white priests who scalded him for committing sin, choosing to scald and burn his children's hands and feet when they disobeyed him or did something wrong. The very fact that he could do something like this to his own children underlines the fact that for most people in this society, the choice of religious or political beliefs did not involve a personal decision, but simply a decision leading to its own prosperity. The surrounding political context of Nigeria parallels the conflict within Eugene's "perfect" home, as violence due to conflicting beliefs occurs in both contexts (Dawes 84). The contrast between Nsukka and Kambili's hometown also helps identify cultural tensions, as the two regions both represent two different mindsets currently residing in Nigeria. Nsukka remains a place with complex cultural and social aspects – this place was home to Aunt Ifeoma and her family – as most of the individuals living here were poor and staunchly opposed to the rich who want to cling to the strict British ways. In this space, Catholicism remainsnegotiated into a freer role by religious innovators, such as Father Amadi, who downplay the practices of religion and tend to focus more on the importance of living morally and truthfully; this of course infuriates those who live in Kambili's hometown. Meanwhile, in Enugu, Kambili's home, Eugene and his mindless, drone-like followers preach about the evil of returning to old ways, because they believe it would desecrate their society and the roles they currently occupy. This mindset obviously ruins the relationship that many families once had, like Eugene and Aunt Ifeoma. These two once lived in the same house, knew the same parents, and shared a life together, but this internal war of beliefs in Nigeria didn't seem to struggle to tear them apart, and in the end, the war won. Aunt Ifeoma and Eugene remained more broken than ever, and their opinions on the subject did not relent in their fervor. Additionally, this internal war also wreaked havoc within Kambili's household, for when she began to drift away from all of Papa's teachings, Papa became more violent and an even greater chasm began to form, separating her even further from her father. Because the war devastated her family life, Kambili's decision to define herself according to the true characteristics of Nigerian culture suddenly became an even bolder choice. Kambili ultimately did not let Catholicism bury her true self, instead she chose to let the best characteristics of Catholicism and Paganism shine through. Transitioning into adulthood amid internal cultural conflicts remains difficult, but could be rewarding if one chooses to make unbiased and intelligent decisions. The advent of body language to help audiences understand the importance of common manners within a culture remains truly relevant. , and in Kambili's story, we can see the importance of body language reflected in her understanding of life. Due to their limited living environment, Kambili and her brother Jaja developed a way of communicating without words, through eye contact. The silence inside their home often represented an impenetrable wall, and so these small gestures usually indicated the only way for them to "say" what they really thought about certain things. This phenomenon is not lost in the real world, as young children, isolated from society and subjected to emotional and psychological abuse, tend to choose other means of communicating with the world at large. Even autistic people (in cases where the individual experiences sensory overload) decide to speak with others in a way that does not involve speaking. Kambili abandons her addiction to communicating without speaking and gradually becomes more comfortable speaking for herself, something that surely developed while she and her brother Jaja were visiting their aunt Ifeoma. The actual language that Kambili or Adichie's voice uses throughout the novel adds additional emphasis to the Kambili achieves growth, as her choice of language and words seems to mature as she does. Kambili's childish and sophomoric language ingeniously betrays the criticism she feels towards her father; for example, when Kambili described Eugene's piety at communion as being of a childish nature. The comic and childish descriptions downplay the seriousness of the father, but at the same time his cruelty and meticulousness remain emphasized and very definitive. Furthermore, Adichie constantly analyzes the opposing dichotomies by drawing attention to the different points of view (the different points of view of Kambili before and after hermaturation), and the child's point of view is associated with that of the young adult in the audience. Kambili remains visibly confused, as she idolizes her father, even though he beats her; this may be related to his childish dependence on him. Eugene not only provides Kambili with a home, but he literally determines her life and future, and to her, he represents something of a god - Kambili even mentions at one point that she refused to compare him to anyone or because it defiled him. . Coming back to the importance of language, upon arrival in Nsukka, Kambili can be best characterized as infantile or incapable of speech. She does not seem to be physically capable of allowing words to come out of the corner of her mouth, and this silence could be compared to the silence of her father's disciples and congregation. Kambili also possesses the ability to detect, with a simple twitch of the eye, whether or not he will attack her or her brother. His ability to determine the outcome of such situations can be paralleled with Aunt Ifeoma's possession of some influence on his growth – ironically enough, however, Eugene's story remains one of accelerated deterioration. Eugene's open-mindedness and comfort in his own home obviously remain expressed in a brash and violent manner, showing that he is hiding from the people who usually admire him. These individuals do not question the decisions and statements made by Eugene – or omelora, as they call him – and, therefore, they represent the part of society that remains reluctant to communicate or take a stand. Even if many crises arise, there will remain a group of individuals who are unwilling to rise up against their oppressors. As long as this group continues to persist within societies, movements to make the world a better place will remain stagnant, and Adichie fights this in her novel. Adichie describes the concept of not speaking as a negative, which she does by giving a dark connotation to the silent nature of Kambili's house. Adichie hopes to encourage the courage of young voices everywhere who remain enveloped behind oppressive figures and forces. In life, many factors such as love, obsessive behaviors and violence impact our behavior and the future decisions we make as individuals. For Kambili, in particular, the abuse blocked her mentally and physically. She developed habits of distrust, and in a way, her father Eugene's abuse also diminished her self-confidence, as even the thought of choosing which college she would attend seemed to frighten her to no avail. However, despite all the damage done to Kambili by her horrible father, the trip to Nsukka and the visit with her aunt Ifeoma had a positive influence on her life and caused Kambili to find an outlet for her despair. Once Kambili recognized her grandfather, Papa Nnukwu, the situation was reversed and she suddenly began to be more accepting of other people and cultures outside of her own walls. Listening to Papa Nnukwu's stories helps him understand different practices and values, as well as the importance of expanding his world, beyond the small confines of Enugu. Kambili, in the process of discovering these universal truths, transformed from a nature characterized by shyness to one characterized by boldness and newfound confidence. Additionally, Kambili's infatuation with Father Amadi provided Kambili with the tools to grow up. As soon as she arrived at Aunt Ifeoma's house and saw Father Amadi, Kambili fell head over heels in love with him and his personality. In fact, everyone at Aunt Ifeoma's house remained aware of the love that Father Amadi had for her and the fact that she representedeverything for him. The aspect of love, in this case, was somehow parallel to that of a powerful drug for Kambili; love blinded her to the criticism her father usually gave her and allowed her to finally deeply accept someone for who they were. This just goes to show that love may play an important role in our development and maturation; Most of us love ourselves – not in a selfish way – but when we find someone we can love just as we love ourselves, our ability to treat others with respect and our confidence explodes. Father Amadi's role remains justified as a rather complex character, and plays a more dynamic role than simply helping him gain confidence; he also had ties to his father. Eugene has relied on a blanket of silence to keep his violence from escaping, and Father Amadi challenges this, as he transforms into Kambili's champion. Father Amadi's support of paganism by singing chants in Eugene's church angered him extremely, and the incident shows that when our own safe or familiar territory is threatened, we as a people, we tend to lash out. Since the story remains one of Kambili's growth and her father's deterioration, we can clearly see the contrast that Adichie attempted to express here, by pointing out Eugene's increasingly erratic behavior, and the spiral out of his mental reason. Father Amadi also represents a kind of Nigerian Gothic love since Kambili's father would never approve of it, and thus Father Amadi remains destined to experience separation from Kambili (Mabura 217). Doomed from the start, the relationship between Father Amadi and Kambili served to drive away Kambili's emotional senses; All her life her father disliked her, and now she gained the ability to spend time with a strong male figure who cared about her in a way she always wished her father would. . Kambili then realized what a man's real role in her life should be: a kind, caring and compassionate individual. Among Nigeria's upper class, family ties tend to be looser, in contrast to the stronger ties that bind some of the poorer families. Adichie's use of their love story highlighted the usually hidden tragedy of neglect in Nigerian households. The tragic end of the brief love story may weigh on the audience's hearts, but the legacy of their love and the places where emotional growth has taken Kambili are well worth the heartbreak. Eugene's obsessive behavior made Kambili realize the importance of taking advantage of better situations. For most of his childhood, Kambili was bullied by a man who did not understand that he inhabited the human form of evil. To understand how and why the abuse helped her, in some way, we must first understand Eugene's paradox. Eugene can be clearly seen as a wealthy factory owner, Catholic, a philanthropist who gives so often to the needy that he earned the prestigious title of Omelora. On top of that, Eugene also controls the newspaper, and subsequently the news disseminated to the masses, and somewhere along the way, Eugene wins a human rights award for his political activism. Once back in his humble abode, a monster emerges and the change in comfort level leads to a change in behavior. Eugene, in a way, can be compared to a werewolf, charismatically charming villagers and townspeople by day and mercilessly killing innocent young lambs by night. This type of behavior, given by Adichie, belies a certain social madnessand emotional uncertainty that destroys his brain. Kambili, subjected to this behavior since birth, would not only be desensitized to such horrible attributes, but would unconsciously avoid situations that could lead her down a dark path. When forced to combat terrible wrongs, humans move on, learning from the situations. The concept remains simple: once that stove burns your innocent little hand, you will never trust another heated stove again. The concept and aspect of guilt plays with everyone's inner conscience, playing with our comfort level and ultimately blinding us until the truth is no more. remains more in our field of vision. Jaja taking responsibility for Eugene's death helped Kambili understand why she should care about her family, even though due to his extreme guilt (Jaja feels he should be the one responsible for the abuse committed against their father ), Jaja will do it. never truly understood the significance of what he did (Mabura 220). The ultimate sacrifice, Jaja personified Eugene's last effort to destroy and conquer, because even in his death he felt the need to ruin someone else's life; even when he dies, the father can be violent. It could be argued that Eugene's ability to continue his reign of terror over Kambili, Beatrice, and Jaja can be attributed to the fact that he never felt guilty for the harsh and unreasonable things he did to them. In Nigerian culture, the woman has no power - generally - and can generally be characterized by society at large as a woman of servitude to her husband. Kambili's mother, Beatrice, embodies the type of mother figure who represents the issues that coincide with womanhood that Kambili will one day have to face. Beatrice can thus be seen as the ghost or shadow of what Kambili might experience in the future at the hands of an abusive partner if she does not develop a backbone and change. Eugene's constant physical and emotional violence towards Beatrice, although while it could be seen as him simply taking advantage of his wife and her body, the violence goes beyond that. Their violent relationship reveals a fear of sexuality in Eugene, and as a result, he strives to isolate her femininity and her role within society by controlling every aspect of their marriage (Mabura 219). Thus, the end of the novel, where Beatrice finally gets her comeuppance and poisons Eugene's tea remains a means she uses to reclaim all the power and dignity that her husband spent almost his life trying to take away from her. Adichie, a writer, did not randomly choose to create a female protagonist or center much of her story around domestic violence and the issues surrounding such terrors. Nigeria, although freed from the shackles of British colonialism, still experiences equality issues not only for social classes, but Adichie has chosen to combat these patriarchal tendencies and has consequently created work focused on women's empowerment in many areas. Kambili, until she grows up, remains a shy little girl, unwilling to communicate and desperately afraid of disappointing the male figures in her life. Dad, Father Amadi and Jaja; these three men hold some sort of power, authority and/or control over Kambili's life, and yet, little by little, her dependence on the emotions and words spoken by these men diminishes considerably, and when she finds her own voice, well, these men everyone knew she had changed in one way or another. However, when it comes to her father specifically, Kambili remains perplexed about the end of her childhood divinity:.