Purple Hibiscus

Mama portrays the classic wife and mother figure whose sole purpose in life is to have a husband and children. She eschews formal education, believing its independent ideas for women are unrealistic and unnecessary. She accepts the traditionalist beliefs Papa scorns, but does not wish to revolt against him until he pushes her too far. Her women’s group engages in customary practices, illustrating that Mama’s concepts of womanhood reach into the past. Mama’s gentle, self-sacrificing, and subservient attitude prevents her from recognizing her own worth as a human being, individual identity, or unique voice. When Papa destroys the world she defends—that of the wife and mother—it causes a psychotic break so severe that she must attempt to salvage what she can of the children’s lives and exorcize the demon ravaging their souls. 

Mama’s life is directly related to her cherished figurines: fragile and shattered, signifying that a woman’s identity is crucial to her well-being, and dependence on another to bring fulfillment to ones’ life is risky at best, and tragic at worst. Mama is tired throughout the novel; her psyche is tremendously damaged in the end, but she still has Kambili and Jaja, both of whom symbolize hope for new beginnings.

Kambili, the 15-year-old first-person female narrator of the novel, embodies obedience and silence early on, but her self-awareness emerges as the story unfolds. Kambili is a flowering teen ripe for new experiences, so when she beholds a world of new possibilities, she eventually embraces them and finds her own voice. She also finds love through Aunty Ifeoma’s acceptance, Father Amadi’s romantic love and confidence-building influence, and Amaka’s sisterly companionship. As she grows, she gains wisdom, strength, compassion, and purpose. Her spiritual transformation is complete only after heartbreaking incidents, physical and emotional suffering, and sacrifice. Ultimately, Kambili emerges victorious, an enlightened soul unafraid to laugh and full of hope for a future rich in beauty and opportunity.

Jaja is 17 and Kambili’s brother. He possesses wisdom beyond his years and is compared to a defiant king with the same name, living up to that moniker after living a life of imposed restrictions. After discovering a life of freedom in Nsukka, he becomes angry and disillusioned; he rejects Papa’s world and embraces his own. He, along with his country, Nigeria, are changing as a result of violence and unrest. Readers see his physical growth through Kambili’s eyes, as well as his spiritual transformation when he identifies with the purple hibiscus. Like the flower, Jaja realizes his wishes to become a uniquely modern man while still retaining his ancestry.

Jaja claims the masculine role of protecting family at his own expense, ultimately resulting in the hardening of his soul and literal imprisonment, where he remains dejected and bitter. He has paid the price for the sins of his father and mother, but there is freedom and hope in his future. 

Aunty Ifeoma, matriarch and Papa's sister, embraces life as a liberated woman, university professor, widow, and mother of three. Open, fearless, and realistic, Aunty Ifeoma stands in stark contrast to her brother, the religious zealot. She readily accepts customary folklore as well as Catholicism. Both Papa and Aunty Ifeoma instill values in their children, but she encourages each child’s individuality instead of rigidly molding them. Kambili revels in Aunty Ifeoma’s independent spirit and, most of all, her uninhibited laughter, a quality Aunty Ifeoma considers important enough to pray for.

Aunty Ifeoma must be resourceful, as her life is devoid of material wealth. She becomes stronger through hardship, unlike Mama, who has countless material comforts but lacks joy. In teaching Amaka, Obiora, and Chima self-sufficiency and confidence in their respective talents and abilities, Aunty Ifeoma has given them tools for survival in a changing world. 

Amaka, Aunty Ifeoma’s 15-year-old daughter, has been encouraged to speak her mind and express herself. At first, she treats the naïve Kambili with skepticism, even disdain, but eventually grows to love, nurture, and protect Kambili.

Amaka serves as a foil to Kambili’s character in that she possesses the traits Kambili does not, therefore highlighting the areas of Kambili’s sensitivity that need revealing. Consequently, it is she who introduces Kambili to the modernity of girls her age, teaches her how to cook, and opens her eyes to many new things.

Amaka’s sensibility is strong, and she has many interests and talents. She listens to meaningful music, sings beautifully, paints well, and absorbs modern culture via radio and TV. She is genuine, forthright, and politically and culturally conscious, holding a deep reverence for her homeland and defending its right to exist. It is Amaka who is unhappy about the move to America, a land where she says, “we don’t laugh anymore, […] because we don’t have the time to laugh, because we don’t even see one another” (301).

Obiora, Aunty Ifeoma’s son, is cerebral, world-savvy, and wise beyond his years. His political shrewdness begets cynicism regarding authority and government, although Aunty Ifeoma chastises him at times not for what he has said, but for how he has said it. Despite Obiora’s skepticism of the systems in place, he aspires to attain a university education and is ecstatic upon receiving a scholarship in the US, foreshadowing a bright future. 

Papa-Nnukwu, Papa and Aunty Ifeoma’s father and grandfather to their children, represents the ancestral patriarch in Nigerian society who retains its rich cultural language and folklore. He lives a sparse life materially, but one rich in spirituality. He is childlike, so the grandchildren have an innate connection to his lively manner and magical presence. His storytelling skills captivate them, the stories themselves giving natural explanations for a world before TV and radio. 

Aunty Ifeoma calls Papa-Nnukwu a traditionalist, while Papa calls him a heathen, a heartbreaking reality that deprives both Papa-Nnukwu and Papa from any semblance of a father/son relationship. Papa offers Papa-Nnukwu a life of luxury only if he converts to Catholicism, but he refuses to break from his indigenous religion. Papa-Nnukwu blames himself for and regrets letting Papa listen to the white British missionaries who converted him, symbolizing the sins of the father carrying over into the following generation of sons, much like Papa does with Jaja.

When Papa-Nnukwu dies, the old ways die. Fortunately, his adoring grandchildren embrace his lessons, punctuated by his spirit of unconditional love. In continuing Nigerian customs, albeit infused with modernity, the grandchildren keep Papa-Nnukwu’s ways alive.