Purple Hibiscus (novel) Purple Hibiscus is the frst novel by Nigerian Nigerian author author Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie. Adichie. It was frst published by Algonquin oo!s in oo!s in "##$.%&' lot introduction introduction Purple Hibiscus is set in postcolonial postcolonial Nigeria Nigeria a country beset by
political instability and economic di*culties. +he central character is ,ambili Achi!e Achi!e aged f-teen -or much o- the period covered by the boo! a member o- a wealthy -amily dominated by her devoutly Catholic Catholic -atherugene. -atherugene. ugene is both a religious zealot zealot and and a violent fgure in the Achi!e Achi!e household sub/ecting his wi-e eatrice ,ambili hersel- and her brother 0a/a to beatings and psychological cruelty. %"'
+he story is told through ,ambili1s eyes and is essentially about the
disintegration o- her -amily unit and her struggle to grow to maturity. A !ey period is the time ,ambili and her brother spend at the house o- her -ather1s sister I-eoma and her three children. +his household o2ers a mar!ed contrast contrast to what ,ambili and 0a/a are used to. +hough Catholic it practices a completely di2erent -orm o- Catholicism ma!ing -or a happy liberal place that encourages its members to spea! their minds. In this nurturing environment both ,ambili and 0a/a become more open more able to voice their own opinions. Importantly also while at Aunty I-eoma1s ,ambili -alls in love with a young priest 3ather 3ather Amadi which awa!ens her sense o- her own se4uality. 5ltimately a critical mass is reached in terms o- the lives o- ,ambili 0a/a and the e4istence o- their -amily as it once was. 5nable to cope with ugene1s continual violence eatrice poisons him. 0a/a ta!es the blame -or the crime and ends up in
prison. In the meantime Aunty I-eoma and her -amily go to America to live a-ter she is un-airly dismissed -rom her /ob as lecturer at the 5niversity o- Nigeria. +he novel ends almost three years a-ter these events on a cautiously optimistic note. ,ambili has become a young woman o- eighteen more confdent than be-ore while her brother 0a/a is about to be released -rom prison hardened but not bro!en by his e4perience there. +heir mother eatrice having deteriorated psychologically to a great g reat degree shows small signs o- improvement. In essence a better -uture is possible -or them all though e4actly what it might involve is an open question. Characters
Kambili ,ambili Achi!e Achi!e is the central character in urple 6ibiscus and also the narrator o- the story. 7he is an intelligent observant religious young woman aged f-teen -or much o- the novel. At the same time ,ambili is shy and inhibited at least until she has spent an e4tended amount o- time away -rom her -amily home at the house o- Aunty I-eoma and her -amily. ,ambili is the younger o- ugene and eatrice Achi!e1s Achi!e1s two children. 7he does not li!e the living environment under her -ather a-ter she gets used to the -reedom o- Nsu!!a. 7he was a very quiet girl at the beginning o- the novel but a-ter staying with her Aunty I-eoma she builds up her courage and opens up much more towards other people.
Chukwuka “Jaja” Achike Chu!wu!a Achi!e Achi!e nic!named 80a/a9 by his -amily is an intelligent young man about two years his sister1s senior. senior. 3or most o- the novel in
prison. In the meantime Aunty I-eoma and her -amily go to America to live a-ter she is un-airly dismissed -rom her /ob as lecturer at the 5niversity o- Nigeria. +he novel ends almost three years a-ter these events on a cautiously optimistic note. ,ambili has become a young woman o- eighteen more confdent than be-ore while her brother 0a/a is about to be released -rom prison hardened but not bro!en by his e4perience there. +heir mother eatrice having deteriorated psychologically to a great g reat degree shows small signs o- improvement. In essence a better -uture is possible -or them all though e4actly what it might involve is an open question. Characters
Kambili ,ambili Achi!e Achi!e is the central character in urple 6ibiscus and also the narrator o- the story. 7he is an intelligent observant religious young woman aged f-teen -or much o- the novel. At the same time ,ambili is shy and inhibited at least until she has spent an e4tended amount o- time away -rom her -amily home at the house o- Aunty I-eoma and her -amily. ,ambili is the younger o- ugene and eatrice Achi!e1s Achi!e1s two children. 7he does not li!e the living environment under her -ather a-ter she gets used to the -reedom o- Nsu!!a. 7he was a very quiet girl at the beginning o- the novel but a-ter staying with her Aunty I-eoma she builds up her courage and opens up much more towards other people.
Chukwuka “Jaja” Achike Chu!wu!a Achi!e Achi!e nic!named 80a/a9 by his -amily is an intelligent young man about two years his sister1s senior. senior. 3or most o- the novel in
the same way as the rest o- his -amily he is dominated by his -ather although ultimately he displays more overt defance than them especially by not going to communion on alm 7unday and 7unday and causing a massive -amily scene as a consequence. 6e ta!es the blame -or his mother1s crime and spends almost three years in prison be-ore obtaining an amnesty amnesty.. +hrough this time his personality has hardened but not been bro!en. bro!en.
Eugene (Papa) ugene Achi!e Achi!e is ,ambili1s -ather. -ather. 6e is a wealthy and ostentatious businessman who is also a very strict Catholic who dominates his -amily -or much o- the novel by imposing a harsh religious regime in the -amily home. Indeed -or much o- the novel he controls almost every aspect o- his -amily1s li-e including imposing a schedule upon the lives oo,ambili and her brother 0a/a so that every minute o- the day is mapped out -or them. :hile on the one hand ugene is an important man in his society and donates considerable amounts o- money to needy individuals and worthy causes he is prone to outbrea!s o- violence within the -amily house sub/ecting his wi-e eatrice and the two children to severe physical punishment. ugene has two di2erent mas!s to -ace public and private. 6e might be a !ind hero in the public however at home he is quite the opposite.
Beatrice (Mama) eatrice mother and wi-e in the Achi!e -amily is a quiet maternal fgure -or much o- the wor! presenting a so-ter warmer presence in the home in contrast to the o-ten tyrannical presence o- ugene. assive is another term applicable to her at least -or a great deal o- the boo!.
;uring the course o- the novel eatrice su2ers two miscarriages a-ter severe beatings -rom ugene. 7he polishes the fgurines on the tag
Aunty !e"ma Aunty I-eoma is ugene1s only sibling a tall stri!ing intelligent woman who wor!s as a lecturer at the 5niversity o- Nigeria. 7he is highly capable in many aspects o- her li-e li -e displaying determination and resource-ulness resource-ulness in bringing up her children without a husband. +hough fnancially struggling she creates a much happierenvironment happierenvironment -or her children than does her brother ugene -or his -amily. 7he was married to I-ediora who was a pro-essor with her until his un-ortunate death.
Amaka Ama!a is I-eoma and I-ediora>s only daughter. daughter. 7he is ,ambili>s age around f-teen and originally does not li!e ,ambili believing her to be a snob and /ealous o- ,ambili>s lavish li-estyle. A-ter a -ew wee!s o- getting to !now each other and a-ter ,ambili>s beating Ama!a begins to pity ,ambili rather than envy her and they become close -riends.
#bi"ra
?biora is the second oldest o- I-eoma and I-ediora>s three children children at around age -ourteen. 6e wears glasses and is very good at maths. 6e is reserved yet o-ten spea!s up when he -eels someone is wrong as is seen when he contradicts Chia!u. ?biora is also portrayed as the lead male fgure in his mother>s household.
Chima Chima is the youngest o- I-eoma and I-ediora>s three children. children. Not much is !nown about this character apart -rom the -act that he loo!s up to ?biora.
$ather Ama%i 3ather Amadi is a young priest in the circle o- Aunty I-eoma and her -amily. -amily. eing youth-ul indigenous and well@versed in contemporary li-e he could be described as a 8new generation9 generation9 priest as opposed to white uropean priests in the country such as ugene1s priest 3ather enedict. :hen ,ambili -alls in love with 3ather 3ather Amadi he shows considerable thought-ulness and honour in the sensitive way he ma!es it clear to her that because he is devoted to the church he will never be able to become her partner. partner. 6e loves her yet he dare not start a relationship with her because o- his pro-ession. 6e becomes socially and spiritually attached with some o- the boys that he taught -ootball. 6e is shown to be a little play-ul as he challenged ,ambili to a sprint this leads to him telling her that she had good legs -or running. 6e also too! her to plait her hair which led the hair dresser to tell ,ambili that no man ta!es a young lady to plait her hair unless he li!es her.
Papa&'nukwu
apa@Nnu!wu apa@Nnu!wu is both -ather and grand-ather in the Achi!e Achi!e -amily being ugene and I-eoma1s -ather. -ather. 6e is a !ind loving man rooted in the traditional non@Christian belie-s o- his indigenous culture presenting a mar!ed contrast contrast in particular to his son ugene1s adherence to uropean religion and li-estyle.
$ather Bene%ict 3ather enedict is 7t. Agnes> white priest. 6e has been in nugu -or years. eing a strict colonial product enedict -eels strong resistance to the Igbo language and pre-ers to lead his services in Batin and in nglish. 6e is a strong supporter o- apa>s charity wor!.
A%e C"ker Ade Co!er is the lead editor o- apa>s newspaper +he 7tandard. 6e is also the author o- rebellious wor!s which ultimately leads to his death. 6e spea!s out commonly against the current Nigerian government. 6e was !illed by a pac!age bomb in his house.
Kein ,evin is apa ugene>s personal driver in nugu. ,evin was once part o- the military.
#ther character ?ther minor characters in the boo! include Aunty Chioma ?bioma Celestine Chidi-u and others 6onors •
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (& April "#&"). Purple Hibiscus: A Novel. Algonquin oo!s. I7N J@&@K&K"#@""@".
Ge-erences
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L+he Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
:ebsite @ AwardsL. +he Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie :ebsite. Getrieved "##J@#$@&D. 7ourceE httpEHHen.wi!ipedia.orgHwi!iHurpleO6ibiscusO(novel)
Purple Hibiscus opens on alm 7unday with ,ambili>s -ather
ugene throwing a prayer boo! across the living room aiming to hit her brother 0a/a as punishment -or his re-usal to ta!e communion at mass earlier that day. A strict Catholic and a wealthy and power-ul man ugene is completely intolerant o- insubordination especially when it comes -rom his immediate -amily members. Although he can be charming and generous his temper is unpredictable and sometimes -rightening and ,ambili 0a/a and their mother invest a lot o- energy trying to abide by his .regulations in order to avoid angering him As the boo! un-olds however we witness the ways in which ,ambili 0a/a and their mother have begun to question ugene>s dictatorial rule over the -amily. 0ust as ugene>s own newspaper re-uses to support the military government currently in power in Nigeria so his own .-amily eventually comes to stand up against his tyranny +he boo! is primarily -ocused on ,ambili>s questioning o- her -ather which begins in earnest during the course o- several e4tended visits to ugene>s sister>s house. At Aunty I-eoma>s there are -ew rules. 5nli!e at home where ugene creates a daily schedule -or 0a/a and ,ambili at I-eoma>s the only requirement is that everyone helps coo! and clean. Children spea! at the dinner table the -amily sings a-ter they pray and everyone is permitted to share -ood and sleeping space with their non@ Catholic grand-ather (behaviors strictly -orbidden by ugene). Although ,ambili is initially -rightened by all the -reedom at I-eoma>s she
eventually comes to appreciate it. 7he ma!es -riends with her politicized 3ela ,uti@listening cousinP she develops a (totally innocent and sweet) crush on an A-rican priestP and she otherwise en/oys the privileges obeing f-teen which her -ather>s rigidity so -requently deny her when she>s .at home ecause o- ugene>s public stance against the government as the military coup continues the Achi!e house gets less and less sa-e and ugene gets more and more abusive. ventually ,ambili 0a/a and their mother all spend a chun! o- time at their Aunty>s house waiting -or things to cool down at home. Away -rom ugene all three have the time and space to question his authority more deeply and Purple Hibiscus ultimately concludes with a series o- events that would have
seemed unimaginable earlier in the novel when the -amily>s only goal .seemed to be placating ugene 5ltimately Purple Hibiscus is about a teenaged girl separating her own values -rom those she has been taught and in the process creating a personality -or hersel-. Adichie does an absolutely marvelous /ob orecreating those pieces o- adolescence. Indeed this boo! so success-ully evo!ed -eelings o- teenaged sel-@consciousness and insecurity 7ourceE httpEHHwww.boo!slut.comHfctionH"##O&#O##$JD.php
urple 6ibiscus oo! Geview 7ummary Lurple 6ibiscusL is a comple4 tale o- ,ambili a young girl growing up in Nigeria in between the old LpaganL ways and her Catholic upbringing. 6er li-e is structured and ruled by her strict Catholic -ather however a trip to visit her Auntie in another town shows her another way o- living. ,ambili has trouble accepting this alternative li-estyle and -eels torn between the two. :ith the help o- her brother auntie cousins and a priest she begins to see other ways o- thin!ing and acting than her -ather e4pects. +he boo! also highlights the in/ustices that have ta!en place in Nigeria. 7ourceE httpEHHallreaders.comHboo!@review@summaryHpurple@hibiscus@ "K#D
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie R mSTmSTndU U VW oX zi YdiTtQ /eRHP Chimaman%a 'g"+i A%ichie ( iHtQ %note &'
born &D 7eptember &) is a Nigerian writer.%"'7he has been called
Lthe most prominentL o- a Lprocession o- critically acclaimed young anglophone authors %that' is succeeding in attracting a new generation oreaders to A-rican literatureL.%$' ersonal li-e and education orn in the city o- nugu she grew up the f-th o- si4 children in an Igbo -amily in the university town o- Nsu!!a insoutheastern Nigeria where the 5niversity o- Nigeria is situated. :hile she was growing up her -ather 0ames Nwoye Adichie was a pro-essor o- statistics at the university and her mother Mrace I-eoma was the university>s frst -emale registrar. %'
6er -amily>s ancestral village is in Abba in Anambra 7tate.%D' Adichie studied medicine and pharmacy at the 5niversity o-
Nigeria -or a year and a hal-. ;uring this period she editedThe Compass, a magazine run by the university>s Catholic medical students. At age & Adichie le-t Nigeria -or the 5nited 7tates to study communications and political science at ;re4el 5niversity in hiladelphiaP she trans-erred toastern Connecticut 7tate 5niversity to be near her sister who had a medical practice in Coventry. 7he received a bachelor>s degree -rom astern with the distinction o- summa cum laude in "##&. In "##$ she completed a master>s degree in creative writing at 0ohns 6op!ins 5niversity. In "##J she received a Zaster o- Arts degree in A-rican studies -rom Fale 5niversity.
Adichie was a 6odder -ellow at rinceton 5niversity during the "##D[#K academic year. In "##J she was awarded aZacArthur 3ellowship. 7he has also been awarded a "#&&[&" -ellowship by the Gadcli2e Institute -or Advanced 7tudy6arvard 5niversity. Adichie who is married divides her time between Nigeria where she teaches writing wor!shops and the 5nited 7tates.%K' :riting career Adichie published a collection o- poems in & (Decisions) and a play (For Love of Biafra) in &J. 7he was shortlisted in "##" -or the Caine rize %' -or her short story LFou in AmericaL.%J' In "##$ her story L+hat 6armattan ZorningL was selected as a /oint winner o- the C 7hort 7tory Awards and she won the ?. 6enry prize -or L+he American mbassyL. 7he also won the ;avid +. :ong International 7hort 7tory rize "##"H"##$ (N Center Award) and a "## eyond Zargins Award -or her novel L6al- o- a Fellow 7unL.%' 6er frst novel Purple Hibiscus ("##$) received wide critical acclaimP it was shortlisted -or the ?range rize -or 3iction ("##) and was awarded the Commonwealth :riters> rize -or est 3irst oo! ("##D). 6er second novel Half of a Yello !un named a-ter the \ag o- the short@lived nation o- ia-ra is set be-ore and during the Nigerian Civil :ar. It received the "##?range rize -or 3iction and the Anisfeld@:ol- oo! Award. %&#' Half of a Yello !un has been adapted into a flm o- the same title directed by iyi andele starring A3+A winner and Academy Award nominee Chiwetel /io-or and A3+A award@winner +handie Newton and was released in "#&.%&&'
6er third boo! The Thin" Around Your Nec# ("##) is a collection o- short stories. In "#&# she was listed among the authors o- The Ne Yor#er ]s L"# 5nder #L 3iction Issue.%&"' Adichie>s story LCeilingL was included in the "#&& edition o- The Bes$ American !hor$ !$ories . 6er third novel Americanah ("#&$) was published and was selected by the Ne Yor# Times as one o- +he &# est oo!s o- "#&$.%&$' In April "#& she was named as one o- $ writers aged under #%&' in the 6ay 3estival and Gainbow oo! Club pro/ect celebrating ort 6arcourt 5N7C? :orld oo! Capital "#&.%&D' Adichie says on -eminism and writing LI thin! o- mysel- as a storyteller but I would not mind at all i- someone were to thin! o- me as a -eminist writer... I>m very -eminist in the way I loo! at the world and that worldview must somehow be part o- my wor!.L%&K' Bectures Adichie spo!e on L+he ;anger o- a 7ingle 7toryL -or +; in "##. %&'
?n &D Zarch "#&" she delivered the LConnecting
CulturesL Commonwealth Becture "#&" at the Muildhall Bondon.%&J' Adichie also spo!e on being a -eminist -or +;4uston in ;ecember "#&" with her speech entitled L:e should all be -eministsL.%&' +his speech was sampled -or the "#&$ song L^^^3lawlessL by American per-ormer eyonc< where it attracted -urther attention.
,-e h"ul% all be !eminit, .E/0 talk L:e should all be -eministsL was a +;4 tal! that was given by Adichie in "#&". 7he shared her e4periences o- being an A-rican -eminist
and her views on gender construction and se4uality. Adichie believes that the problem with gender is that it shapes who we are.%"#' _I am angry. Mender as it -unctions today is a grave in/ustice. :e should all be angry. Anger has a long history o- bringing about positive change but in addition to being angry I1m also hope-ul because I believe deeply in the ability o- human beings to ma!e and rema!e themselves -or the better.L %"&' `arious parts o- Adichie>s tal! were sampled in eyonc<>s song L3lawlessL in ;ecember "#&$.%""' Adichie commented about her speech being -eatured in L3lawlessL in an interview with NG.org. 7he believes it is great that the young generation starts tal!ing about -eminism.%"$' +he use o- Adichie>s speech in the song has brought many critiques against eyonc< calling hersel- a -eminist. Adichie de-ended eyonc< by asserting that people who say they are -eminists are indeed -eminists.%"' ;istinctions
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;iscography Muest Appearances •
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Notes%edit' &.
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32A/E 4A5E2 C6MAMA'/A '3#7 A/C6E Purple 6ibicu 4ummary urple 6ibiscus ta!es place in nugu a city in post@colonial Nigeria and is narrated by the main character ,ambili Achi!e. ,ambili lives with her older brother 0a/a (Chu!wu!u Achi!e) a teenager who li!e his sister e4cels at school but is withdrawn and sullen. ,ambili1s -ather apa (ugene Achi!e) is a strict authoritarian whose strict adherence to Catholicism overshadows his paternal love. 6e punishes his wi-e Zama (eatrice Achi!e) and his children when they -ail to live up to his impossibly high standards. +he novel begins on alm 7unday. 0a/a has re-used to go to church and receive communion. ecause 0a/a has no reasonable e4cuse -or missing church apa throws his missal at his son. +he boo! hits a shelcontaining his wi-e1s beloved fgurines. +his defant act and resulting violence mar!s the beginning o- the end o- the Achi!e -amily. ,ambili then e4plains the events leading up to alm 7unday detailing the seeds orebellion that are planted in the children1s minds by their liberal Aunty I-eoma apa1s sister. apa is a prominent fgure in nugu. 6e owns several -actories and publishes the pro@democracy newspaper the 7tandard. 6e is praised by his priest 3ather enedict and his editor Ade Co!er -or his many good wor!s. apa generously donates to his parish and his children1s schools. 6is newspaper publishes articles critical o- the rampant government
corruption. 7ince the 7tandard tells the truth the sta2 is under constant pressure -rom the 6ead o- 7tate the military leader who assumes the presidency -ollowing a coup. :hen Ade Co!er is arrested apa1s bravery and position in the community help to -ree him. ,ambili is a quiet child. :hen she tries to spea! she o-ten stutters or has a coughing ft. +he rigid li-e that is shaped by her -ather renders her mute. ach day she -ollows a schedule that allots only time to study eat sleep pray and sit with her -amily. ,ambili is a good student rising to the top o- her class. +he girls at school assume she is a snob because she doesn1t socialize and always runs straight to her -ather1s car a-ter class. :hen ,ambili places second on term apa tells her she must e4cel because Mod e4pects more -rom her. ,ambili is not a snobP she is motivated by -ear unable to create her own identity. At Christmas the -amily returns to the apa1s ancestral town Abba. +he -amily supervises a -east that -eeds the entire umunna [ e4tended -amily. apa is celebrated -or his generosity in Abba as well. 6owever he does not allow his children to visit with his own -ather apa@Nnu!wu -or more than f-teen minutes each Christmas. apa calls his -ather a 8heathen9 because he still -ollows the religious traditions o- his people the Igbo. :hen Aunty I-eoma comes to visit -rom her 5niversity town oNsu!!a she argues with apa about his mistreatment o- their -ather. ut apa is frm. 6e will only ac!nowledge and support his -ather i- he converts. Aunty I-eoma invites ,ambili and 0a/a to visit so they can go on a pilgrimage to Ao!pe site o- a miraculous apparition o- the `irgin Zary. apa begrudgingly agrees.
Nsu!!a is a di2erent world. +he 5niversity is beset by -uel shortages pay stoppages stri!es at medical clinics blac!outs and rising -ood prices. +he widowed Aunty I-eoma success-ully raises her three children Ama!a ?biora and Chima with what little she has. ut her -amily is a happy one. 5nli!e apa Aunty I-eoma encourages her children to question authority raising them with -aith but also intellectual curiosity. Ama!a and ,ambili are very di2erent girls. Ama!a li!e ,ambili1s classmates assumes her cousin is a privileged snob since she does not !now how to contribute to household chores. ,ambili retreats into silence even in Nsu!!a. 0a/a on the other hand blossoms. 6e -ollows the e4ample o- his younger cousin ?biora concocting his own rite o- initiation out ohelping his -amily tending a garden and !illing a chic!en. ,ambili begins to open up when she meets 3ather Amadi. A Nigerian@born priest 3ather Amadi is gentle and supportive. 6e encourages ,ambili to spea! her mind. +hrough 3ather Amadi ,ambili learns that it is possible to thin! -or onesel- and yet still be devout. 7he even begins spea!ing above a whisper to Ama!a and they become closer. ,ambili and 0a/a learn to be more accepting in Nsu!!a. :hen he -alls ill Aunty I-eoma brings apa@Nnu!wu to her \at. ,ambili and 0a/a decide not to tell apa that they are sharing ahome with a 8heathen.9 ,ambili witnesses her grand-ather1s morning ritual o- innocence where he o2ers than!s to his gods and proclaims his good deeds. 7he sees the beauty in this ritual and begins to understand that the di2erence between herseland apa@Nnu!wu is not so great. :hen her -ather fnds out that ,ambili and 0a/a have spent time with their grand-ather he brings them home.
Ama!a gives her a painting o- apa@Nnu!wu to ta!e bac! to nugu. apa punishes his children by pouring hot water over their -eet -or 8wal!ing into sin.9 ressure mounts on apa. 7oldiers arrest Ade Co!er again and torture him and they raid the o*ces o- the 7tandard and shut down his -actories -or health code violations. 7hortly therea-ter the government murders Ade Co!er. +ensions rise in the home too. ,ambili and 0a/a ta!e com-ort in the painting o- apa@Nnu!wu. apa catches them however and he beats ,ambili so severely that she ends up in critical condition in the hospital. :hen she is well enough to be released she goes to Nsu!!a instead o- home. 6er crush on 3ather Amadi intensifes and she begins to brea! out o- her shell more learning how to laugh and to /oin in the Igbo songs. ut Aunty I-eoma gets fred -rom the 5niversity and decides to go to America to teach. ,ambili is \oored. 7he is not sure what she will do without the re-uge provided by her aunt and cousins. Ama!a does not want to go to America either because her roots are in Nigeria. Zama comes to Nsu!!a limping out o- a cab. apa has beaten her again causing another miscarriage. +hough both ,ambili and 0a/a have seen this happen be-ore this time it is di2erent. Aunty I-eoma urges her not to return to nugu. ut she ta!es her children bac! with her. +he -ollowing wee! is alm 7unday when 0a/a re-uses to go to church. In the wee! between alm 7unday and aster 0a/a grows increasingly defant. 6e fnally demands that he and ,ambili spend aster with their cousins. :ea!ened by what the children believe is stress he allows them to go to Nsu!!a. A -ew days later Zama calls. apa has died. :hen Zama le-t
Nsu!!a she began poisoning her husband1s tea. 0a/a ta!es the blame -or the crime and goes to prison. +he fnal chapter o- the boo! ta!es place nearly three years later. ,ambili and Zama visit a hardened 0a/a in prison. 6e has -aced severe punishments and miserable conditions over the course o- his term. 6owever with the leadership in Nigeria now changing again their lawyers are confdent that 0a/a will be released. +hough 0a/a has learned to not e4pect a -avorable outcome ,ambili is over/oyed. 7he dreams that she will ta!e 0a/a to America to visit Aunty I-eoma together they will plant orange trees in Abba and purple hibiscuses will bloom again.
Ab"ut Purple 6ibicu Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie1s frst novel Purple Hibiscus was widely acclaimed when it was published in "##$. 7hortlisted -or and awarded several prestigious prizes Purple Hibiscus was praised -or capturing a character and a nation on the cusp o- radical change. Adichie uses her own childhood e4periences to in-orm the lives o- her characters. 7he was born in ,ambili1s home town o- nugu raised in Aunty I-eoma1s universityenvironment in Nsu!!a is o- Igbo descent and is a Catholic. Purple Hibiscus is a story o- the corruption and religious
-undamentalism that grips Adichie1s native country. +old -rom the point oview o- a child overt political messages are held at an arm1s length but they in-orm ,ambili1s coming o- age. +he wave o- bloody coups and corrupt military rule that comprises Nigerian politics are touched upon in the novel through certain characters. +hough apa can be viewed as a
metaphor -or the dangers o- -undamentalism he tries to put his power to good use by raising social consciousness. Adichie modeled the character Ade Co!er a-ter ;ele Miwa a /ournalist and outspo!en critic othe Nigerian government. Miwa was !illed by a mail bomb in his home in &JK. Adichie echoes real political activism and events in her novel. Adichie was a good student in school but unli!e ,ambili she had a reputation -or butting heads with her teachersP ?biora ismore li!e Adichie. urple 6ibiscus is a coming o- age story -or both ,ambili and 0a/a. :hile 0a/a is not allowed to participate in the Igbo ritual o- initiation both children are able to ta!e considerable steps towards their own adult identities throughout the novel. Inspired by her outspo!en aunt and cousin Ama!a ,ambili in particular learns to use her voice. Adichie uses urple 6ibiscus to give a voice to A-rican e4perience that is not typically presented by :estern media.
Character 8it Kambili Achike +he main character who narrates the story o- her -amily1s disintegration. :hen the story begins ,ambili is f-teen years old and pain-ully shy. 7he lives under the strict Catholic rule o- her -ather who e4pects his children to succeed at all costs. As political unrest seizes Nigeria ,ambili is introduced to a new way o- li-e by her liberal aunt. +hough she retains her -aith through several horrendous events ,ambili learns to question authority when necessary.
Jaja (Chukwuka Achike)
,ambili1s brother who is about two years older than her. Bi!e ,ambili 0a/a strains under the tyranny o- his -ather. A-ter both his sister and mother are hospitalized -rom beatings 0a/a begins to rebel. 0a/a is rational and protective and more outgoing than his sister. 6e severs ties with both his -ather and -aith. 0a/a ta!es the blame -or his mother1s crime.
Papa (Eugene Achike) A prominent man in the Achi!e1s village o- nugu apa runs several success-ul -actories and publishes an nglish@language newspaper in-amous -or its criticism o- Nigeria1s corrupt government. 6e is a devout Catholic who e4pects nothing less than per-ection -rom his -amily. apa punishes his wi-e and children in order to correct their behavior. apa is beloved in his community but is estranged -rom his own -ather and his traditional A-rican culture.
Mama (Beatrice Achike) Zama is a quiet and religious woman accustomed to obeying the rule o- her husband. +hough the abuse worsens over time she re-uses to leave. 5ltimately she realizes she must protect her children and poisons her husband.
Aunty !e"ma apa1s sister who teaches at the 5niversityin nearby Nsu!!a. I-eoma is widowed caring -or three children on a meager salary. 7he is liberal and outspo!en but also a devout Catholic. 5nli!e her brother she respects the religion and traditions o- her -ather. 6er way o- li-e inspires ,ambili and 0a/a to rethin! their own upbringing.
Papa&'nukwu I-eoma and ugene1s -ather. apa@Nnu!wu is a traditionalist holding on to the -aith o- his ancestors. ,ambili grows to love apa@Nnu!uw despite her -ather1s warnings that he is a heathen. +hrough his /oy and warm spirit ,ambili learns that both -amily and -aith are more complicated than what she has been taught.
Amaka Aunty I-eoma1s eldest daughter f-teen yearsold. 7he is fercely loyal to her Nigerian roots despite her Catholic upbringing. Ama!a is critical oher cousin1s wealth and mee!ness. ?vertime Ama!a and ,ambili come to understand one another and a sisterly bond is -orged through adversity.
#bi"ra Aunty I-eoma1s eldest son -ourteen years old. 7ince the death o- his -ather ?biora hasassumed the role o- man o- the house. 6e is questioning
and mature and delights in intellectual debate. ?biora inspires 0a/a to open his eyes.
Chima Aunty I-eoma1s youngest boy seven years old. Chima is the baby and does not yet have many responsibilites. 6e clings onto his mother and to both ?biora and 3ather Amadi. It is clear he misses a male role model.
$ather Ama%i A young missionary priest based in thechaplaincy in Nsu!!a. ,ambili -alls in love with him. 6e is warm and gentle to the children o- the village representing a modern ta!e on -aith. 6e is respect-ul o- his Nigerian roots incorporating native Igbo songs o- worship into his sermons. 6is bond with Aunty I-eoma1s -amily is strong. 6e en/oys lively debate with both Ama!a and ?biora. 6e is ta!en with ,ambili in part because she is so quiet. 6e encourages ,ambili to spread her wings.
$ather Bene%ict +he white ritish@born head o- 7t. Agnes the Achi!e1s church. 6e is a supportive ally o- apa1s praising him constantly as one o- the pillars othe community. 3ather enedict is austere and o2ers only his view oreligion.
A%e C"ker +he editor o- the 7tandard apa1s paper. :ith apa1s support he is openly critical o- the corrupt government and becomes a political target. 6e is !illed by a letter bomb bearing the 7tate 7eal.
1ewan%e C"ker Ade1s wi-e. 7he is widowed with two young children who apa tries to help.
4ii
+he passive servant girl in the Achi!e household. 7isi provides Zama with the poison used to !ill apa.
Chinwe 1i%e+e A gossipy classmate o- ,ambili1s. 7he beats ,ambili -or head o- class in one term.
E+inne +he only classmate who is !ind to ,ambili.
Kein +he Achi!es1 driver. Zama fres him a-ter apa dies.
Chiaku A pro-essor -riend o- Aunty I-eoma>s who is critical o- a move to America.
3l"ary Aku :inged termites
Allaman%a A \owering shrub
Atil"gwu A spirited dance traditional to the Igbo people
B"ub"u A \owing wide@sleeved robe
B"urnita A malted drin!
Caaa A root vegetable also called yuca
Chaplaincy +he institute -or missionary clergy
Chin chin A -ried snac! similar to a donut
C"c"yam A root vegetable also called taro
C"n9rmati"n A rite o- initiation similar to a coming o- age ceremony in Christianity. +eenage boys and girls choose the name o- a saint to adopt as their own in addition to their given name.
/"g"nyar" A big strong evergreen tree
Enugu Capital city o- nugu state in Nigeria
:tag;re A shel- that holds small decorative ob/ects
E0treme uncti"n Also !nown as Anointing o- the 7ic! a blessing with oils per-ormed -or the gravely ill.
$ela 3ela ,uti a prominent Nigerian musician and political activist who was /ailed several times -or the critical overtones o- his music. +he creator o- A-robeat a musical genre blending /azz and -un! with traditional A-rican rhythms.
$rangipani A \owering tree with -ragrant blooms
$u!u A paste made -rom boiled starchy root vegetables. 3u-u is o-ten molded piece by piece into a utensil -or soup and then eaten.
3arri A grain or porridge made -rom the grain that is produced -rom the -ermented mash o- a cassava
3melina A \owering tree with yellow -ruit
6armattan A dry and duty wind
6aua An ethnic group indigenous to northern A-rica or the language spo!en by the 6ausa people
6ighli!e A musical genre popular in :estern A-ricacharacterized by /azzy horns and guitar
gb" An ethnic group indigenous to southeastern Nigeria or the language spo!en by the Igbo people
gwe A royal fgure in the village
0"ra a \owering shrub similar to /asmine
Malleable Capable o- being shaped by outside -orcespliable
Mial A boo! containing instructions and te4ts -or the celebration o- Zass throughout the year
Mmu" Zasquerading spirits represented by a parade o- mas!ed men. +hey o2er tributes to their ancestral spirits.
M"i m"i 7teamed bean pudding
'aira Currency in Nigeria
'EPA National lectric ower Authority organization that regulates power usage
'inth Mile An intersection o- three ma/or roads near nugu
'"ena A devotion consisting o- a prayer repeated on nine successive days as!ing to obtain special graces
'+u Clay
#blate A person who is specifcally dedicated to Mod
#kpa 7teamed pea paste
#nyeka
?nye!a ?nwenu a Nigerian singer actress and politician
#a%ebe Chie- 7tephen ?sita ?sadebe a popular Igbo highli-e musician
Pana%"l Acetaminaphen a pain!iller
2"ary A series o- prayers in traditional Catholicdevotion. A rosary also re-ers to a strand consisting o- a bead -or every prayer recited in this series.
4"utane Cassoc! an an!le@length robe worn by clergy
-rapper An o-ten color-ul piece o- cloth that is worn by women in :est A-rican countries
.heme C"ming "! Age ,ambili and 0a/a both come o- age in Purple Hibiscus as a result otheir e4periences. +he boo! opens with 0a/a rebelling against his devout Catholic -ather by s!ipping communion on alm 7unday an important religious holiday. +he -ollowing chapters detail the events that culminate in 0a/a1s defance. +he boo! is narrated by ,ambili three years a-ter this incident. 7ince she has been stunted by the severe punishments o- her -ather ,ambili barely spea!s. 6er narration is stri!ing because it can be
concluded that she fnds her own voice throughout this ordeal. oth ,ambili and 0a/a ta!e steps towards adulthood by overcoming adversity and being e4posed to new thoughts. art o- growing up is building your own identity by choosing which paths to -ollow. In nugu the only path ,ambili and 0a/a are allowed to -ollow is apa. 6e writes out schedules and severely punishes them when they stray. :hen ,ambili and 0a/a visit theirAunty I-eoma in Nsu!!a they are astonished by what they fnd. +hough her home is small and devoid olu4uries there is love and respect. 6er children Ama!a and ?biora are allowed to question authority and choose their own paths. ?biora though he is three years younger than 0a/a is articulate and protective. 6e has been initiated into Igbo culture by per-orming a rite o- manhood. 0a/a was not allowed to participate and is ashamed that he is lagging behind his cousin. In Nsu!!a 0a/a is encouraged to rethin! his allegiances and ma!e his own decisions. Aunty I-eoma encourages ,ambili to reconsider her stance on apa@ Nnu!wu. As she has been taught by apa her grand-ather is a heathen. ut when she searches his -ace she sees no signs o- godliness. A-ter witnessing his innocence ritual ,ambili questions the absolute rule o- her -ather. oth ,ambili and 0a/a ta!e ma/or steps towards adulthood by claiming their individuality.
2eligi"n +here is a contrast between 3ather enedictand 3ather Amadi. riest at apa1s beloved 7t. Agnes 3ather enedict is a white man -rom ngland who conducts his masses according to uropean custom. apa adheres to
3ather enedict1s style banishing every trace o- his own Nigerian heritage. apa uses his -aith to /usti-y abusing his children. Geligion alone is not to blame. apa represents the wave o- -undamentalism in Nigeria that corrupts -aith. 3ather Amadi on the other hand is an A-rican priest who blends Catholicism with Igbo traditions. 6e believes that -aith is both simpler and more comple4 than what 3ather enedict preaches. 3ather Amadi is a modern A-rican man who is culturally@conscious but in\uenced by the colonial history o- his country. 6e is not a moral absolutist li!e apa and his Mod. Geligion when wielded by someone gentle can be a positive -orce as it is in ,ambili1s li-e. apa@Nnu!wu is a traditionalist. 6e -ollows the rituals ohis ancestors and believes in a pantheistic model o- religion. +hough both his son and daughter converted to Catholicism apa@Nnu!wu held on to his roots. :hen ,ambili witnesses his morning ritual she realizes that their -aiths are not as di2erent as they appear. ,ambili1s -aithe4tends beyond the boundaries o- one religion. 7he revels in the beauty o- nature her -amily her prayer and the ible. :hen she witnesses the miracle at Ao!pe ,ambili1s devotion is confrmed. Aunty I-eoma agrees that Mod was present even though she did not see the apparition. Mod is all around ,ambili and her -amily and can ta!e the -orm o- a smile. +he individualistic nature o- -aith is e4plored in urple 6ibiscus. ,ambili tempers her devotion with a reverence -or her ancestors. 0a/a
and Ama!a end up re/ecting their -aith because it is ine4orably lin!ed to apa and colonialism respectively.
C"l"nialim Colonialism is a comple4 topic in Nigeria. 3or apa@Nnu!wu colonialism is an evil -orce that enslaved the Igbo people and eradicated his traditions. 3or apa colonialism is responsible -or his access to higher education and grace. 3or 3ather Amadi it has resulted in his -aith but he sees no reason that the old and new ways can1t coe4ist. 3ather Amadi represents modern Nigeria in the global world. apa is a product o- a colonialist education. 6e was schooled by missionaries and studied in nglish. +he wisdom he ta!es bac! to Nigeria is largely in-ormed by those who have colonized his country. 6e abandons the traditions o- his ancestors and chooses to spea! primarily in ritish@ accented nglish in public. 6is large estate is flled with western lu4uries li!e satellite +` and music. Ama!a assumes that ,ambili -ollows American pop stars while she listens to musicians who embrace their A-ricanheritage. ut the trappings o- apa1s success are hollow. +he children are not allowed to watch television. 6is home modernized up to :estern standards is -or appearances only. +here is emptiness in his home /ust as his accent is -alsifed in -ront o- whites. ?ver the course o- the novel both ,ambili and 0a/a must come to terms with the lingering a-ter@e2ects o- colonialism in their own lives. +hey both ad/ust to li-e outside their -ather1s grasp by embracing or accepting traditional ways.
'igerian P"litic
oth ,ambili and the nation are on the cusp o- dramatic changes. +he political climate o- Nigeria and the internal drama o- the Achi!e -amily are intertwined. A-ter Nigeria declared independence -rom ritain in &K# a cycle o- violent coups and military dictatorship led to civil war which led to a new cycle o- bloody unrest. ven democracy is hindered by the wide@ spread corruption in the government. In Purple Hibiscus there is a coup that culminates in military rule. apa and his paper the 7tandard are critical o- the corruption that is ushered in by a leader who is not elected by the people. Ironically apa is a sel-@righteous dictator in his own home. 6e is wrath-ul towards his children when they stray -rom his chosen path -or them. In the wa!e o- Ade Co!er1s death apa beats ,ambili so severely she is hospitalized in critical condition. oth in Nigeria and in the home violence begets violence. ,ambili and 0a/a are !ept away -rom the unrest at frst. +hey witness protests deadly roadbloc!s and harassment -rom the sa-ety o- their car. ut when they arrive in Nsu!!a they are thrust into political debate. ?biora says the university is a microcosm -or Nigeria [ ruled by one man with all the power. ay has been withheld -rom the pro-essors and light and power are shut o2 -requently. Zedical wor!ers and technicians go on stri!e and -ood prices rise. +here are rumors that the sole administrator is misdirecting -unds intended -or the university. +his is a parallel to what is happening in the country at large. ,ambili and 0a/a now understand frsthand the struggle o- their cousins. +he personal becomes political and vice versa.
4ilence 7everal characters are gripped with silence throughout the novel. ,ambili su2ers the most unable to spea! more than rehearsed platitudes without stuttering or coughing. 6er silence is a product o- the abuse that she endures at the hands o- her -ather. ,ambili does not allow hersel- to tell the truth about her situation at home. :hen her classmates taunt her -or being a bac!yard snob she does not e4plain that she does not socialize out o- -ear. 7he is not allowed to dally a-ter school lest she be late and beaten. 7he fnally learns how to spea! her mind when she is taunted continuously be her cousin Ama!a. Aunty I-eoma encourages her to de-end hersel- and only then can Ama!a and ,ambili begin their -riendship. ,ambili begins to spea! more confdently laugh and even sing. +he titles o- the second and -ourth section are 7pea!ing :ith ?ur 7pirits and A ;i2erent 7ilence. ,ambili and 0a/a communicate through their eyes not able to utter the ugly truth o- their situation. Zama li!e her daughter cannot spea! -reely in her own home. ?nly with Aunty I-eoma can she behave authentically. +he silence that -alls upon nugu a-ter apa is murdered is as the title suggests di2erent. +here is hopelessness to this silence li!e the one that e4isted when apa was alive. ut it is an honest silence. Zama and ,ambili !now the truth and there is nothing more that can be said. 0a/a1s silence betrays a hardness that has ta!en hold o- him in prison. +here is nothing he can say that will end the torment he e4periences. +he tapes that Aunty I-eoma sends with her children1s voices are the only respite he has.
7ilence is also used as punishment. :hen ,ambili and 0a/a arrive in Nsu!!a -or aster 0a/a re-uses to spea! to his -ather when he calls. A-ter the years o- silence that he has imposed upon his children they use it as a weapon against him. +he government also silences Ade Co!er by murdering him a-ter he prints a damning story in the 7tandard. :hen soldiers raid Aunty I-eoma1s \at they are trying to silence her sympathies with the rioting students through intimidation. 7ilence is a type oviolence.
/"metic 5i"lence ?n several occasions apa beats his wi-e and children. ach time he is provo!ed by an action that he deems immoral. :hen Zama does not want to visit with 3ather enedict because she is ill apa beats her and she miscarries. :hen ,ambili and 0a/a share a home with a heathen boiling water is poured on their -eet because they have wal!ed in sin. 3or owning a painting o- apa@Nnu!wu ,ambili is !ic!ed until she is hospitalized. apa rationalizes the violence he in\icts on his -amily saying it is -or their own good. +he beatings have rendered his children mute. ,ambili and 0a/a are both wise beyond their years and also not allowed to reach adulthood as maturity o-ten comes with questioning authority. :hen Ade Co!er /o!es that his children are too quiet apa does not laugh. +hey have a -ear o- Mod. Geally ,ambili and 0a/a are a-raid o- their -ather. eating them has the opposite e2ect. +hey choose the right path because they are a-raid o- the repercussions. +hey are not encouraged to grow and to succeed only threatened with -ailure when they do not. +his ta!es a toll
on 0a/a especially who is ashamed that he is so -ar behind ?biora in both intelligence and protecting his -amily. 6e ends up equating religion with punishment and re/ects his -aith. +here is an underlying se4ism at wor! in the abuse. :hen Zama tells ,ambili she is pregnant she mentions that she miscarried several times a-ter ,ambili was born. :ithin the narrative o- the novel Zama loses two pregnancies at apa1s hands. +he other miscarriages may have been caused by these beatings as well. :hen she miscarries apa ma!es the children say special novenas -or their mother1s -orgiveness. ven though he is to blame he insinuates it is Zama1s -ault. Zama believes that she cannot e4ist outside o- her marriage. 7he dismisses Aunty I-eoma1s ideas that li-e begins a-ter marriage as 8university tal!.9 Zama has not been liberated and withstands the abuse because she believes it is /ust. 5ltimately she poisons apa because she can see no other way out. +he abuse has repressed her to the point that she must resort to murder to escape.
'ature=Enir"nment +he boo!1s namesa!e \ower is a representation o- -reedom and hope. 0a/a is drawn to the unusual purple hibiscus bred by a botanist -riend o- Aunty I-eoma. Aunty I-eoma has created something new by bringing the natural world together with intelligence. 3or 0a/a the \ower is hope that something new can be created. 6e longs to brea! -ree o- his apa1s rule. 6e ta!es a stal! o- the purple hibiscus home with him and plants it in their garden. 6e also ta!es home the insight he learns -rom Nsu!!a. As both blossom so too do 0a/a and his rebellion.
,ambili1s shi-ting attitudes toward nature signi-y her stage otrans-ormation. ;uring one o- the frst times she showers at Nsu!!a ,ambili fnds an earthworm in the tub. Gather than coe4isting with it she removes it to the toilet. :hen 3ather Amadi ta!es her to have her hair plaited she watches a determined snail repeatedly crawl out o- a bas!et. 7he identifes with the snail as she has tried to crawl out o- nugu and her -ate. Bater when she bathes with water scented with the s!y she leaves the worm alone. 7he ac!nowledges that Mod can be -ound anywhere and she appreciates its determination. In the opening o- the boo! ,ambili daydreams while loo!ing at the several -ruit and \ower trees in her yard. +his same yard a signifer owealth leaves her open -or taunts o- 8snob9 at school. ut here she f4ates on the beauty o- the trees. :hen she returns -rom Nsu!!a a-ter her mother has miscarried ,ambili is sic!ened by the rotting tree -ruit. +he rot symbolizes the sic!ness in the Achi!e household but also that ,ambili is seeing her home with new eyes. Bi!e the trees she is trapped behind tall walls. :eather also plays a role in the novel. :hen Ade Co!er dies there are heavy rains. A-ter alm 7unday a violent wind uproots several trees and ma!es the satellite dish crash to the ground. Gain and wind re\ect the drama that un-olds in the Achi!es1 lives. Zama tells ,ambili that a mi4ture o- rain and sun is Mod1s indecision on what to bring. 0ust as there can be both rain and sun at the same time there are good and evil intertwined. In nature ,ambili gleans that there are no absolutes. apa is neither all good or all bad her -aith does not have to be either Catholic or
traditionalist and she can challenge her parents while still being a good child.
>u"te an% Analyi +hings started to -all apart when my brother 0a/a did not go to communion and apa \ung his heavy missal across the room and bro!e the fgurines on the
It was a /o!e. Ade Co!er was laughingP so was his wi-e Fewande. ut apa did not laugh. 0a/a and I turned and went bac! upstairs silently. Ade Co!erP ,ambili age DJ +hough apa and Ade Co!er through the 7tandard see! to tell the truth about the government the Achi!e children are not urged to tell the truth about their own lives. +o apa being a good Nigerian entails two things [ e4posing corruption and strict adherence to -aith. apa believes it is his duty to deliver his country and his children to heaven. 6e holds both up to e4treme standards. +hough he is considered a hero -or fghting against corruption his actions as a disciplinarian in the home ma!e him a monster. 5ltimately apa is neither. 6e is a \awed person. I loo!ed at 0a/a and wondered i- the dimness in his eyes was shame. I suddenly wished -or him that he had done the ima mmuo the initiation into the spirit world. I !new very little about itP women were not supposed to !now anything at all since it was the frst step toward the initiation to manhood. ut 0a/a once told me that he heard that boys were \ogged and made to bathe in the presence o- a taunting crowd. +he only time apa had tal!ed about the ima mmuo was to say that the Christians who let their sons do it were con-used that they would end up in hellfre. ,ambili age J +his is the beginning o- 0a/a1s trans-ormation. +he Christmas holiday spent in the company o- Aunty I-eoma and secretly apa@ Nnu!wu is li!e an intiation ceremony o- its own. 0a/a is e4posed to a di2erent way o- li-e both through the liberal belie-s o- his aunt and the traditionalist rituals o- his grand-ather. 0a/a compares himsel- to ?biora
who is well@spo!en and mature -or his age. ?biora has done the ima mmuo in his -ather1s hometown. +hough his -ather is dead ?biora seems to have a deeper connection with his -ather1s ancestors. 0a/a is not permitted to visit with his grand-ather -or more than f-teen minutes a year. 6is shame at not ta!ing part in the initiation prompts 0a/a to question the authority o- his -ather. 1I thought the Igwe was supposed to stay at his place and receive guests. I didn1t !now he visits people1s homes1 Ama!a said as we went downstairs. kI guess that1s because your -ather is a ig Zan.1 I wished she had said k5ncle ugene1 instead o- kyour -ather.1 7he did not even loo! at me as she spo!e. I -elt loo!ing at her that I was helplessly watching precious \a4en sand slip away between my fngers. Ama!aP ,ambili age $ Ama!a is not a-raid to spea! her mind. 7he does not o2er apa the same terse respect that ,ambili is compelled to. +hough Ama!a is derisive towards her ,ambili longs to be understood by her cousin. Ama!a represents an alternative version o- hersel- [ confdent inquisitive and aware o- her body. ,ambili wants to be li!e her cousin even though she does not -ully comprehend her ways. :hen she made a 5@turn and went bac! the way we had come I let my mind dri-t imagining Mod laying out the hills o- Nsu!!a with his wide white hands crescent@moon shadows underneath his nails /ust li!e 3ather enedict1s. ,ambili age &$&
,ambili fnds Mod in the natural world. +he hands she envisions creating the hills o- Nsu!!a are white as she has been taught to accept a white image o- Mod. ,ambili1s e4periences with Aunty I-eoma1s -amily have opened her eyes to di2erent types o- -aiths. Aunty I-eoma herselsuccess-ully blends traditionalist ways with her Catholic -aith. At this point ,ambili still clings to her ingrained understanding o- -aith.
1Zorality as well as the sense o- taste is relative.1 ?biora age &DK ?biora as the son o- a university pro-essor o- A-rican studies is encouraged to question authority. +his statement opposes what ,ambili and 0a/a are taught. +hey are only o2ered one path towards success. +his discourse is at the heart o- the boo!. +here are no moral absolutes in Purple Hibiscus. ,ambili loves her -ather though he abuses her and her -aith remains strong even when it is used as a tool -or repression. ,ambili learns this lesson on her /ourney. 1+his cannot go on nwunye m1 Aunty I-eoma said. k:hen a house is on fre you run out be-ore the roo- collapses on your head.1 Aunty I-eoma age "&$ Aunty I-eoma cannot believe that Zama would consider returning to her home a-ter the beating@induced miscarriage. Aunty I-eoma does not understand that the Achi!e -amily has been living in a burning house -or a long time. In the early chapters o- the novel Zama su2ers the same -ate losing a child because o- apa1s violence. ut this time Zama listens to Aunty I-eoma1s plainspo!en advice. +hough she does return to nugu Zama begins poisoning apa shortly therea-ter. Gain splashed across the \oor o- the veranda even though the sun blazed and I had to narrow my eyes to loo! out the door o- Aunty I-eoma1s living room. Zama used to tell 0a/a and me that Mod was undecided about what to send rain or sun. :e would sit in our rooms and loo! out at the raindrops glinting with sunlight waiting -or Mod to decide. ,ambili age "&
,ambili1s belie- in Mod1s connection to nature is inspired by Zama. +hough she does not hold on to many traditional rituals outside o- Igbo song she draws parallels with the Catholic Mod and Chu!wu. As Mod created the world and is omnipresent Chu!wu built the earth and is associated everything in it. ,ambili is undecided as well. 6er home is in nugu but having tasted a -reer way o- li-e in Nsu!!a she -eels con\icted about her -uture. 7he loves apa but does not want to live in his shadow. 7he pic!ed up an enterprising snail that was crawling out o- the open bas!et. 7he threw it bac! in and muttered kMod ta!e power -rom the devil.1 I wondered i- it was the same snail crawling out being thrown bac! in and then crawling out again. ;etermined. I wanted to buy the whole bas!et and set that one snail -ree. ,ambili age "$J ,ambili -eels a!in to the snail. 7he is trapped in the bas!et o- her -ather1s home and when she goes to Nsu!!a she is crawling towards -reedom. +hough she may not recognize that she is as determined as the snail her strength grows as it is nurtured by the love o- her aunt and 3ather Amadi. +hat night when I bathed with a buc!et hal- -ull o- rainwater I did not scrub my le-t hand the hand that 3ather Amadi had held gently to slide the \ower o2 my fnger. I did not heat the water either because I was a-raid that the heating coil would ma!e the rainwater lose the scent o- the s!y. I sang as I bathed. +here were more earthworms in the bathtub and I le-t them alone watching the water carry them and send them down the drain.
,ambili age "K@"# ,ambili wants to bathe in the scent o- the s!y. +he Igbo god Chu!wu lives in the s!y. ,ambili wants to honor nature here and also retain the elements o- her happy memories. 7he lets the earthworms be this time. 6aving -ound her voice she sings. 6ere she revels in the natural world. 1,ambili is right1 she said. k7omething -rom Mod was happening there.1 Aunty I-eoma age "D Aunty I-eoma notices that 3ather Amadi is loo!ing at ,ambili be-ore she says this. ,ambili is li!e a new girl. 7he is confdent and happy blossoming in the attention o- her aunt1s -amily and also 3ather Amadi. 6er coming o- age complete with frst crush has been a gi-t -rom Mod. ven though she didn1t see the apparition Aunty I-eoma saw new li-e in her niece. >?- course Mod does. Boo! at what 6e did to his -aith-ul servant 0ob even to 6is own 7on. ut have you ever wondered why :hy did 6e have to murder his own son so we would be saved :hy didn1t he /ust go ahead and save us> 0a/a age "J 0a/a brea!s with his -aith at this point. 6is questioning o- the ible1s parables has resonance in his own li-e. +he treatment o- the son by the -ather pertains to the abuse su2ered at the hands o- apa as well. apa and his -aith is literally and fguratively dead to 0a/a at this point. 1:e will ta!e 0a/a to Nsu!!a frst and then we1ll go to America to visit Aunty I-eoma1 I said. k:e1ll plant new orange trees in Abba when we
come bac! and 0a/a will plant purple hibiscus too and I1ll plant i4ora so we can suc! the /uices o- the \owers.1 I am laughing. I reach out and place my arm around Zama1s shoulder and she leans toward me and smiles. Above clouds li!e dyed cotton wool hang low so low I -eel I can reach out and squeeze the moisture -rom them. +he new rains will come down soon. ,ambili age $#K@$# 7everal themes are at play in this quote. ,ambili1s laughter signals that she has -ully come in to her own able to support hersel- as well as Zama. 6er reverence -or nature comes across in her planting o- new orange trees in her ancestral town a symbol o- new li-e and new beginnings. 0a/a1s purple hibiscus a symbol o- -reedom will bloom again. +he i4ora plants were a -avorite o- 3ather Amadi and the memories owhen ,ambili -elt most whole will spring to li-e with a new planting oi4ora. +he 8new rains9 symbolize the hope o- a new beginning as the environment plays a ma/or symbolic role in this novel. +his boo! ends on a hope-ul note.
C"l"nialim? n%epen%ence an% C"rrupti"n +he frst line o- the novel includes an allusion to Chinua Achebe1s masterpiece Thin"s Fall Apar$ . ?ne o- the frst prominent nglish@language Nigerian novels Thin"s Fall Apar$ chronicles an Igbo man1s rise and -all in a village beset byuropean missionaries. In that novel the fctionalized tensions between the missionaries and the clan represent the clash between old and new ways. +he goal o- the missionaries is to convert the Nigerians to Christianity. :hile a portion o- missionaries intended to
preach their gospel while respecting the indigenous cultures others used their righteousness as /ustifcation -or oppressing and even enslaving Nigerians. +he presence o- the white people in Nigeria had political economic and religious implications. Clan rulers who were not amenable to the ritish were replaced with those that would cooperate. +his type ocorruption continued into the post@colonial era where those in power would reward their allies and oppress those who dissent. +he colonial period lasted -rom &JD# through &" when nationalist movements gained in popularity. In &K# Nigeria gained independence -rom ritain. ut this independence ushered in a wave o- instability culminating in a civil war. loody military coups displaced those in power. +he Igbo people created their own state the Gepublic o- ia-ra and declared independence in &K. 3or thirty months & to $ million people died in the civil war between the Nigerians and the ia-rans. In the &#s and &J#s oil dictated politics. +he boom o- oil production again ushered in a political system that was dictated by proft. Another wave o- military coups led to instability and corruption. 3or e4ample in &$ Meneral 7ani Abacha too! power and staved o2 overthrow by bribing the military. As the 6ead o- 7tate ig ?ga in Purple Hibiscus Abacha dies under unusual circumstances. 6undreds o-millions
o- dollars were -ound in secret accounts. +he military fnally returned the country to democracy in the & although those elections were widely perceived to be un-ree and un-air.
7everal !ey political fgures are either mentioned or fctionalized in urple 6ibiscus. Adichie has ac!nowledged that Ade Co!er1s li-e and death are nods to both ;ele Miwa murdered /ournalist and ,en 7aro@:iwa. 7aro@:iwa was a poet and author who protested on behal- o- the ?goni eople against the environmental ruin o- their ancestral home caused by massive oil drilling. 7aro@:iwa was an outspo!en critic against the government and was arrested and hanged under Abacha1s rule. Ama!a1s beloved 3ela Gansome ,uti is one o- the best@!nown Nigerian musicians. Bi!e apa ,uti was educated in ngland. ,uti created A-robeat a style o- music that blends /azz with traditional A-rican rhythms. 6e railed against the colonial mentality o- his upbringing and advocated -or both a return to traditions and democracy. 6e was arrested beaten and tortured several times -or openly criticizing the government. +he popularity o- his music was seen as a threat to the military establishment.
Purple 6ibicu 4ummary an% Analyi Chapter #ne AG+ ?N [ GA,INM M?;7E ABZ 75N;AF 7ummary alm 7unday mar!s a change in the Achi!e household. Narrator ,ambili the &D@year old daughter o- a devout Catholic is terrifed o- the punishment her brother 0a/a will incur -or missing the day1s mass. :hen the -amily arrives home-rom church apa demands an e4planation -rom his son. :hy did he not receive communion 0a/a says it is because the wa-er gives him bad breath. apa is shoc!ed and reminds 0a/a that not accepting the 6ost [ the body o- their Bord [ is death. 0a/a responds that he will die. apa then throws his heavy leather@bound missal across the room missing 0a/a but brea!ing his wi-e1s beloved fgurines. ,ambili1s apa ugene is a revered member o- nugu Nigeria. A prominent and wealthy business leader ugene is praised by 7t. Agnes1 white 3ather enedict -or using his power to spread the Mospel and spea! the truth. 6owever inside his own home he is a -eared authoritarian and strict disciplinarian. ,ambili notes the -ading blac! eye o- her Zama eatrice. ,ambili still ta!es pride in her -ather and his deeds though he urges the -amily to stay humble. +ensions rise in the Achi!e house throughout the day. 0a/a helps his Zama clean up the /agged pieces o- the fgurines while apa has his tea. ,ambili is dismayed that her -ather does not o2er her a 8love sip9 o- his tea. apa drin!s quietly as i- 0a/a had not /ust tal!ed bac! to him. ,ambili goes up to herroom and daydreams be-ore lunch. 7he stares out over the
e4pansive yard lined with -rangipani bougainvillea trees andhibiscus bushes. Zama1s red hibiscuses are the pride o- their parish. ach 7unday \owers are pluc!ed by Zama1s prayer group members. ven the government o*cials who 0a/a say try to bribe apa cannot resist the hibiscus. +he usual 7unday routines do not occur. Zama does not plait ,ambili1s hair in the !itchen and 0a/a does not go up to his own room to read be-ore lunch. ,ambili comes downstairs when lunch is served by 7isi the servant girl. apa says grace over the meal a ritual lasting more than twenty minutes. 6e addresses the lessed `irgin as ?ur Bady 7hield othe eople o- Nigeria a title he has invented. +he meal proceeds in silence until Zama mentions that a new product has been delivered to the house that a-ternoon [ bottles o- cashew /uice -rom one o- apa1s -actories. apa pours a glass o- the yellow liquid -or each member o- the -amily. ,ambili hopes that i- she praises the /uice apa will -orget that he has not yet punished 0a/a -or his insubordination. oth ,ambili and Zama o2er !ind words to apa about the /uice. 0a/a says nothing. apa stares at his son and again demands an e4planation. 0a/a says he has no words in his mouth. 6e then e4cuses himsel- be-ore apa can give the fnal prayer. ,ambili swallows all o- her cashew /uice and has a severe coughing ft. ,ambili spends the rest o- the night sic! in her room. oth apa and Zama come to chec! on her but she is nauseated and deep in thought about her brother. Zama o2ers her some soup but ,ambili vomits. 7he as!s about 0a/a who did not visit her a-ter dinner. Zama tells her daughter
that 0a/a did not come down -or supper either. ,ambili then as!s about Zama1s fgurines. Zama will not replace them. ,ambili lies in bed and realizes that apa1s missal did not /ust brea! Zama1s fgurines. verything was tumbling down. ,ambili thin!s 0a/a1s defance is li!e the purple hibiscus in herAunty I-eoma1s garden. +hey represent a new !ind o- -reedom unli!e the chants o- -reedom shouted at the Movernment Center. +he purple hibiscus represents a -reedom to do and to be. Analysis ,ambili narrates the boo! in the frst person but in the past tense. +he boo! has a unique structure that begins with the events o- alm 7unday as described in the frst chapter. +he ne4t twelve chapters chronicle the events that culminate in 0a/a s!ipping communion on alm 7unday. +he -ollowing -our chapters detail the immediate a-termath oalm 7unday. +he fnal chapter which is the indicated as the present is three years a-ter the events o- the rest o- the novel. ,ambili now eighteen years old is narrating what happens to her and her-amily when she is f-teen. +hrough her eyes we see the destruction o- her -amily as well as the crumbling political situation o- Nigeria. +old -rom a child1s perspective the novel is not overtly political and the debates on corruption un-old through conversation and overhearing. 7ince ,ambili is not directly involved in activism readers can draw their own conclusions about the political landscape -rom the personal e4perience o- a young Nigerian. 6er understanding o- her -amily1s pro@democracy stance is enhanced by her e4periences with her liberal aunt.
,ambili1s /ourney is a coming o- age story set against multiple tyrannies. +he corruption o- her local government plays out in the bac!ground as ,ambili is removed -rom direct stri-e due to her -amily1s wealth. 6er -ather1s strict Catholic rule o- their house is the greater tyranny ,ambili must cope with. 7he alludes to emotions and events that will play out in the rest o- the novel in the opening line 8+hings started to -all apart at home when my brother 0a/a did not go to communion9 :e !now there is trouble to come since the opening paragraph contains an eruption o- violence. +hough we do not see any abuse in this frst chapter ,ambili1s -ear is palpable. 6er concern -or the well@being o- her brother signifes not only the punishments they have received in the past but also that 0a/a1s behavior is new. +his is a coming o- age story -or 0a/a as well. Geligion is at the -ore-ront o- the Achi!e -amily. ,ambili1s -aith is strong as she has been raised to be a devout Catholic girl. 6owever religion in Nigeria and also -or ,ambili is more complicated than it appears. +he white image o- Mod was brought over by colonialist ritish missionaries. Conversion to Catholicism -or many Nigerians means eradicating their roots and traditions. +he Achi!es do not participate in any 8heathen9 or 8pagan9 rituals and are there-ore singled out as model Catholics. ,ambili is led to believe that anything traditional is evil so she is severed -rom her ancestry. ,ambili grows aware o- the hypocrisy o- her -ather1s position as religious leader. +hough he is praised -or his commitment to the truth as published in his newspaper the Achi!es are -orbidden to tell the truth about the situation in their own home. apa1s punishments are attempts to ma!e his children per-ect in the eyes o- both
the community and Mod. 6e does not en/oy abusing his -amily but he believes he must correct their behavior. Zama is less severe than apa o-ten pointing out the more beauti-ul natural world o- Mod. ,ambili ta!es solace in the natural world especially in her mother1s -amous red hibiscuses. Zama1s connection with nature and respect -or the natural world represents another dimension o- -aith. Zama fnds Mod in the natural world not /ust in the rosary. ,ambili1s relationship with Mod is comple4 consisting o- the -ear o- hell instilled by apa and the reverence -or beauty instilled by Zama. +heir relationship with apa is comple4 as well. +hough it is clear that her -ather rules their household with an iron fst a deep love -or her apa is evident. 7he swells with pride when3ather enedict praises apa1s deeds and charity. ,ambili represents modern A-rica at a crossroads between colonial -aith and traditional views. 6er church does not allow any worship in Igbo their native language. +here is constant tension between the Igbo rituals and the rigid :estern mores o- Catholicism. 0a/a1s heresy and insubordination is startling and ,ambili becomes ill -rom the stress. 6er coughing ft at dinner is a physical reaction to the change that has come over 0a/a. As e4plored more -ully in the ne4t section ,ambili1s repression mani-ests itsel- in a loss o- words. 0a/a and Zama1s actions are symbolic o- the events that will un-old throughout the rest o- the novel. :hen tal!ing to her mother a-ter supper ,ambili notes the recent scar on her -ace. Zama is a victim o- apa1s abuse but there is a sense that she will be putting a stop to the violence. As illustrated in the -ollowing section Zama1s fgurines are a source o-
escapism -rom the tensions o- home li-e. :hen she tells ,ambili that she will not replace them it is a signal that she is -acing reality. 0a/a1s bac!@ tal! to his -ather signifes that he will no longer adhere to a -aith he does not believe in simply because he is threatened by violence. oth 0a/a and Zama are standing up to apa.
Chapter .w" AG+ +:? [ 7A,INM :I+6 ?5G 7IGI+7E 3?G ABZ 75N;AF Chapter +wo 7ummary Zama brings ,ambili1s school uni-orm inside be-ore it rains. Although it is not proper -orolder people to do chores Zama does not mind. ,ambili thin!s there is a lot that Zama does not mind. Zama tells ,ambili that she is pregnant due in ?ctober. It is a relie- -or Zama. A-ter ,ambili was born she su2ered miscarriages. +he women o- their village gossiped about her even suggesting apa ta!e other wives to help propagate the line. ut apa re-used. ,ambili agrees that her -ather should be praised [ he is not li!e other men. Zama hosts members o- ?ur Bady o- theZiraculous Zedal a prayer group consisting o- women in nugu. +hey pray and sing praise songs in Igbo their native tongue. Zama prepares a lavish spread -or the group going above and beyond the normal -are. As she is the wi-e o- one o- the most prominent men in their village she must uphold certain standards. 0a/a comes home -rom school dressed in his crisp uni-orm. Bast year he was named neatest boy at 7t. Nicholas to the delight o- apa. 0a/a goes to ,ambili1s room and they tal! about Zama1s baby. ,ambili believes
they spea! a special language with their eyes [ sharing thoughts that can1t be spo!en out loud. 0a/a says the baby will be a boy and they both promise to protect him. +hough they do not say his name they will protect him -rom apa. 0a/a goes downstairs to eat lunch and ,ambili glances at her schedule. 6er -ather draws up a daily schedule -or both o- his children. ach activity is clearly delineated and must be strictly adhered to. apa allows time -or studying prayer -amily time siesta eating and sleeping. ,ambili wonders when her -ather will create a schedule -or her new brother. +he ne4t day during scheduled -amily time the -amily plays chess and listens to the radio. A general comes on air and declares that a new coup has been carried out in Nigeria. +he new head o- state will be revealed the -ollowing day. apa e4cuses himsel- to call Ade Co!er editor o- the paper that apa publishes. :hen he returns apa tells his -amily he is uneasy about the coup. In the &K#s a cycle o- bloody coupsled to civil war. Zilitary men will always violently overthrow other military men he says. apa1s paper +he 7tandard is critical o- its government. Ade Co!er o-ten runs scathing editorials reporting on secret ban! accountsocabinet members who ta!e money that belongs to the state. ven though the politicians are o-ten corrupt apa wants a renewed democracy in his country. +he 7tandard publishes an editorial the -ollowing day urging the new military head o- state to implement a return to democratic rule.
apa reads the headlines printed in other papers. 6e maintains the 7tandard is the only paper that tells the truth. 6is -amily praises his wor! but he is not com-orted. apa thin!s Nigeria is in decline. ,ambili tells him Mod will deliver them. apa nods and ,ambili is pleased with the positive rein-orcement. Analysis Zama brings ,ambili her uni-orm even though it is not proper -or older people to do the chores o- young people. 8there was so much that Zama did not mind.9 Zama is thought-ul and caring and in subtle ways \outs convention i- it is unreasonable. 5nli!e apa she will not insist on -ollowing only 8what is done.9 It is a simple gesture but meaning-ul in the conte4t o- the issues presented in the boo! [ authority vs. reason duty vs. love and -amilial relationships. +hough Zama is not as liberal and independent as Aunty I-eoma her love -or her -amily allows her to brea! certain minor rules. Zama1s pregnancy is cause -or much celebration as she has had miscarriages in the past. 6er pregnancy will also quell town gossip. apa has re-used to ta!e another mistress or wi-e even though propagating is traditionally the most important convention. Zama believes he should be praised -or staying with her as does ,ambili. 6owever apa is con-orming to his Catholic belie-s. 6e does not consider enacting on any local ancestral traditions. 6is strict adherence to his religion has both positive and negative e2ects on his -amily. apa maintains the nuclear -amily unit but lords his power over his children in the name o- Mod. Geligion is not
deemed overall 8good9 or 8bad.9 3aith is portrayed as realistically comple4. Geligion can be corrupted by those who wield it. Aunty I-eoma1s children argue that uropeans introduced Christianity as a way to subdue the natives o- countries they colonized. apa1s abuse o- his -amily is his interpretation o- wielding Mod1s love. ower corrupts as well. apa uses his prosperity -or good unli!e government o*cials. 6e donates to charities and helps his neighbors in need. apa is a man who lives by his own unique moral code. 6e is uncompromising in his fght -or what he believes is right. News o- the latest military coup ma!es apa uneasy. 6aving witnessed several bloody coups culminating in a civil war apa understands that his country will -ace several di*culties in the -uture. apa ta!es a stand against political corruption by publishing pro@ democracy editorials in his newspaper. apa cannot be considered either a hero or a villain but rather a complicated human being. It is important that the Achic!es !eep up appearances. Zama puts out a lavish spread -or her prayer group going above and beyond what is necessary. apa ta!es pride in 0a/a1s award o- neatest boy at school. +he portrayal o- the Achi!e -amily to the outside world must be spotless. ven though at home apa allows himsel- a moment o- pride in his wor! at the 7tandard he insists his -amily be impassive when they are praised -or the same deeds in church. +he Achi!es must be paragons o- virtue humble and -aith-ul. ut this moment o- pride reveals hypocrisy in apa. 6e holds his -amily to an impossible standard o- per-ection.
,ambili believes that she and her brother communicate through a secret language in their eyes. As illustrated by their respect-ul silence both in church and at home spea!ing the truth is not an option. 0a/a tells ,ambili that they will protect their new brother but do not dare to utter that it is -rom apa that he will be protected. +hough ,ambili &D and 0a/a & are teenagers they are sheltered and immature -or their age. +he considerable strain placed on their bac!s by their -ather has rendered them childli!e. ,ambili1s secret language reveals an innocence but also a naivete. +his is the beginning o- a coming@o-@age story.
Chapter .hree 7ummary In the wee!s -ollowing the coup ,ambili notices a change in the atmosphere. As articles in the 7tandard are growing morecritical and questioning the other papers read at -amily time seem more subdued than usual. :hen ,evin the driver ta!es the !ids to school they pass demonstrators at the Movernment Center. +he car bears green branches a symbol o- solidarity with the activists so that they may pass through the -ray. ,ambili wonders what it would be li!e to /oin their cause but she can only watch -rom the car window. In later wee!s ,ambili notes an escalation o- military presence. 7oldiers line the main road armed with guns. +hey search cars at will holding the drivers at the side o- the road at gunpoint. ut nothing changes at home e4cept -or Zama1s growing belly. +he -amily goes to mass on entecost 7unday. Zama wears a red wrapper the same color as the visiting priest1s robe. +he priest gives his sermon but
does not openly praise 7t. Agnes as other visiting priests have in the past. 6e also sings a song in Igbo and the congregation is shoc!ed. Zany sing along but apa eyes his -amily to ma!e sure their lips are sealed. ?n the way to visit 3ather enedict a-ter mass apa derides the visiting priest. 6e claims he is godless and people li!e him who blend traditional A-rican ways with the church are troublema!ers. :hen they arrive Zama decides to stay in the car because she -eels ill. apa stares at her then as!s again i- she will come in to see 3ather enedict. 7he insists that she doesn1t -eel right but a-ter a stern silence she fnally agrees to get out o- the car. apa tal!s to 3ather enedict in hushed tones while the rest othe -amily waits in the living room. 3ather enedict as!s Zama i- she is o!ay because she loo!s so ashen. 7he says her allergies are bothering her but she is fne. 3ather enedict then as!s ,ambili and 0a/a i- they en/oyed the sermon. As i- rehearsed they both answer the same way at the same time with a simple 8Fes 3ather.9 A-ter the visit Zama insists on serving apa his tea even though this duty usually -alls to 7isi. apa gives 0a/a and ,ambili 8love sips9 o- the tea and then thechildren go to their rooms to change out o- their church clothes. +hey -ollow Zama up the stairs in silence. All 7unday activities are quiet [ the children are scheduled re\ection time to study a particular passage in the ible in addition to evening rosary. 0a/a tells Zama that she should rest and be-ore she can answer she covers her mouth and runs to her room to vomit.
Bunch is silent as well. ,ambili waits -or the prayer thin!ing about the birds outside and loo!ing at a portrait o- herMrand-ather. 6er -ather fnally spea!s o2ering frst than!s -or the -ood. 6e then as!s Mod to -orgive those who wish to thwart 6is will by not wanting to visit 6is servant. Zama1s 8Amen9 resonates throughout the room. A-ter lunch ,ambili is in her room studying the ible when she hears loud thuds coming -rom her parents1 room. +his is a -amiliar sound. 7he sits and closes her eyes while counting. 5sually the noises end by the time she reaches twenty. y nineteen her -ather leaves his room with Zama slung over his shoulder. 0a/a and ,ambili watch as he ta!es her outside. 0a/a notices there is blood on the \oor. +hey scrub the \oor clean. Zama does not come home that evening and ,ambili and 0a/a eat dinner alone. +hey tal! about a televised e4ecution o- three men. 0a/a says grace o2ering a small prayer -or Zama. apa comes home later his eyes red and swollen. 6e hugs ,ambili and tells her Zama will be fne @ bac! tomorrow a-ter school. Zama does come home the ne4t day and in-orms her daughter that the baby is gone. Zama consoles hersel- by polishing her beloved ballerina fgurines. ,ambili goes upstairs to study but the words in her te4tboo! turn to blood. 7he envisions blood \owing -rom Zama and -rom her own eyes. At Zass on 7unday apa ma!es his -amily stay in church a-ter the service so that they can recite si4teen novenas -or Zama1s -orgiveness. 3ather enedict douses them in holy water and ,ambili tries not to thin! about what Zama would need to be -orgiven -or. Analysis
+ensions are rising both in Nigeria and in the Achi!e household. +he political unrest is increasing with pro@democracy activists assembling near Movernment Centers. +he increased presence o- soldiers and dangerous road bloc!s create an environment ri-e with violence. ven the televised e4ecutions don1t elicit much reaction -rom ,ambili and 0a/a. +hey are already living in the shadow o- violence. +hey are so desensitized to violence that they wordlessly clean up their mother1s blood a-ter she su2ers a severe beating. ,ambili watches the protestors -rom the sa-ety o- her car wondering what it would be li!e to /oin them. 6er wealth protects her -rom the more dangerous aspects o- li-e but it also shelters her. 6owever this is a -alse sense o- security. 3rom inside the same car apa demands Zama overcomes her sic!ness to visit with 3ather enedict. 3rom the outside the Achi!es have a per-ect e4istence but ,ambili1s li-e is -ar -rom ideal. Zama continues to !eep up appearances by insisting to 3ather enedict her allergies are the cause o- her ashen loo!. 7he must maintain the illusion that she is strong and happy. Although she sings Igbo songs with her prayer group she does not dare sing along with the visiting priest during the day1s mass. apa eyes his -amily to ma!e sure they stay silent. ven though Zama1s nod to her ancestral culture is permitted at home the Achi!es must maintain a colonial attitude in public. Again the image o- per-ection must be upheld. oth Zama and ,ambili fnd outlets -or escapism. +hroughout a tense silent lunch ,ambili concentrates on the picture o- her maternal Mrand-ather and the chirping o- birds in the garden. +he portrait o- her
Mrand-ather in -ull Catholic missionary garb serves as inspiration at frst. ,ambili strives to hold the same position o- honor as her Mrand-ather who was beloved by apa. 7he wants to be beloved by apa and believes by emulating her Mrand-ather1s godliness she will earn his respect. Zama polishes her fgurines as a distraction -rom the palpable disappointment o- her husband. :hen they brea! in the frst chapter the illusions come crashing down. +he reality that must not be spo!en is the abuse. :hen ,ambili hears repetitive thuds -rom her parents1 room she !nows what is happening. ven though the incident is told through frst@person narration [ ostensibly ,ambili1s thoughts [ the abuse is not directly stated. ,ambiil1s childli!e naivete betrays itsel- here. As a child in need oprotection her own mind guards her -rom the truth. +o not spea! the truth is to deny its e4istence. 3urthermore pain and love are interwoven in her mind. :hen she ta!es a 8love sip9 o- apa1s tea she 8-eels the love burning on her tongue.9 +he discipline is synonymous with love. +here is a patriarchal hierarchy in the Achi!e household. Zama and the children do not have any power. :hen Zama loses her child as the result o- a severe beating apa ma!es the -amily say a special prayer a novena to atone -or the loss. apa e4plains that they must as! -or Zama1s -orgiveness. 7e4ism is inherent in both traditional and colonial A-rican society. ven liberated Aunty I-eoma is told by her -ather in Chapter 7i4 that she 8doesn1t count9 because she is a girl. ut where I-eoma with her wisdom intelligence and -ortitude can brush away such insults Zama ta!es them to heart. Zama raised by an austere Catholic
marries an austere Catholic and is privy to no other way o- li-e. Zama abides the se4ism and ,ambili in the end o- this chapter does not even want to thin! about why she needs to be -orgiven. ut that is about to change.
Chapter $"ur 7ummary Ade Co!er1s wi-e Fewande comes to the Achi!e house in tears. 0a/a snea!s down to the !itchen and listens. 6e tells ,ambili that Ade has been arrested by soldiers on his wayhome -rom the 7tandard. 6is car has been abandoned the driver1s door le-t open. ,ambili thin!s he was arrested because o- his article accusing the 6ead o- 7tate and his wi-e o- paying people to transport heroin abroad. apa assures Fewande that her husband will be protected by Mod. At school ,ambili receives her report card. Although Zother Bucy the principal at ;aughters o- the Immaculate 6eart praises her intelligence and obedience ,ambili is disappointed that she is ran!ed only second. apa will not be proud. 6e o-ten tells his children he does not spend so much money on tuition so that his children can be second. 6is godless -ather never paid a cent -or his own education and he always ran!ed frst. Zama is waiting by the door to greet them with a song in Igbo. ,ambili tells her she ran!ed only second and Zama pauses. 7he !nows too well that apa will not bepleased. apa comes home and visits 0a/a1s room frst. 0a/a is ran!ed frst as always and apa ta!es his time. :hen
he gets to ,ambili1s room she is terrifed. 6e does not punish her now only as!s her who came in frst. At dinner the -amily samples a new biscuit produced at apa1s -actory. +he -amily praises his wor!. A-terwards apa tells ,ambili to come upstairs. 7he -ollows him to his room and she sits on the bed and ta!es o2 her slippers sin!ing her toes into the plush cream carpet. 6is room loo!s li!e heaven [ ,ambili -ondly remembers the times apa would com-ort her here when she was a child. 6e tells her that she did not come in frst because she chose not to. ,ambili braces hersel- but a phone call interrupts them. apa is preoccupied by Ade Co!er1s ordeal. ,ambili waits to be punished. ven whenAde Co!er is released -rom /ail a wee! later her report card is not mentioned. Ade than!s apa in the 7tandard and ,ambili ta!es pride in her -ather1s bravery. +hough Ade does not publicly tal! about his time in prison apa learns he was tortured. Cigarettes were put out on his bac!. apa decides that they will publish the 7tandard underground to !eep the sta2 sa-e. Zama ta!es 0a/a and ,ambili to the mar!etto buy new sandals and bags be-ore the new school term. +he mar!et is a di2erent world -rom their estate [ women loudly haggle with vegetable sellers men -reely urinate against walls merchants fght over customers. +his time the mar!et is evenmore chaotic than usual as soldiers hassle the village women and demolish vegetable stands. Zama ushers her children into the car but watches a woman crying desperately in the dirt. apa drives ,ambili to school on her frst day bac!. ;aughters o- the Immaculate 6eart is protected by high walls erected to !eep haw!ers out.
At his request ,ambili ta!es her -ather to her classroom. +hey are intercepted by 7ister Zargaret who than!s him -or his generous donation to renovate the library. As he spea!s to her apa changes his accent so that he sounds more ritish. apa as!s ,ambili to point out Chinwe Fideze the girl who came in frst. 6e as!s her how many heads she has. +hen he ta!es out a mirror and as!s how many heads ,ambili has. apa tells her that since she has one head /ust as Chinwe has there is no e4cuse to come second. Chinwe is not special. apa tells her that since they are privileged Mod e4pects more out o- her. 6e leaves her to /oin her classmates at assembly. +he new term is begins with assembly. +he students sing a welcoming song -rom the Catholic 6ymnal and Zother Bucy reads -rom the ible. +he national anthem and pledge -ollow a new ritual at ,ambili1s school. ?nly the Nigerian 7isters sing the anthem. Zother Bucy chooses ,ambili to lead the pledge and she panics. 7he fnally stutters the opening lines and the rest o- the class /oins in. ,ambili1s -riend zinne greets her and as!s i- she traveled over brea!. ,ambili yearns to than! zinne -or tal!ing to her and not calling her a 8bac!yard snob9 as the rest o- the girls do. Chinwe clearly the most popular girl in school says hello to zinne and other classmates. 7he has never tal!ed to ,ambili so she passes right by her. zinne gossips telling ,ambili that Chinwe buys Co!e and biscuits -or the other students at brea!. +hey \oc! to her because she is rich and outgoing. Chinwe started calling ,ambili 8bac!yard snob9 because she is so quiet choosing to spend brea!s in the library instead o- with others. Chinwe assumes
,ambili -eels too big to socialize. ,ambili cannot tell zinne the truth [ she runs home because she is not allowed to be late. verything she does is to prevent punishment. Analysis apa ta!es his -amily1s privilege very seriously. In a country that is wrac!ed with poverty the Achi!e wealth must be /ustifed by duty. 6e tells ,ambili 8ecause Mod has given you much he e4pects much -rom you.9 +here is no e4cuse -or coming in second place. 6is -ather did not pay -or his own education yet he always strove to be the best. apa demands e4cellence -rom his children and gets results only by instilling -ear in them. A-ter he leaves ,ambili /oins her classmates in the assembly. :hen Zother Bucy calls on her to lead the pledge ,ambili cho!es up. y invo!ing Mod in his speech apa equates -ailure with sin. 7he is terrifed to ma!e one -alse step and there-ore cannot even handle a simple tas!. 6owever ,ambili does have -ond memories o- her -ather. :hen she is called into his room to presumably be punished she slips o2 her shoes and digs her toes into the plush white carpet. +his room carries memories o- both punishment and protection. :hile waiting -or a potential beating ,ambili remembers being enveloped by a cream@colored blan!et during a storm. +his moment o- -atherly love is a memory she holds on to. It is a symbol o- paternal love that has been -ractured by the severe punishments. 7ince ,ambili at this point cannot imagine another way oli-e she chooses to cling to the good memories to distract her -rom the pain.
+here is a storm in Nigeria. e-ore ,ambili can be punished apa is called away with news o- Ade Co!er1s arrest. apa is a man that is balancing his flial duty with his duty as a citizen. 6e applies a sliding scale o- morality to the men who wor! -or him at the 7tandard. apa gives them bonuses and vacation as a way to protect them -rom the government1s wrath. apa is aghast when he learns about Ade1s torture. 6owever he in\icts physical torment on his own -amily. apa can rationalize these two parado4ical belie-s because he is doing Mod1s wor!. 6e is saving his -amily -rom damnation and spea!ing out against corruption. At the mar!et the presence o- the soldiers is disquieting. Zama and the children watch a woman harassed by these men while shopping. 5nli!e with the rioters they are near to the violence. Zama ushers her children into the car quic!ly but the emotional e2ect o- seeing the hassled woman in the dirt has already ta!en its toll. Zama does not tell her children to loo! away as she did at the roadbloc!. 6ere she watches the woman scream in despair as the car pulls away. 7he sympathizes with the woman even though she is protected by her status. +his is the frst instance where Zama identifes with a victim recognizing hersel- in the -ace o- someone less -ortunate. ,ambili is perceived by her classmates as a bac!yard snob. 3or most o- the novel ,ambili is unable to de-end hersel- -rom such casual slander because she is saddled with having to both avoid punishment and distract -rom the truth. :hen her -ather visits her school he spea!s in the sameritish@in\ected nglish he uses with 3ather enedict. 0ust as apa
disguises his voice to portray a more polished persona ,ambili disguises her personal mis-ortune. 6er wealth is a stic!ing point with the classmates who disli!e her. Class tensions hamper the relationship with her cousin as well. ecause she is unable to tell anyone o- her responsibilities in their eyes she behaves oddly. +hough ,ambili is called a snob she is the e4act opposite. 6er sel-@worth is tied to her -ather1s /udgment.
Chapter $ie 7ummary y the end o- the term ,ambili remains the bac!yard snob carrying the heavy burden o- besting Chinwe in her studies. At ;ecember brea! she receives a report card with &H"D written at the top. 7he is ran!ed frst. +he -amily prepares to spend Christmas in Abba +own where apa was raised. +he cars are loaded with supplies @ beans rice yams plantains and liquor. +hey drive out o- their gated street towards the commercial section Ninth Zile reciting &# rosaries apiece. apa buys only bread and o!pa (beans) but he gives money to all o- the many haw!ers who descend upon their car. As they drive to their sprawling estate in Abba +own villagers wave to apa and call him 8?melora.9 In Abba he has earned an honorary title that means 8?ne :ho ;oes 3or +he Community.9 oys run with the car into their compound and apa gives them each a &# Naira note. As ?melora apa and the Achi!e -amily provide -or the town. 7isi unloads thecoo!ing equipment that will be used to prepare enough -ood -or the entire village. Zama and 7isi do not coo! but will supervise the women othe umunna (e4tended -amily) in the Achi!e compound. +his is Christmas tradition -ollowed by all prominent members o- Abba +own. Ade Co!er his wi-e and children stop by on their way to Bagos. Ade is play-ul with his children throwing his in-ant up in the air. 6e tries to laugh with ,ambili and 0a/a but they only respond to his questions with a yes or no. Ade tells apa that his !ids are always so quiet. apa agrees [ his children are not li!e noisy undisciplined !ids with no -ear o- Mod. Ade
wonders what the 7tandard would be li!e i- everyone at the paper was quiet too. In Abba 0a/a and ,ambili do not have schedules. apa is !ept busy with town business church meetings and his duties as chie- o- the umunna. 6e agreed to ta!e the title only when all pagan undertones were removed -rom the ceremony. 6is title@ta!ing ceremony flled the home1s -our \oors. +hese days the -amily occupies only the frst two. ,ambili -eels the emptiness. +heir morning prayers are interrupted by visitors but apa implores them to wait in the living room. A-ter reciting their usual prayers apa concludes with a twenty minute prayer -or the people oNigeria. 6e includes a wish -or his own -ather1s conversion. apa@Nnu!wu apa1s -ather -ollows the traditions o- the Igbo people. apa thin!s he is a heathen and has o2ered him lu4uries in e4change -or converting to Christianity. apa@Nnu!wu re-uses. ach Christmas however 0a/a and ,ambili are allowed to spend &D minutes at apa@Nnu!wu1s home. apa sends a slim wad o- cash to his -ather as well but does not visit himsel-. apa@Nnu!wu is not permitted in their home either. 0a/a and ,ambili go to apa@Nnu!wu1s meager home. +hey e4change pleasantries apa@Nnu!wu complimenting both children on their growth. 6e o2ers them -ood but they re-use since they have been ordered to do so by their -ather. 7ince apa@Nnu!wu o2ers his -ood to his ancestors in a ritual each morning apa will not allow his Christian children to eat with their grand-ather. ,ambili cannot believe her -ather and his sister Aunty I-eoma grew up in this tiny place. A-ter their allotted time 0a/a nudges
,ambili to get up. ut she wants to stay to watch over her grand-ather. 3inally she rises and they say goodbye. apa accuses 0a/a and ,ambili o- staying longer than f-teen minutes with their grand-ather. 6e does not hit them as ,ambili e4pects him to do but he orders them to pray -or -orgiveness. apa then throws out a heathen member o- his umunna who is about apa@Nnu!wu1s age. apa does not respect his elders unless they share his -aith. ,ambili remembers the way apa treated Zama1s -ather. A light@s!inned missionary Mrand-ather was revered by apa. ,ambili remembers that he used the word sinner in nearly every sentence. 6is portrait hangs in nugu in a place o- pride. Analysis Ade Co!er compliments apa on the good behavior o- his children but is also amused by their silence. 6e says 8Imagine what the 7tandard would be i- we were all quiet.9 apa does not laugh at Ade1s /o!e. 6e is proud that he has raised his children with a -ear in Mod. Ade and his writers do not -ear the government even though they pose a ris! to their careers and lives. 3or apa the government does not have authority because he disagrees with them. Again this is evidence o- apa1s sliding scale o- morality. In his ancestral home apa is considered one o- the patriarchs othe umunna or e4tended -amily. 6e has done his best to remove traditionalist rituals -rom all celebrations in his home. +he people o- Abba re/oice when he comes to town because his -amily is tas!ed with hosting the entire umunna on Christmas. apa1s charity is not limited to /ust this
-eastP apa gives &# naira notes to the local children and donates to the church. 6owever his charity ma!es him uncom-ortable because the town does not abide by the strict measures apa demands. +he church garishly announces the amount he donates and the villagers have not abandoned its traditionalist ways. ut since Mod e4pects him to give bac! he has no choice but continue doling out money. 6is home is lavishly appointed but his children do not en/oy any o- the fneries. apa puts on a show o- his wealth because he is e4pected to. 6e does not authentically en/oy his wor!s. 6eathens are not allowed in apa1s home. 6is own -ather apa@ Nnu!wu has never step -oot in his sprawling mansion. Zama1s -ather !nown simply as Mrand-ather is revered because he was a Catholic missionary. ,ambili does not tal! about her Mrand-ather o-ten other than to note he used the word 8sinner9 in almost every sentence. It is clear there is no bond between ,ambili and her Mrand-ather. 6e is a looming fgure synonymous with his -aith devoid o- personality. :hen ,ambili and 0a/a visit apa@Nnu!wu -or their allotted f-teen minutes ,ambili searches -or godlessness in his -ace. 7he doesn1t fnd anything. Zoreover she wishes to stay and ta!e care o- her grand-ather. +here is a connection to her ancestors that her -ather is not able to blot out. :hen a man his -ather1s age comes to share in the -east apa throws him out. 6e echoes a sentiment that apa@Nnu!wu states in the -ollowing chapter. apa1s -aith equates 0esus the son with Mod the -ather. apa can boss around his elders because he believes he is their equal. 6is -aith erodes his traditional sense o- -amilial duty and imbues him with a
power over those who do not believe. 6is own son even at & is not allowed an equal standing as his -ather. +he relationship between -aith and money is complicated. As evidenced by the e4changes with both the priest in Abba and with Zother Bucy charity mani-ests itsel- monetarily. apa has o2ered his -ather lu4uries he cannot a2ord i- he is willing to convert. apa@Nnu!wu re-uses to trade his -aith -or money. +here is corruption evident in the church and corruption in apa1s power.
Chapter 4i0 7ummary apa1s widowed sister Aunty I-eoma arrives the ne4t day with her children. 7he is the opposite o- her brother [ lively play-ul and quic! to laugh. Aunty I-eoma calls Zama nwunye m Igbo -or 8my wi-e.9 Although she is a Christian she retains some o- her traditional upbringing. Zama e4plains to ,ambili that it means she is accepted. Zama and I-eoma tal! about the gossip in their respective umunnas. I-eoma1s in@laws spread rumors that she !illed her beloved husband. Zama1s umunna o-ten urges her husband to ta!e another wi-e. Zama was grate-ul to have I-eoma on her side. 7he says she doesn1t !now what she would have done i- apa le-t her. Aunty I-eoma says sometimesli-e begins a-ter marriage. ,ambili watches and listens to her aunt intently almost hypnotized by her manner and bronze lipstic!. Aunty I-eoma complainsthat li-e at the 5niversity in Nsu!!a where she teaches is getting increasingly di*cult. +eachers have not been paid in two months and some have emigrated to America. Aunty I-eoma can no longer a2ord coo!ing gas. Zama urges her
to as! her brother -or help. 7he insists the situation is not that dire. apa emerges and he begrudgingly obliges Aunty I-eoma1s request to ta!e ,ambili and 0a/a the -ollowing day -or 8sightseeing.9 7he does not tell him that part o- the trip will entail seeing the Aro -estival a traditional Igbo parade o- masquerading spirits called mmuo. ,ambili1s cousins arriveE Ama!a &D an inquisitive teenage girl ?biora & an intelligent and assured boy and Chima big -or his seven years. All !ids share their mother1s throaty laugh. Ama!a as!s ithey can watch CNN on the Achi!e>s satellite +`. ,ambili nearly cho!es every time Ama!a spea!s to her but she manages to e4plain they don1t watch much +`. Ama!a sneers and as!s i- she is bored with satellite. ,ambili lets the insult pass and does not tell her cousin the truth [ +` time is not in her schedule. :hen they leave ?biora and Chima say goodbye. Ama!a does not turn bac! to her cousin. +he ne4t day Aunty I-eoma pic!s up ,ambili and 0a/a. 7he suggests to ,ambili that she change into trousers but she politely declines. ,ambili again does not tell her aunt the truth [ she owns no trousers because it is sin-ul -or women to wear pants. ,ambili and 0a/a pile into the car Zama watching as they drive away. Aunty I-eoma announces they will pic! up apa@Nnu!wufrst and ,ambili1s stomach lurches. 0a/a and ,ambili do not get out o- the car at apa@Nnu!wu1s home. ,ambili e4plains that though they were allowed to visit him brie\y they must !eep their distance -rom pagans. Aunty I-eoma sha!es her head. apa@Nnu!wu climbs into the car and he /o!es about dying soon. +here is a -amiliarity to their banter. ,ambili and 0a/a do not laugh at any o- their /o!es.
Aunty I-eoma1s car passes apa1s house and apa@Nnu!wu sighs. +hough his son owns a huge compound there is o-ten nothing on his plate. 6e blames the missionaries -or leading apa astray. Aunty I-eoma inter/ects that she went to a missionary school as well and she still ta!es care o- her -ather. apa@Nnu!wu teases her but continues his story about the frst missionary in Abba. A white priest 3ather 0ohn gathers the local children and teaches them his religion. apa@Nnu!wu as!ed the priest about his Mod. 3ather 0ohn replies that his Mod is not unli!e Chu!wu apa@ Nnuw!u1s god because he lives in the s!y. apa@Nnu!wu also as!ed him about the man on the cross. 3ather 0ohn told him he is 0esus Mod1s son and they are equal. apa@Nnu!wu cannot believe that -ather and son would be equal. 6e thin!s his own son disrespects him because he believes he is equal. +he car arrives at the Aro -estival. Aunty I-eoma points out the parading mmuo which apa had once deemed devilish -ol!lore. ut they do not loo! dangerous to ,ambili. A person dressed as a woman spirit with a carved wooden mas! and rouged lips stops to dance. Crowds cheer and throw naira at her while boys play music. apa@Nnu!wu instructs the women to loo! away -rom a mmuo with a grimacing human s!ull mas!. A tortoise is tied to his head and a sna!e and three dead chic!ens hang -rom his costume. :omen run -ear-ully. apa@Nnu!wu e4plains that he is the most power-ul. 0a/a as!s how the people get into the costumes and apa@ Nnu!wu hushes him insisting they are spirits. 6e as!s 0a/a i- he had done his imo mmuo the initiation into the spirit world which is the frst step towards manhood. 0a/a says no shame in his eyes.
Aunty I-eoma drops o2 a sleepy apa@Nnu!wu and then ,ambili and 0a/a. 7he as!s her children i- they would li!e to go inside and Ama!a answers no in such a way that ma!es her brothers also decline. Aunty I-eoma waves to apa then hugs ,ambili and 0a/a tightly. +hat night ,ambili dreams she is laughing but the voice is not her own. 6er aunty1s throaty enthusiastic laugh escapes her own lips. Analysis Aunty I-eoma and Zama are two very di2erent women. +hough Aunty I-eoma grew up with apa she is a liberated woman who spea!s her mind. Zama dismisses I-eoma1s arguments as 8university tal!.9 Zama has no use -or logic that does not apply to her situation. Zama buys into the patriarchal paradigm. apa is the head o- the household and she is proud o- his accomplishments and how they re\ect on her -amily. apa o2ers the same lu4uries to Aunty I-eoma and her children but she re-uses to submit to his will. ;espite their di2erent perspectives Aunty I-eoma and Zama love each other. 5sing a phrase common to the umunna Aunty I-eoma re-ers to Zama as 8my wi-e9 and the women support one another. ,ambili notes that her mother spea!s more with Aunty I-eoma. oth are struggling with their own hardships but love bonds them together. Bi!e their mothers ,ambili and Ama!a are very di2erent. +hough both girls are &D Ama!a is sel-@assured. 7he wears lipstic! li!e her mother laughs li!e her mother and does not openly praise apa /ust because she is supposed to. 3rom the outset Ama!a has a disdain -or ,ambili. Bi!e her classmates Ama!a assumes her reticence is a product o- her economic class. :hen ,ambili is unable to answer why her -amily
does not watch much satellite +` Ama!a assumes she is bored by her lu4uries. Ama!a is being raised by a single parent. +he privileges that ,ambili can a2ord seem wondrous but they leave her -eeling bitter about her own station in li-e. +hough she is liberal li!e her mother Ama!a is close@minded when it comes to class. ,ambili unable to spea! -or hersel- allows Ama!a to believe her li-e is rosy. ut nothing is as simple as it appears. Ama!a and her brothers are poor but loved and encouraged and ,ambili is wealthy yet troubled. :hen Aunty I-eoma pic!s up apa@Nnu!wu ,ambili and 0a/a do not get out o- the car. +his is reminiscent o- the tense scene inside the Achi!e -amily car outside o- 3ather enedict1s house. Aunty I-eoma is lighter more amused than angry at the children1s unwillingness to leave the sa-ety o- the car. 7he is gently trying to urge reason into their minds. Although apa as!s Zama i- she would li!e to get o- the car his question carries the threat o- violence. 6is question is a command and not a conversation. ,ambili and 0a/a do not get out o- the car at apa@Nnu!wu1s but they also do not re-use to spend the day with him. ,ambili wonders ithey will get caught and i- so what the punishments will be -rom both apa and Mod. +he Aro 3estival is unli!e any ritual the Achi!e children have witnessed. A parade o- men and women dressed in spirit costumes this taste o- ancestral ritual is both -orbidden and tantalizing. 5n-amiliar with its meaning 0a/a ma!es the mista!e o- as!ing how the people get inside the costumes. apa@Nnu!wu tells him that they are not people but mmuo
now. +he ritual ma!es the people spirits. 0a/a is ashamed that he does not !now anything about his culture. 0a/a is also ashamed that he has not done the initiation the frst step towards manhood. ?biora two years his /unior has done so. At seventeen 0a/a is not yet a man but he should have been ta!ing steps toward adulthood. apa and his religion preclude him -rom growing up. 3rom this point on 0a/a begins his own initiation ritual by subtly challenging the authority o- his -ather until alm 7unday. ,ambili1s dreams are an important moti-. In her dreams she allows hersel- to process what she cannot say. 6ere she dreams that she laughs Aunty I-eoma1s laugh. In real li-e she barely spea!s above a whisper let alone laugh. 7he wishes she can spea! the words Aunty I-eoma spea!s. 7he wishes she can be -ree.
Chapter 4een 7ummary ?n their way into mass on Christmas ;ay ,ambili and her -amily pass Aunty I-eomaand her children. ,ambili f4ates on the red lipstic! worn by both her aunt and Ama!a. 6er mind strays to it during the sermon spo!en entirely in Igbo unli!e at her usual church. +he priest tal!s about money and corruption rather than the usual Christmas iconography to the unease o- apa. +he Achi!es sit in the frst pew a place o- honor ne4t to the only two men more prominent than apa [ Chie- 5medi and the Igwe o- Abba. A-ter mass they go to a -undraiser -or the church. apa writes out a large chec! quietly and is aghast when the ZC broadcasts the amount. +he priest dances garishly and apa ushers his -amily outside.
+hey fnd their home crowded with people. +he entire clan has come to eat in their compound. +he women o- the umunna coo over 0a/a ne4t in line -or apa1s money.Aunty I-eoma and her children arrive -or lunch. ,ambili1s cousins are enamored with the lu4uries o- the Achi!e home [ the stereo fne plates creams in the bathroom. +he Igwe arrives and Aunty I-eoma and Ama!a bow out o- respect. +hough the Igwe converted he still carries out pagan traditions so apa allows his -amily to sha!e his hand rather than bow. ,ambili overhears her mother telling Aunty I-eoma to as! her brother -or the -actory1s spare gas cylinders. Aunty I-eoma has re-used his help in the past because apa e4pected her to /oin the missionary ,nights o- 7t. 0ohn to send Ama!a to convent school and even to stop wearing ma!eup. I-eoma reminds Zama o- her deceased husband1s disagreements with apa. apa does not li!e con-rontation or honesty. I-eoma continues saying her -ather will die soon and yet apa re-uses to see him. 7he says Mod is big enough to do his /ob he does not need apa to /udge -or him. ?ver lunch Aunty I-eoma invites ,ambili and 0a/a to Nsu!!a -or a visit. apa insists that the children do not li!e to be away -rom home but he will thin! about it. A-ter a tense moment between the apa and I-eoma a new bottle o- /uice is brought to the table. Ama!a as!s apa i- it is -rom his -actory then criticizes the sugar content. ,amblii1s throat closes when she hears her cousin1s retort. 7he !noc!s over her glass o- /uice staining the table red. 7he is reminded o- her mother1s blood. I-eoma tells apa that she is planning a pilgrimage to a holy apparition in Ao!pe. +hough the miracle has not been verifed by the church he agrees to send ,ambili
and 0a/a to I-eoma1s to /oin the pilgrimage. ,ambili and 0a/a will spend a wee! with their cousins in Nsu!!a. ,ambili wa!es with her period the ne4t morning. Zama decides to give her medication -or her pain-ul cramps. +he Achi!e -amily -asts every 7unday be-ore mass not eating until they return home-rom Church. 6owever ,ambili1s medication can1t be ta!en on an empty stomach. Zama gives her a bowl o- corn\a!es to eat quic!ly be-ore apa comes upstairs. ut he catches her. 0a/a tries to convince his -ather that he is responsible. 6e removes his belt and lashes at his entire -amily as!ing them why they wal! into sin. :hen he stops a weight -alls on him. 6e hugs his children and as!s i- they are hurt. ,ambili says no but they all change their clothes and wash their -aces be-ore Zass. A-ter New Fear1s the Achi!es leave Abba. +heir umunna !neels in the dirt to than! the -amily ta!ing the le-tover -ood home with them. ?ne man tells ,ambili that apa pays his children1s school -ees. apa is a great man he tells her. ?n the way home they see an accident near a government@erected roadbloc!. +hough Zama tells the children to loo! away ,ambili thin!s about the dead man on the rest o- the trip. 7he wonders where he is going. +wo days later is the -east o- the piphany a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation that 0esus was the son o- Mod. A-ter mass apa ta!es his -amily to 3ather enedict1s house. 3ather enedict hears the con-essions o- the Achi!e -amily. apa frst rambling li!e a motor then Zama so-tly spo!en then 0a/a who ta!es the least amount o- time then ,ambili. A-ter con-essing her sins 3ather enedict as!s her i- she is hiding
something. 7he realizes apa must have mentioned something to 3ather enedict but she can1t thin! o- what it could be. 3ather enedict prompts her as!ing about pagan rituals. 7he con-esses her longer visit with apa@ Nnu!wu and en/oying the mmuo masquerade. +he -amily drives home. apa is over/oyed telling them i- they died right then they would ascend to heaven. At home he tells ,ambili and 0a/a that they are allowed to go to Ao!pe as long as they realize the miraclehas not yet been confrmed by the church. +hey will spend fve days in Nsu!!a with Aunty I-eoma. Zama suggests they o2er a gas cylinder as a gi-t as!ing apa -or the -avor I-eoma won1t. +he children pac! sharing /oy with their eyes. +hey leave the -ollowing day. apa thrusts their schedules -or the wee! into ,ambili and 0a/a1s hands. Analysis veryone in Abba says that apa is a good man. +hey detail his good wor!s to ,ambili and 0a/a who say nothing in response. +he pressure o- !eeping up appearances renders them silent. 6ow could they respond apa is the benevolent -ather o- his umunna but he is not benevolent with his own children. 6is love e4tends to his umunna by way o-money. ut ,ambili and 0a/a !now the true price o- apa1s loveE per-ection at all costs. ,ambili -ocuses on Ama!a1s red lipstic!throughout church. As 0a/a compares himsel- to ?biora intellectually ,ambili compares hersel- to Ama!a physically. 7he notes her tight clothing her modern hair and her ma!eup. Ama!a is a mystery to ,ambili because womanhood is a mystery. apa does not allow ,ambili to wear pants let alone ma!eup so ,ambili grasps clues o- her own budding se4uality where she can. In
Nsu!!a her crush on 3ather Amadi is an awa!ening but her cousin1s dress and demeanor are the more important signifers o- adulthood. ,ambili is punished -or brea!ing -ast be-ore mass. 4periencing pain-ul cramps because o- her period she tries to ta!e medicine. Ironically the medication causes more pain in the -orm o- a beating. +o apa there are no mitigating circumstances that warrant \e4ibility. ,ambili is beaten but so are 0a/a and Zama -or letting ,ambili sin. 6er period li!e initiation is the frst step towards adulthood. 6er blood echoes the red /uice that is spilled on the table. ,ambili is reminded o- her mother1s blood. A-ter con-ession apa tells his children that they would all ascend to heaven i- they died at that moment. 6e is smiling and drumming on the steering wheel. Bater in chapter ten ,ambili sees apa@Nnu!wu smile deeply a-ter his own morning ritual. 7he notes that she and 0a/a never smile when they say the rosary. +he re/oicing that both apa and apa@ Nnu!wu e4perience is untouchable by ,ambili and 0a/a since it carries the burden o- punishment. +hey are only allowed to revel in the thought o- an a-terli-e. ,nowing o- Aunty I-eoma1s fnancial troubles Zama negotiates with apa -or a -ew spare gas cylinders to be ta!en -rom his -actory to Nsu!!a. apa assumes Aunty I-eoma has as!ed -or the hand@out but Zama ensures him that she is wor!ing alone. y adopting a submissive position Zama is able to get what she wants. 7he !nows that apa will not give the gas to Aunty I-eoma because o- their disagreements over apa@Nnu!wu so she subtly suggests the delivery on her behal-. Zama must !eep up the
illusion that apa is the benevolent protector o- his -amily and she preys on this role to lobby -or the desired outcome. Zama is not able to demand or even as! out right -or what she wants. ?ver the years she has learned that this is the only e2ective way to get something she needs.
Chapter Eight 7ummary ?n their way to Nsu!!a 0a/a -orgets when it is his time to recite the rosary. +hey pass burned out hulls o- cars destroyed in accidents. ,evin the driver stops at a police chec!point and hands over a bribe so they may pass. I- apa was in the car he would allow them to search the car and chec! the -amily1s papersP he would never participate in the corruption by bribing the police. +hey drive under a wide metal arch \an!ed by security guards. +his is the entrance to the 5niversity oNigeria Nsu!!a where Aunty I-eoma teaches. +he green lawn houses a statue o- a lion standing on its hind legs. +he school motto is inscribed underneath [ 8+o restore the dignity o- man.9 +hey arrive at Aunty1s \at. +here is a sprawling garden flled with \owers on the -ront lawn. Aunty I-eoma hugs them tightly when they get out o- the car. ,evin presents I-eoma with the gi-ts o- -ood and gas cylinders. Aunty dances with /oy. +hey enter her \at and ,ambili is shoc!ed at how low the ceilings are. +he air smells o- spices and !erosene. Aunty gives them a tour showing them the room where she sleeps withChima and the room ,ambili will share withAma!a. ?biora sleeps in the living room so 0a/a will bun! with him there. :hen ,evin leaves
,ambili has the urge to run a-ter him with her suitcase and as! him to ta!e her bac! home. Aunty1s children come home and greet their cousins. Ama!a is wearing lipstic! and a tight dress. 7he barely hugs ,ambili be-ore pulling away. ?biora ta!es 0a/a to the corner store to buy so-t drin!s. :hen he leaves ,ambili searches 0a/a1s eyes -or the sense o- bewilderment she is e4periencing. ,ambili -ollows Ama!a to her room. Ama!a is brusque as always telling ,ambili that Nsu!!a is not as happening as nugu. 7he mentions two hotspots assuming ,ambili goes out all the time. ,ambili manages to say no again omitting the truth about her li-e. ,ambili turns away -rom Ama!a when she strips to her underwear. 7he has been taught it is a sin to loo! upon another person1s na!edness. Ama!a gestures to a battered tape player at the -oot o- her bed and apologizes patronizingly that it is in-erior to the sound system in nugu. Ama!a does not listen to American pop music -avoring culturally conscious Nigerian musicians. verything is -oreign to ,ambili and Ama!a loo!s at her as i- she is a lab animal to be categorized. Ama!a helps her mother coo! and Aunty I-eoma in-orms ,ambili and 0a/a that they will be treated li!e guests -or tonight only. +omorrow they must pitch in. Aunty o2ers a quic! prayer unli!e apa1s nightly mass. 7upper is meager [ a -ew pieces o- chic!en on mismatched plates. +he !ids spea! authoritatively with their mother teasing and /o!ing. ;inner too is di2erent -rom what ,ambili is used to. Ama!a constantly teases ,ambili when con-ronted with her cousins1 li-estyle. 0ust li!e her classmates Ama!a assumes the lu4ury ,ambili is
accustomed to ma!es her -eel big. ut ,ambili wishes she could disappear or at least apologize -or whatever she has done to ma!e Ama!a upset. At dinner the -amily ta!es their plates to the +`. Aunty I-eoma tells ,ambili and 0a/a to /oin their cousins i- they wish allowing them to watch as much +` as they li!e. 0a/a tells his aunt that they must -ollow their schedules and study. Aunty I-eoma ta!es their schedules and puts them into her poc!et. 7he tells them that while they are in her house they are on holiday. At prayers that evening the -amily -ollows the rosaries with Igbo songs. ,ambili and 0a/a do not sing. +he ne4t morning the !ids get water -rom their local tap. 0a/a /oins in reporting to his sister that he slept on a thin mattress ne4t to ?biora. 6is voice is flled with wonder not derision. At morning prayer Aunty prays -or the 5niversity but also that they may fnd peace and laughter that day. ,ambili is surprised. +he -amily ta!es turns bathing be-ore brea!-ast. Aunty I-eoma care-ully rations each serving o- powdered mil!. ,ambili thin!s o- the plenti-ul supply o- cold mil! in her re-rigerator at home. Aunty I-eoma hurries the !ids through brea!-ast so they can tour the university and come home to prepare dinner -or their guest their -riend 3ather Amadi. ?n their way to the car 0a/a admires a purple hibiscus in Aunty1s garden. 6e runs his fnger over the beauti-ul petals. Aunty e4plains that they were created as an e4periment by her botanist -riend hillipa. +hey tour the 5niversity in Aunty1s beat@up car coasting down hills to conserve the scarce -uel. ,ambili notices each building she passes is worn and in disrepair. Aunty shows them the Institute o- A-rican 7tudies where she
teaches and the hostels -or -emale students. 7he points out one dorm in particular where she says Ama!a will launch her activist movements in college. Aunty I-eoma says maybe ,ambili will /oin her cousin. ,ambili does not respond [ i- where and what she studies will be determined by apa. Aunty I-eoma points out ?dim 6ill. 7he says that -rom its beauti-ul view you can survey how Mod laid out the valleys and hills. ,ambili1s mind dri-ts to the white hands o- Mod creating the landscape. +hey drive past the vice@chancellor1s house e4plaining that the hedges were recently trampled by rioting students. ?biora tells 0a/a they were rioting because they had no light or water -or a month. Ama!a says that i- she were vice@ chancellor her students would never be without utilities. ?biora challenges her as!ing how it would be possible i- a ig Zan in capital city Abu/a intercepted 5niversity -unds. ,ambili loo!s at ?biora a year younger than hersel- but yet so much bolder and assured. ac! in the \at ,ambili helps Ama!a peel the large yams they brought -rom nugu. Aunty I-eoma tells ,ambili that she will li!e3ather Amadi. 6e is new to their local chaplaincy but already in demand by the villagers. Ama!a says he connects with their -amily the most. Aunty I-eoma teases her daughter saying she is protective o- the young priest. Ama!a yells at ,ambili -or wasting yam and ,ambili /umps dropping the !ni-e. Ama!a /o!es she should add learning to peel properly to her schedule. Aunty I-eoma tells Ama!a to go outside. ,ambili is grate-ul -or her aunt.
3ather Amadi arrives wearing an earthy cologne. 6e is an attractive A-rican man with a voice li!e a song. ,ambili immediately ta!es com-ort in his presence. ut he ma!es her nervous as well. 7he remembers he once visited 7t. Agnes -ollowing a sermon with an Igbo song to the displeasure o- apa. 7he remembers the song too. I-eoma and her children chatter through dinner praising apa Ade Co!erand the 7tandard -or telling the truth. +hey tal! about Ao!pe Ama!a saying it was about time an apparition o- the `irgin Zary appeared in A-rica. A-ter dinner 3ather Amadi leads the prayers and song. +hey watch Newsline together on the +`. ,ambili loo!s up to see the priest1s eyes on her. 7he suddenly has trouble swallowing. 3ather Amadi says he has not seen ,ambili smile and laugh at all that day. 7he says nothing. Aunty I-eoma e4plains that she is shy. ,ambili e4cuses hersel- and goes to sleep thin!ing o- 3ather Amadi1s voice. Analysis Aunty I-eoma1s -amily is mar!edly di2erent than apa1s -amily. 7he banishes the children1s schedules. In her house they -ollow her rules. Aunty I-eoma1s authority is more respect-ul o- her children and her relatives. 3amily depends on the interplay o- each o- its members. 7he encourages her children to question and to draw their own conclusions. +hough she has lost her beloved husband there is love in the home. ,ambili and 0a/a love their parents but are not allowed to interact in any other mode outside o- duty. Gespect in Aunty I-eoma1s household is a two@ way street. ,ambili is shoc!ed but 0a/a responds with wonder.
,ambili is somewhat shoc!ed by the conditions in Aunty I-eoma1s \at. 7he notes its low ceilings and well@worn -urniture when she arrives. +he water can only be pumped once a day they drin! powdered mil! and ?biora sleeps in the living room. ,ambili does not /udge their economic situation though Ama!a assumes she does. Gather she is ashamed that she does not understand their way o- li-e. +his is the frst taste o- what li-e is li!e beyond the gated walls o- her compound. 7he is a stranger to even the simplest tas!. rivilege is limiting -or ,ambili. Ama!a is derisive o- her cousin but ,ambili will not tal! bac!. 7he has not been raised to /usti-y or de-end hersel-. Ama!a only sees the ,ambili1s \aws and inabilities as mar!ers o- her cushy li-e. ,ambili ocourse cannot tell her cousin the price she pays -or the lu4uries and that items li!e the stereo and satellite +` are simply illusions o- wealth. At this point ,ambili su2ers the wrath o- her cousin while longing to be more li!e her. +here is a bridge she can not yet cross. 3ather Amadi is also a star! contrast with3ather enedict. As he e4plains in Chapter +en he /oined the priesthood because it answered the most questions as!ed in his young li-e. ,ambili assumes that all clergy must have a calling to a higher power but she learns that there can be an intellectual as well as spiritual connection to Mod. 6is physical beauty inspires a crush but her a2ections are deepened by his gentle nature and the attention he pays her. 6e is a stimulus -or her coming o- age. +he religion observed by I-eoma1s -amily is less strict than apa1s version o- Catholicism. +hough I-eoma is devout she allows her children to question both the nature o- -aith and its uses in A-rica. 7he prays that
her -amily may fnd laughter a completely -oreign concept to ,ambili. 3urthermore she prays that Mod loo! a-ter apa@Nnu!wueven though he does not share their -aith. Combined with the e4uberant Igbo songs they sing a-ter evening prayer this -reer iteration o- Catholicism blends new and old traditions. 3aith is a more \uid entity in their household.
Chapter 'ine 7ummary ,ambili and 0a/a share in the chores in Aunty I-eoma1s house. ,ambili wishes her Aunt were there to spea! -or her when Ama!a criticizes her. Ama!a1s -riends visit and compliment ,ambili on her long natural hair. At frst ,ambili does not realize they are spea!ing to her. 6er cousin has to shout her name to get her attention. +he ne4t day ,ambili overhears Ama!a as!ing her mother i- she1s sure ,ambili and 0a/a aren1t abnormal. Aunty I-eoma tells her daughter she can have her own opinions but she must treat her -amily with respect. ,ambili1s hands sha!e. ,ambili reads a boo! -rom the veranda when the neighborhood children come over to play. 7he watches them as they run about in the garden. ?biora as!s 0a/a where his name comes -rom as it is not Igbo. 0a/a e4plains that his real name is Chu!wu!a. Aunty I-eoma chimes in telling ?biora80a@0a9 was the only thing he could say as a baby so the nic!name stuc!. 7he li!ens him to 0a/a o- ?pobo who ?biora identifes as the stubborn !ing. Aunty I-eoma corrects him telling the story o- the defant !ing o- the ?pobo people who did not sell his soul to the ritish when Nigeria was colonized. ?biora shrugs saying the ritish too! over anyway. 0a/a answers bac! to the surprise o- his sister. +he ritish may have won the war but they lost many battles. Chima as!s 0a/a what happened to his little fnger on his le-t hand. It is withered by abuse. Aunty I-eoma answers quic!ly [ he had an accident. ,ambili !nows the truth. :hen 0a/a missed two questions on his catechism test be-ore Communion apa too! him upstairs and loc!ed the door. 0a/a
has not used his fnger since. Zama calls to tell her children that soldiers barged into the new o*ces o- the 7tandard. Ade Co!er is Co!er is incustody again. :hen apa calls later in the evening he as!s Aunty I-eoma to !eep ,ambili and 0a/a -or a -ew e4tra days. very time the phone rings ,ambili is a-raid that something happened to her -ather. 3ather Amadi Amadi comes comes -or dinner and she can1t help but stare at him. ach time he loo!s at her though she loo!s away. +he -amily /o!es about playing -ootball that wee!end but Aunty I-eoma is distant. 7he tells her -amily that apa@Nnu!wu apa@Nnu!wu is is ill. 3ather Amadi1s brows -urrow. 6e suggests she brings her -ather home to Nsu!!a. 6e o2ers to give her emergency -uel stored in the chaplaincy -or the /ourney to Abba. ;uring prayer ,ambili wonders where apa@Nnu!wu will stay. 7he prays that her -ather will never fnd out she shared a room with a heathen. :hen Aunty I-eoma ta!es ?biora to Abba ,ambili sits on the veranda watching 0a/a in the garden. Ama!a1s music blares -rom her bedroom. ,ambili ,ambili as!s 0a/a i- they are abnormal. 6e loo!s up at her as!s what abnormal means and then resumestending the \owers. apa@Nnu!wu arrives in the a-ternoon. 6e pre-ers to sit on the\oor in the living room. 7ince the doctors in the clinic are on stri!e Aunty I-eoma arranges -or a house call that evening. 0a/a remar!s how s!inny his grand-ather has gotten since they1ve seen him. ,ambili as!s whether he is concerned apa will fnd out. 0a/a1s brow is not !nitted with worry li!e hers. 7he as!s him i- he told Aunty I-eoma what happened to his fnger. 6e answers simply [ she as!ed so he told her. ,ambili is almost
-rightened by his tone. 6e cleans his aunt1s car his toes tapping to an Igbo song. 7he than!s him using an Igbo term te rm she uses with her own sons. +he medical lab sta2 is on stri!e stri!e too so Aunty I-eoma cannot cannot get tests done on apa@Nnu!wu. 6e -eels well enough to /oin them -or dinner. dinner. Aunty I-eoma buries his medicine in his -ood so he can stomach it. Ama!a is pleased to have her grand-ather around. +hey share a strong bond. 7ince apa@Nnu!wu apa@Nnu!wu doesn1t spea! nglish they tease him lightly in their learned tongue. ;uring dinner the lights li ghts go out. +he children implore apa@Nnu!wu to tell them a story. At Chima1s request apa@Nnu!wu apa@Nnu!wu tells his -amily how the tortoise crac!ed his shell. ;uring a -amine the animals gather. +hey are wea!ened by hunger. Bion1s roar is but a thin whine and +ortoise can barely carry his shell. ?nly ;og loo!s well. 6e insists because his -amily eats -eces they are still healthy. healthy. 7ince the rest rest o- the animals won1t do what ;og does they decide they must sacrifce their mothers to be eaten. ach wee! a di2erent mother gives up their li-e to -eed the village. A -ew days be-ore ;og1s mother is to be !illed the village hears him wailing. 6e tells them his mother has died o- disease. +hey cannot eat her. her. A -ew days later +ortoise hears ;og calling his mother. A rope descends -rom the s!y. +ortoise +ortoise learns that that ;og1s mother is still alive living in the s!y s!y with wealthy -riends. ;og1s health has not su2ered because he has been eating all along. +ortoise schemes telling ;og he must ta!e him up to the s!y or else he will tell the village the truth. ;og agrees. 7oon a-ter +ortoise becomes greedy wanting not only his portion but ;og1s as well. Zimic!ing
;og +ortoise as!s -or the rope to be lowered one day. ;og fnds him and is -urious. 6e calls to his mother and she cuts the rope. +ortoise lands on a pile o- roc!s and his shell is crac!ed to this day. Analysis 0a/a1s name derived -rom -rom a childhood nic!name is similar to a legendary !ing o- ethnic Nigerians 0a/a o- ?pobo. 6e is !nown as the ;efant ,ing. e-ore coming to Nsu!!a 0a/a is not defant. 6e is shy and quiet -or a seventeen@year@old seventeen@year@old boy raised as his -ather says with the -ear o- Mod. +hough he is denied the initiation rite he begins to act li!e the defant !ing. 6e says though the ritish won the war the ?pobo won many battles. 6e intends to win battles against his -ather. -ather. 0a/a1s defance begins to blossom in Nsu!!a. Nsu!!a. :hen the ?biora as!s as!s him about his de-ormed fnger Aunty I-eoma responds quic!ly that it was an accident. 7he is clearly covering -or him. Bater ,ambili as!s i- 0a/a told her about what had really happened. 6e says simply that she as!ed so he told the truth. Neither ,ambili or 0a/a are accustomed to telling the truth. +hey !ept their their -ather1s secret secret o- abuse. Movernment corruption is a thread woven in this chapter. Zilitary leadership has ta!en over the country -ollowing a coup. +here is no democracy and the government does not respect the rights o- the people. +he government controls the university university -orcing salary salary -reezes. Access Access to -uel and -ood in Nsu!!a is limited. ven medical centers are on stri!e. ;aily li-e is a struggle. ven apa1s apa1s business is su2ering in this climate. 7oldiers storm the new o*ces o- the 7tandard. +hreats o- violence are used to intimidate people into order. apa1s actions can be viewed as a
metaphor -or the corrupt 6ead o- 7tate. 6e punishes his people by withholding and violence. arado4ically apa believes in democracy. :hile dining with apa@Nnu!wu ?biora declares that morality is relative. +his is an important point. apa does not believe that morality is relative. 3or him there is one true Mod and one true path leading to heaven. ?biora1s -amily is more liberal and rational and they approach -aith -rom a broader perspective. +heir morality is determined by a more humanistic approach. apa@Nnu!wu though o- a di2erent -aith is not turned away. 3or Zama morality is relative as well. :hen she becomes aware o- the severity o- the abuse Aunty I-eoma cannot believe that she stays in nugu. ut Zama1s e4periences up to this point teach her that morality is synonymous with -amily. 7he is behaving as she always has within the -amily unit. :hen she fnally comes around to putting a stop to the abuse she poisons apa. ven i- 0a/a had not ta!en the blame Zama would not be considered a murderer. 6er situation dictates a di2erent code o- morality. apa@Nnu!wu shares the story o- how the tortoise1s shell was crac!ed. In Igbo legend the tortoise is a tric!ster fgure that deceives the other animals in the world. In this parable the tortoise is punished -or his greed. +here is a parallel in this story to what is happening in Nigeria. ;og or the government is hoarding -ood during a -amine. ;og lies about how he stays healthy as the government misdirects -unds into their own poc!ets. +he greedy +ortoise aligns himsel- with ;og rather than telling the rest o- the animals. I- you are -riends with those in power no harm will come to you. apa criticizes the papers that are so-t on the inherent
corruption and he also will not participate in standard bribes. :hen ,evin drives ,ambili and 0a/a to Nsu!!a he bribes soldiers at a chec!point [ something he would never do i- apa were in the car. +ortoise represents those who proft -rom greed. :hen the children wonder who in the s!y is -eeding ;og ?biora guesses that it is rich ancestors. y this he means that ancestors will protect their lineage. 0ust as the mothers o- the other animals were willing to sacrifce themselves ;og1s mother and relatives were willing to lie -or him. ut they are not living up to their moral code. In the ritual that apa@Nnu!wu recites each morning he says that he shares what little he has with those who have less.
Chapter .en 7ummary 3ather Amadi visits the ne4t day and invites?biora and 0a/a to play -ootball that evening. 6e tells 0a/a to invite his sister but when they leave in the evening ,ambili pretends to be asleep. 7he goes out to theliving room to fnd Ama!a tending to apa@Nnu!wu. apa@Nnu!wu tells ,ambili that her cousin would have been chosen to decorate the shrines o- their gods. :atching them ,ambili -eels a longing -or something she !nows she will never have. 7he /oins Aunty I-eoma in the !itchen. Aunty I-eoma as!s why ,ambili is crying. ut ,ambili does not !now hersel-. Aunty I-eoma teaches ,ambili how to prepare cocoyam. 7he says that ?ur Bady is watching over apa@Nnu!wu. ,ambili iscon-used because he is a heathen. Aunty I-eoma gently e4plains that he is not a heathen but a traditionalist and that sometimes what is un-amiliar is /ust as good.
7he tells her that when apa@Nnu!wu does his itu@nzu each morning his declaration o- innocence it is the same as their repetition o- the rosary. +he ne4t morning Aunty I-eoma wa!es ,ambili be-ore dawn. 7he tells her to observe apa@Nnu!wu1s morning ritual. 7he sits quietly on the veranda and watches him draw lines on the ground in clay giving than!s -or the sunrise. 6e draws another line and o2ers his innocence. :ith a third line he says he has tried to help others who have nothing with the little that he has. 6e prays -or the curse to be li-ted -rom apa and -or the children o- his children to be blessed and steered away -rom evil. 6e rises to stretch and ,ambili sees his na!ed body. 7he does not loo! away. 6e is smiling deeply when he enters the house. ,ambili never smiles when she says the rosary. Ama!a decides to paint a portrait o- apa@Nnu!wu on the veranda in order to catch the sunlight on his s!in. Aunty I-eoma as!s ,ambili to help her prepare orah leaves but she does not !now how. +he tas! -alls to Ama!a and she is angry. Aunty I-eoma as!s ,ambili why she does not tal! bac! to her cousin. 3inally ,ambili1s voice rises above a whisper. 7he tells Ama!a that there is no need to shout. I- she teaches her how to prepare the orah she will do it. Ama!a laughs. 7he says she did not thin! ,ambili1s voice could be this loud. 3ather Amadi comes -or dinner. 6e holds ,ambili1s hand longer than the others1. ,ambili learns that he will soon be leaving. apa@Nnu!wu as!s where he will be going and Aunty I-eoma says he is a missionary and will go where he is told to go. apa@Nnu!wu wonders aloud why an A-rican will go to the white man1s land to convert others. ?biora says that religion and
oppression o-ten go hand in hand. 3ather Amadi teases ?biora calling him mad. Ama!a laughs. 3ather Amadi loo!s to ,ambili who says nothing. 6e praises her -or not pic!ing fghts that cannot be won. 6e tells her he will ta!e her to play -ootball. Ama!a loo!s at her cousin [ she is terrifed. Ama!a lends ,ambili a pair o- shorts but she does not spend time lingering in the mirror. At home she and 0a/a loo! at themselves only long enough to ma!e sure their buttons are done properly. In 3ather Amadi1s car her eyes -all on his muscular thighs. 7he listens to his lilting voice. 7he blurts out that she sleeps in the same room with a heathen. 3ather Amadi as!s why she considers this a sin. ecause apa told her so. 3ather Amadi says 0a/a has told him about apa. 7he wonders what her brother has said. At the stadium 3ather Amadi tells ,ambili to catch him. 7he runs a-ter him but he is too -ast. 6e tells her she has legs -or running. 7he can1t smile although she wants to. 3ather Amadi loo!s at a red stain on her hand. Bipstic!. 6e as!s i- she has ever worn it be-ore. ,ambili says no and an amused and embarrassed smile creeps over her lips. 7he watches him play -ootball with some local boys touching the tan! top he has peeled o2 be-ore the game. In the car they listen to Igbo songs and he tells ,ambili that the boys inspire him. 6e wonders why she hasn1t as!ed him any questions. Ama!a is all questions. ,ambili laughs in spite o- hersel-. 7he as!s him why he became a priest. 6e says his path to the priesthood was a lot more complicated than simply -ollowing a calling. +he priesthood came closest
to answering the many questions he had in his youth. 6e drops her o2 at her aunt1s house. 6er chest is flled with a lightness -or the frst time. Aunty I-eoma tells ,ambili that apa has called. 7omeone -rom the village told him that apa@Nnu!wu was staying with them. Irate he insists on pic!ing them up the ne4t day. ut Aunty I-eoma convinces apa to let them stay an e4tra day. 7he also tells ,ambili that apa managed to get Ade Co!er released -rom prison. :hen the -amily wa!es the ne4t morning they fnd that apa@ Nnu!wu has died. 0a/a covers his body with his wrapper. ,ambili wants to touch her grand-ather but she !nows apa would be outraged. 7he loo!s away so she will not have to lie i- apa as!s i- 0a/a has touched him. Bater Aunty I-eoma as!s i- ,ambili had seen apa@Nnu!wu1s -ace. 6e was smiling in death. Ama!a is irate. 7he says he would still be alive i- the clinic was not on stri!e. ,ambili wishes she could hug her cousin or cry loudly with her but she stays still. 0a/a tries to com-ort her but Ama!a throws his arm o2 her shoulder. apa arrives during dinner though he had promised his children could stay an e4tra day. Aunty I-eoma tells him their -ather has died. 6e does not cry but as!s her i- she called a priest and o2ers to pay -or a Catholic -uneral. I-eoma re-uses angrily. 7he retreats to her bedroom sobbing. apa tells ,ambili and 0a/a to pac! their bags. :hen Aunty I-eoma hugs them goodbye she returns their schedules. ,ambili as!s her to say goodbye to 3ather Amadi. Chima is upsetP he does not want 0a/a to go. apa o2ers Aunty I-eoma money to buy him a gi-t. Ama!a shoves a
parcel wrapped in plastic into ,ambili1s hand and then turns away quic!ly. It is her painting o- apa@Nnu!wu. ,ambili hides it in her suitcase. Zama is waiting -or them at the door her -ace swollen with a blac! eye. 0a/a tells her that apa@Nnu!wu is dead. apa is angry with his sister -or not calling a priest. 0a/a says that maybe he didn1t want to convert. Zama tries to quic!ly cover her son1s disrespect but it is too late. +he dinner prayers are longer than usual as apa as!s to cleanse his children1s sin o- omission. 0a/a as!s apa -or the !ey to his room. apa is shoc!ed [ only he is allowed to loc! their doors. 0a/a only wants privacy but apa assumes he will sin against himsel-. Bater Zama as!s ,ambili i- it -eels di2erent to be bac!. ,ambili says yes thin!ing there is too much empty space in their home. apa summons ,ambili -rom the living room. 7he goes upstairs and to the bathroom where he is waiting. 7he climbs into the tub and he pours boiling water onto her -eet -rom a teapot. 6e tells her she is precious and that she should not /ust wal! into sin. I- she does she burns her -eet. ,ambili cries and screams I1m sorry. 7he is a-raid to move even a-ter the water stops running. Zama appears and li-ts her to her room. Zama gives ,ambili pain relievers and spreads a salve o- salt and cold water onto her -eet. :hen she leaves ,ambili hobbles over to the painting Ama!a gave her. 7he doesn1t dare unwrap in but she touches it -ondly thin!ing o- her cousins and o- 3ather Amadi. :hen she gets bac! in bed apa appears and tells her that everything he does is -or her sa!e. 6e tells her he was once caught masturbating and his priest put his hand
in boiling water. apa was happy -or the pain -or he never sinned against himsel- again. 0a/a comes into ,ambili1s room the ne4t day wearing the same thic! padded soc!s. 6is -eet are burned as well. 7he shows him the painting still in its wrapper and he ta!es her downstairs. In the -ridge he has hidden a stal! o- purple hibiscus -rom Aunty I-eoma1s garden. +hough apa has given him permission to plant the \owers in their garden 0a/a still replaces it quic!ly when he hears him coming. ?ver lunch apa complains about the price o- pagan -unerals. ,ambili is surprised to learn that he has o2ered to pay -or apa@Nnu!wu1s service. Ade Co!er and another man interrupt dinner with important 7tandard business. 6e has been o2ered an e4clusive interview with the 6ead o- 7tate ig ?ga in e4change -or their silence on pro@democracy activist Nwan!iti ?gechi. Ade insists he is being bought o2 and that the government is trying to cover up the disappearance and murder o?gechi. +he man with Ade stresses that they should wait to publish their story on ?gechi. Ade is adamant they report the truth. +he three men retire to apa1s study. Bater that night government o*cials come to the Achi!e home to o2er apa a truc!load o- cash as a bribe. 6e waves them o2 his property. +he ne4t day1s issue o- the 7tandard leads with a story on ?gechi. +hey quote -rom an anonymous source who claims that ?gechi had been shot and his body covered in acid to melt the \esh o2 o- his bones. +hey have !illed him twice. 3rom radio reports the -amily learns that Nigeria is suspended -rom the Commonwealth admonished by Canada and 6olland
-or the murder o- ?gechi. +hat night and every other night to -ollow democratic supporters come to apa -or advice. 6e warns them to be care-ul and inspect their cars -or bombs. apa1s hands sha!e each night at dinner. 0a/a com-orts a worried Aunty I-eoma when she calls telling her apa is too connected to prominent -oreign men to be harmed. ,ambili ta!es the phone -rom 0a/a and tells her aunt to greet 3ather Amadi -or her. ,ambili spea!s to Ama!a who has a more breezy tone. ,ambili than!s her -or the painting. +hey spea! o- apa@Nnu!wu1s -uneral the -ollowing wee!. Ama!a hopes that ,ambili and 0a/a can come out -or aster planning the pilgrimage they did not ta!e to Ao!pe. Ama!a1s Confrmation is scheduled -or aster as well and she would li!e her cousins to be there. ;uring her studies she writes 3ather Amadi1s name over and over again. :hen school resumes she /oins her classmates1 volleyball games. 7he does not notice their taunts o- bac!yard snob. 7he thin!s only o- 3ather Amadi. Analysis apa@Nnu!w is a power-ul -orce in ,ambili and 0a/a1s lives. Although they are not able to spend enough time with him to !now him -ully he touches both o- their lives in di2erent ways. 3or 0a/a apa@Nnu!wu represents masculinity. At Christmas apa@Nnu!wu compliments 0a/a1s wisdom telling him that he is his own -ather who has come bac!. 3or the Igbo who believe in reincarnation this is high praise. 0a/a does not shy away -rom his grand-ather li!e ,ambili does. +hrough him he understands his ancestry. ,ambili moves gingerly around apa@Nnu!wu a-raid to incur the wrath o- apa. ut Aunty I-eoma shows her a di2erent side to the
8heathens9 that apa despises. ,ambili watches the -ull ritual and sees her grand-ather1s na!edness. 6aving seen no godlessness in his eyes at Christmas she sees no sin in his innocence here. +he /oy on his -ace opens something up in ,ambili. +hrough apa@Nnu!wu she understands that -aith can -ulfll a person and not /ust be used as a rod o- discipline. ,ambili1s frst outing with 3ather Amadi mar!s the beginning o- her mild se4ual awa!ening. +hough she does not !now how to play -ootball he tries to engage her by telling her to catch him. 6e spea!s o- 0esus and sings in Igbo. 6e is a clash o- ideas in an attractive man. +he attention he pays ,ambili is at frst -rightening but she begins to see hersel- -rom his eyes. 7he also trades her long s!irt -or a pair o- Ama!a1s -orbidden shorts. And she even wears red lipstic! -or the frst time. 3ather Amadi is play-ul and when he notes the lipstic! rubbed o2 on her hand she fnally smiles. +here is a release o- the tension with which she has always lived. +he world does not end when she puts on shorts and lipstic!. ,ambili1s questioning o- her -ather1s rules are much more subtle and personal. Bater she con-esses her crush to Ama!a but -or ,ambili her a2ection is both deeper and more innocent. +he increasing pressure the government places on apa ta!es its toll. Ade Co!er is arrested again and released again than!s to apa1s involvement. ,nowing that the interview with the 6ead o- 7tate1s o*ce is a tric! to get them o2 the trail o- the murdered activist the 7tandard runs their story anyway. apa will not be bribed. ven though they !now the ris!s they proceed. +here is an echo to this behavior in 0a/a1s defance. 0a/a as!s -or the !ey to his room even though he !nows he will li!ely be
reprimanded -or it. +here is a truth that must be told by both apa and 0a/a. +hings are di2erent -or ,ambili. +here is too much space at home. :hen she frst steps -oot in Aunty I-eoma1s \at she is surprised at how meager the surroundings are. ut as her li-e begins to open up she no longer cares about the size o- the \at the water that can only be pumped once a day or the !erosene coo!er. ,ambili sees the lu4urious space at home -or what it is [ emptiness. :hen she gets bac! to school she participates in sports though she is always pic!ed last. +here is a new silence now the silencing o- the schoolyard taunts. 7he only hears 3ather Amadi1s voice giving her the confdence to -ace her detractors. ven in this short trip ,ambili1s growth is monumental. A simple volleyball game may not seem li!e a giant leap but ,ambili is participating in the world around her and allowing hersel- to do something she wants to do. It is a step towards independence. 0a/a changes as well. 6e openly challenges his -ather when he criticizes Aunty I-eoma -or not calling a priest -or apa@Nnu!wu. 0a/a1s tongue has come loose and he will not be quieted. A-ter their -eet are burned 0a/a visits ,ambili. ,ambili shows him the painting o- apa@ Nnu!wu and 0a/a shows her the purple hibiscus. oth the painting and the \owers are symbols o- their burgeoning independence. +hey are !ept under wraps -or now but pieces o- Nsu!!a have been brought into nugu and it is only a matter o- time be-ore they emerge -or good.
Chapter Eleen 7ummary
It rained heavily the day Ade Co!er dies. 6e is !illed at his table when he opens a pac!age bomb. 6is daughter was sitting across -rom him ne4t to his wi-e and baby son. +he pac!age bore the seal o- the 7tate 6ouse. ,ambili and 0a/a come home -rom school to fnd apa crumpled on the living room couch sobbing. 0a/a com-orts him by saying Ade1s death was Mod1s will. apa arranges -or Ade1s -uneral and sets up trusts -or Fewande and her children. 6e awardsbonuses to his sta2 at the 7tandard as!ing them to ta!e long leaves. ,ambili is wrac!ed by nightmares o- her -ather blowing up across -rom her at their table. :ee!s later apa still carries the heavy burden o- his editor1s death. 7oldiers ta!e acarton o- dead rats to one o- his -actories to incur a health violation. +he -actory is shut down and apa rarely visits his other -actories. apa also chec!s in on the children less -requently so 0a/a and ,ambili ta!e advantage o- their looser schedules. 0a/a visits with ,ambili and as!s to see the painting o- apa@Nnu!wu. apa is with3ather enedict he e4plains so there is nothing to -ear. 6e runs his de-ormed fnger over the paint as i- in a trance. +hey sit and stare at the painting -or a long time long enough -or apa1s visit to draw to a close. apa fnds his children with the painting. 0a/a claims ownership but ,ambili says it belongs to her. apa as!s i- they have converted to heathen ways then sways -rom side to side in rage. 6e grabs the painting and begins to tear it to pieces. ,ambili shrie!s and then -alls on to the -ragments to protect them. 7he does not get up when apa tells her to. 7he curls up into the -etal position. apa begins to !ic! her rambling
about damnation. 6e does not stop until Zama begs him to. ,ambili passes out. ,ambili wa!es up in the hospital her entire body en\amed with pain. 7he hears-ragments o- phrases [ bro!en rib heal nicely internal bleeding. apa1s eyes so-t in tears hover over her. 6e promises nothing will happen to her. 3ather enedict gives her e4treme unction though Zama insists she is fne. ,ambili as!s her to call Aunty I-eoma. ,ambili sedated dri-ts in and out o- consciousness. 7he thin!s she dreams o- 3ather Amadi1s -ace but he is in the room with Aunty I-eoma. ,ambili can1t smile or spea!. Aunty I-eoma tells Zama that she must put a stop to what is happening. 7he insists that ,ambili and 0a/a come to Nsu!!a when ,ambili is released -rom the hospital. Zama says apa will never agree but Aunty I-eoma won1t hear it. e-ore she -alls asleep Zama tells ,ambili that apa has been sic! with worry. ,ambili turns her head away -rom her mother. A white 7ister comes to the hospital to tutor,ambili. ,ambili is surprised that she spea!s Igbo as well as nglish. +he 7ister is wise. 7he !nows that ,ambili pretends to be inmore pain than she is when the doctor e4amines her. Zother Bucy hersel- administers ,ambili1s e4ams and brings her report card. ,ambili is frst in her class. ,ambili1s classmates visit thin!ing she had survived an accident. In the hospital the girls are -riendlier. Chinwe gossips with her as i- they had always been close. :hen they are alone zinne as!s ,ambili i- she will stop running away -rom home. ,ambili says nothing. 7he is released two days later.Aunty I-eoma convinces apa to let her come to Nsu!!a.
Analysis +his is a chapter mar!ed by e4treme violence. +he death o- Ade Co!er and ,ambili1s savage beating are both products o- corruption. Ade is murdered by his own government and ,ambili is nearly !illed by her own -ather [ two entities that are supposed to protect. ,ambili dreams about Ade1s body. 7ometimes she dreams that apa has been blown up in -ront o- her. +his is a shoc!ing dream -or a child to have but her own e4perience with violence ma!es these images commonplace. Bi!e ,ambili1s dream the environment also re\ects the drama in urple 6ibiscus. +he day o- Ade Co!er1s death is a day o- great rains. +his symbolizes the sadness and violence in the wa!e o- his murder. +he painting is unwrapped fnally. +his is a point o- no return -or the Achi!e children. ,ambili !nows that apa can come upstairs at any moment and yet they continue to stare at it. +he painting is li!e Zama1s fgurines in that it o2ers a respite -rom reality. 6owever the painting is loaded and loo!ing upon it is an act o- defance. 0a/a runs his de-ormed fnger over the painting a fnger he never uses consciously. +he painting has almost a healing e2ect on the children. 6aving con-ronted the true story at Aunty I-eoma1s \at 0a/a no longer hides his fnger. 0a/a tries to protect his sister by claiming ownership o- the painting. :hen she gets her period and is caught eating cereal the entire -amily ta!es their share o- punishment -or abetting her sin. ut here ,ambili throws hersel- on the scraps and in doing so protects her -amily. 0a/a and Zama are unharmed. Bi!e the mothers in apa@Nnu!wu1s +ortoise parable ,ambili sacrifces hersel- -or her -amily.
,ambili becomes more will-ul a-ter her ordeal. 7he turns her head away -rom her mother when she spea!s o- apa1s remorse. 7he also lies to the doctor pretending to be wea!er than she is so she will not have to go home. 7he does not challenge the lie that has been cra-ted -or the sa!e o- her classmates [ that she has tried to run away -rom home. +ypically these lies are told to spare apa1s image -rom the truth. ut in a way there is truth in ,ambili running away. +his lie places the blame on to ,ambili in the eyes o- her -riend but the root is the same as the truth. Boo!ing at the painting o- apa@Nnu!wu was dissent and escape. +he white sister who tutors ,ambili at the hospital is similar to 3ather Amadi. 7he is uropean@born but is \uent in Igbo. +he white sisters at ,ambili1s school never spea! Igbo and even re-rain -rom reciting the Nigerian pledge and anthem. 3ather Amadi melds practices -rom his homeland and his adopted religion as this sister has chosen to learn language o- the country she lives in. +hese characters represent grace to ,ambili as well as a more complicated and ambiguous perspective. +he sister who is complicit in ,ambili1s lies @ even though lying is a sin [ represents the sliding scale o- morality that ?biora spea!s o-. art o,ambili1s /ourney is accepting that the world is more comple4 than it appears.
Chapter .wele 7ummary ,ambili and 0a/a arrive in Nsu!!a. ?bioraand Chima are delicate with ,ambili o2ering to carry her bag or prepare a mango -or her. A!u winged termites swarm in the bac!yard. Neighboring children run outside to catch them so they can be -ried as a snac!. Zature ?biora goes outside merely to observeP he does not get caught up in the revelry. 6e tells his mother he was never a child. Ama!a laughs then /oins ,ambili on the veranda. +here is an ease to their relationship now. Ama!a tells ,ambili that she has become 3ather Amadi1s sweetheart. Ama!a lightly teases ,ambili who confrms her crush on the priest. Ama!a says every girl on campus is in love with3ather Amadi but it is only ,ambili he is concerned with. Ama!a as!s i- apa is responsible -or ,ambili1s 8illness.9 ,ambili says yes. 3ather Amadi comes to chec! in on ,ambili. 6e gives her a warm hug that ,ambili fnds tense and delicious. ,ambili wishes she were alone with 3ather Amadi. 7he sits and listens to his com-orting voice. +he ne4t day ,ambili wa!es last and fndsAunty I-eoma sitting on the veranda with a -riend. +he woman is a pro-essor li!e Aunty I-eoma but humorless. +hey discuss the 5niversity1s decision to appoint a sole administrator that would displace the elected vice@chancellor. Aunty I-eoma1s -riend says there is a list circulating with the names o- disloyal pro-essors. I-eoma1s name is on the list. 7he says she is not paid to be loyal but to spea! the truth. 6er -riend as!s i- the truth will -eed her children. ,ambili as!s Ama!a and ?biora what they are discussing. Ama!a
says her mother is in danger o- being fred. ?biora says they will go to America i- that happens. +his distresses Ama!a who does not want to leave Nigeria. ,ambili does not want to thin! o- her -amily leaving Nsu!!a. ,ambili attends a -ootball game with 3ather 3ather Amadi. 7he realizes that he spea!s to his players li!e Aunty I-eoma spea!s to her children. +hey set goals -or the children encouraging them to /ump higher. +he goals are met because the children believe they can reach them. ,ambili realizes she and 0a/a e4cel only because they are terrifed o- what will happen ithey -ail. A dar! cloud appears over ,ambili. 7he tells 3ather 3ather Amadi what is on her mind and he tells her that he needs to believe in those boys so he can put his -aith into something he does not question. 6e puts his hand on her hair and ,ambili wishes she could lean her whole body against his. 7tudents riot in Nsu!!a the ne4t morning. At least D## people march in the streets calling -or the sole administrator to be ousted. Aunty I-eoma assures the children that they are sa-e but she turns o2 the lights so their \at does not draw attention. Bater Aunty I-eoma learns that the sole administrator1s house had been set on fre. 7i4 university cars were torched as well. +he university is shut down until -urther notice. ;uring ,ambili1s nap she dreams the sole administrator is pouring hot water over Aunty I-eoma1s -eet. :hen she /umps out o- the bathtub she /umps into America. +hat evening -our soldiers soldiers barge into Aunty Aunty I-eoma1s \at. +hey +hey tell the -amily they have been ordered ordered to search the \at -or documentation lin!ing Aunty I-eoma to the rioters. +he soldiers ransac! the apartment scattering contents o- drawers without loo!ing through them. ?biora tries
to stand up to them but his mother tells him not to fght. +he soldiers warn I-eoma to be care-ul. ?biora says they should go to the police but his mother smiles. +hey are all wor!ing together. together. ?biora says it is time to leave -orAmerica but Ama!a yells at him. Gunning away will not solve problems. 7he urges that they stay and help f4 their bro!en country. ?biora sneers at her. Aunty I-eoma snaps at her quarreling children ordering them to help clean up the mess. +he ne4t morning morning ,ambili fnds an earthworm in the shower. shower. +hough ?biora is -ascinated -ascinated with them she removes removes it with a stic! and throws it into the toilet. 7he /oins Aunty I-eoma in the !itchen and is served a glass o- homemade soy mil!. Aunty I-eoma can no longer a2ord cow1s mil!. ?ne o- I-eoma1s students arrives with a chic!en a symbol oher engagement. +he student will get married instead o- returning touniversity when it opens. 0a/a o2ers to !ill the chic!en even though he has never slaughtered an animal be-ore. ,ambili watches her brother slit the chic!en1s throat. A cold clinical precision emerges emerges in his actions. As he pluc!s the -eathers 0a/a tells ,ambili that he wants to leave with Aunty I-eoma when she goes to America. 3ather Amadi arrives to ta!e ,ambili to have her hair plaited. 6e ta!es her to Zama 0oe a -riend o- Aunty I-eoma1s. 3ather Amadi e4cuses himsel- and Zama 0oe as!s what his connection is to ,ambili. Zama 0oe is disappointed that he is a priest [ all that maleness wasted. Bi!e Ama!a Zama 0oe insists that no man ta!es a girl to have her hair plaited unless he is interested in her. ,ambili does not !now what to say so she watches a large snail escape -rom a buc!et only to be replaced by Zama 0oe.
3ather Amadi pic!s ,ambili up when her hair is fnished. 6e compliments her and tells her she should try out -or the part o- ?ur Bady in his church1s play. ,ambili says she cannot act. 3ather Amadi tells her she can do anything she wants. Analysis 7hortly a-ter ,ambili and 0a/a arrive in Nsu!!a the a!u [ winged termites [ begin to \y. Aunty I-eoma /o!es that although these insects are /ust matured matured versions o- the termites termites considered considered to be pests the neighborhood children children go crazy -or them. +here is a sense o- wonder and innocence in the a!u. Chima is e4cited but ?biora merely goes outside to 8observe.9 :hen Ama!a teases him he announces that he has never been a child. ?biora has been initiated into manhood by both the Igbo ritual and the death o- his -ather. -ather. ?biora1s coming o- age has been accelerated by tragedy. +he winged a!u represent maturity and the -reedom that it can inspire. ,ambili and 0a/a also continue to mature. Bi!e 0a/a with his fnger ,ambili decided it is time to start telling the truth about her own pain. :hen Ama!a as!s her i- apa is responsible -or her illness ,ambili says yes. 6owever she does not want to discuss it because she sees no way out o- her situation. 7he does not loo! bac! -or Ama!a1s reaction. reaction. +hat too is a sign o- maturity. e-ore she was concerned with what her cousin thought o- her but now ,ambili does not -eel the need to please her. her. +his only deepens their bond. ut not all is well in Nsu!!a. 7tudents riot against the sole administrator because they have been without water and power. +he
rioting university students throw Aunty I-eoma1s situation into sharp relie-. ?biora says that the university has become a microcosm o- Nigeria with the sole administrator acting as 6ead o- 7tate. :hen the soldiers raid her \at Aunty I-eoma realizes that the situation is direr than she thought. Bater ,ambili dreams that the sole administrator is pouring water over Aunty I-eoma1s -eet. +o the university Aunty I-eoma1s sympathy towards her students is the sin that she has wal!ed in. :hen she /umps out othe bathtub she is in America. 3or ,ambili this is a nightmare. :hile she does not want to see her aunt abused she does not want to be abandoned by someone she loves. :hen a chic!en is brought to Aunty I-eoma1s \at 0a/a decides that he will !ill it. +his is his sacrifce. Although he has never slaughtered an animal be-ore the other children do not ma!e -un o- him and he does not as! how to proceed. ,ambili goes with him and watches him slit its throat. 6e does not hesitate. 6ere he ta!es up the mantle o- provider. 0a/a also does not hesitate in telling ,ambili that he wants to go to America with his cousins. Crossing an ocean is the only way to escape his -ather1s reign. ,ambili1s hair has not been plaited -or some time. :hen she was in the hospital Zama was unable to f4 her hair because it caused her daughter too much pain. 3ather Amadi decides to ta!e her himsel-. Zama1s inability to plait her daughter1s hair is symbolic o- her inability to ta!e care o- her daughter. ,ambili is told that only men who have a2ection -or girls ta!e them to get their hair plaited. 6ere ,ambili is trans-erring some o- her dependencies -rom her Zama to a man she li!es. +his can be
seen as a metaphor -or coming o- age as well. A ritual o- com-ort and -amilial duty ta!es on a se4ualized overtone.
Chapter .hirteen 7ummary ,ambili and Ama!a attend mass at 7t. eter1s 3ather Amadi1s chaplaincy. It is less ornate than 7t. Agnes and the congregation is dressed more casually than those who assemble at ,ambili1s church. ,ambili nearly swoons when she receives communion -rom 3ather Amadi. 6e drives the girls home and reminds Ama!a to choose her confrmation name by the -ollowing day. 7he is stubborn insisting she does not want an nglish name. 6e o2ers to help her choose. ,ambili sits on the veranda with her aunt and her -riend Chia!u. +hey discussuniversity politics. +he son o- one o- the pro-essors stole his -ather1s test answers to sell to his students. 7ince the university closed the students have harassed the boy -or their money to be returned. +he pro-essor beats his son -or the the-t. Chia!u-riend says they are trying to treat the symptom and not the cause. I- the pro-essors can1t a2ord -ood they cannot blame their children -or stealing. eating the boy will not put an end to the tyranny. Chia!u tells Aunty I-eoma about her time inCambridge where she was treated as a second@class citizen. 7he warns I-eoma that she will -ace the same -ate in America. 7he echoes Ama!a1s desire to address the problems at home rather than run away.?biora interrupts de-ending his mother. Chia!u leaves soon a-ter and Aunty I-eomapunishes her son -or the disrespect. Ama!asqueezes ,ambili1s hand and calls her brother stupid -or wanting to leave Nigeria.
+he power outages have spoiled the ma/ority o- the meat in the re-rigerator. ,ambili and Ama!a pic! stones out o- rice on the veranda. +hey listen to Ama!a1s tapes o- 3ela and ?nye!a. ,ambili has never -elt such companionship. :ithout warning Zama shows up. 7he emerges -rom a ta4i unsteady. Aunty I-eoma ushers her inside and as!s what happened. apa bro!e a table over Zama1s stomach not !nowing she was pregnant. +he beating causes another miscarriage. :hen released -rom the hospital she too! a cab straight to Nsu!!a. Aunty I-eoma does not let Zama come to the phone when apa calls. ut when she insists on calling him bac! Zama reports that apa will pic! up his -amily the -ollowing day. Aunty I-eoma is incredulous. Zama says that apa has been under enormous strain since Ade1s death and the shuttering o- his -actory. :hen Aunty I-eoma pushes her Zama as!s her where she would go i- she le-t nugu. 7he dismisses I-eoma1s suggestion to move out as 8university tal!.9 apa comes the ne4t day. ,ambili is surprised to see how thin he has grown in the last -ew wee!s. 6is entire -ace is covered with a pimply rash. :hen ,ambili hugs Ama!a goodbye she calls her me nwanne m nwanyi [ my sister. In the car 0a/a will not loo! at ,ambili. 7he wants to tell him with her eyes how much she wishes to be in Nsu!!a at aster. :hen they arrive home the gates are opened and ,ambili is nauseated by the overwhelming smell o- ripening cashews mangos and avocados. 0a/a points to his purple hibiscus about to bloom. +he ne4t 7unday is alm 7unday. 0a/a does not go to communion and apa throws his missal at him.
Analysis Aunty I-eoma1s argument with Chia!u is a metaphor -or what is happening in the country. +he pro-essor whose son sold test answers is chided -or trying to solve thesymptom and not the real illness [ corruption. :hen Aunty I-eoma de-ends her choice o- moving to America against her -riend1s bitterness ?biora interrupts them. 6ere he ta!es his maturity too -ar. 6e is still a child and is reprimanded -or his disrespect. Challenging authority is e4pected but there is a price to be paid i- one e4ceeds his or her limits. +he e4ample o- the -ather and his boy and also ?biora1s punishment can be contrasted with the punishment in\icted on ,ambili and 0a/a. +here is a di2erence between discipline and cruelty. Ama!a e4plains to ,ambili that being \ogged by Aunty I-eoma is not pleasant but the discussion that ensues a-terwards is even worse. Aunty I-eoma uses corporal punishment as a corrective but then discusses openly why she was provo!ed to such a degree that warrants the switch. apa e4plains his intention but the method is so severe that pain and -ear become the lesson. Aunty I-eoma tries to e4plain this to Zama when she turns up battered. Ama!a1s reluctance to choose a confrmation name is indicative oher uneasiness with colonialism. In Goman Catholicism there are seven sacraments three o- which are rites o- initiation [ aptism ucharist and Confrmation. aptism is per-ormed at birth by anointing a child1s head with holy water. +he ucharist or receiving o- communion is to be nourished by 0esus through the ingestion o- his 8body9 in the -orm o- a wa-er. Confrmation is completed by teenagers at the age o- f-teen. Foung
men and women are anointed with oil and choose a confrmation name typically the name o- a saint. +hough it is largely a symbolic gesture Ama!a does not want to give up her Nigerian identity. Ama!a calls ,ambili her sister in this chapter. +his signifes their bond and also echoes Aunty I-eoma1s use o- 8my wi-e9 when re-erring to Zama. 3amily is -orged not only by blood but also by connection and camaraderie. +he titles connote the -eelings that cannot be conveyed in simple terms. +he women in the Achi!e umunna \out conventional -amilial titles to \out patriarchy. Nature ta!es on symbolic meaning at the end o- this chapter. :hen ,ambili and 0a/a return to nugu ,ambili is overwhelmed by the sic!eningly sweet scent o- rotting -ruit. Cashews avocado and mangos litter the ground and give o2 this cloying order. ,ambili used to delight in the vast bac!yard daydreaming while loo!ing outside her window. 6owever when she returns -rom Nsu!!a each time the lu4uries she has grown accustomed to ta!e on a dar!er shade. 6ere the -ruits that symbolize status are rotting /ust as the Achi!e -amily is rotting. ut 0a/a1s purple hibiscus @ his rebellion [ is about to bloom. +his chapter concludes with alm 7unday and the boo! comes -ull circle bac! to the beginning. +he frst three parts o- the boo! are a told in \ashbac! with the -orth part indicated as the present. rea!ing Mods re-ers to alm 7unday when apa1s thrown missal brea!s Zama1s fgurines. +he title ta!es on another meaning as 0a/a1s re-usal to parta!e in mass is his 8brea!9 with Mod. +he second section which concludes here is called 7pea!ing :ith ?ur 7pirits. +his section charts the coming o-
age stories o- both ,ambili and 0a/a who are -orced to spea! only through gesture and actions. As this section un-olds in \ashbac! the scenes \ow li!e memory. ,ambili as the narrator is choosing which memories are the most crucial in e4plaining what happens on alm 7unday. +his puts the story squarely in the point o- view o- ,ambili and we can glimpse how she has changed by how she describes certain events. 3or instance in this chapter ,ambili -ocuses on the card games she lost rather than her inevitable return to nugu. 6aving distance -rom this night she is able to point to her train o- thought as evidence o- her growth in confdence. Instead o- dreaming o- pain or -retting about her punishment she reminisces about time spent with her cousin. +his is a detail that ,ambili spea!ing -rom three years beyond this night identifes as important.
Chapter $"urteen AG+ +6G [ +6 IC7 ?3 M?;7E A3+G ABZ 75N;AF 7ummary verything comes tumbling down a-ter alm 7unday. A ferce wind uproots several -rangipani trees the satellite dish dislodges -rom the roo- and 7isi brea!s a -ull set o- Zama1s plates. veryone changes. Zama spea!s above a whisper and no longer snea!s -ood to 0a/a when he doesn1t come down -or dinner. 7he carries his meals to him on trays. ,ambili doesn1t !now how to react to the new brittle air in the house. +hrough dinner she stares at the portrait o- her Mrand-ather and closes her eyes during prayer. 0a/a does not leave his room and at frst barricades his door with his des!. apa whose rashes have gotten worse cannot get in.
Fewande Co!er visits with her children. 6er daughter spo!e her frst word that morning and she praises apa -or sending her to thebest doctors in Nigeria. apa in turn praises Mod and will not accept Fewande1s than!s. ,ambili relays the story to 0a/a than!ing Mod -or the girl1s voice. ut 0a/a loo!s at her as!ew. 6e says the girl will never heal. :hen she leaves ,ambili easily pushes the des! aside. 7he wonders why apa was unable to move it. ,ambili dreads aster 7unday. 7he !nows 0a/a will not go. apa1s hands sha!e violently during brea!-ast so he decides the -amily will attend evening mass. Aunty I-eoma calls and tells ,ambili that she has been terminated by the university. 7he has applied -or a visa -rom the American embassy. 3ather Amadi has received notice as well and he will leave -or Mermany at the end o- the month. 0a/a tells apa that he and ,ambili will leave -or Nsu!!a immediately to spend aster with their cousins. +oo wea! to argue apa allows them to go. +hey pac! hastily. ,ambili goes into her -ather1s room. 6e is disheveled but he hugs her and !isses her -orehead. Aunty I-eoma1s apartment is swelteringly hot. +he children coo! over their !erosene coo!er. ?biora says there is no need to save the gas cylinders as they won1t be in Nigeria -or much longer. Ama!a sha!es her head. +heir mother does not have her visa yet. ,ambili waits on the veranda until the coo!er stops smo!ing then she helps prepare and serve supper. Ama!a tells ,ambili that the intense sun is a warning -or rain. apa@Nnu!wu taught her about the angry sun. 7he reminisces about helping her mother deter thieves at the university and sighs. Ama!a does
not want to go to America. ,ambili tries to com-ort her. At least there will be -resh mil! in bottles. Ama!a smiles at her cousin. +he s!ies open up and the children gather rainwater in buc!ets. 3ather Amadi visits. Ama!a and ?biora tease him about his assignment to Mermany. +hey wonder i- since the white men brought their white Mod to A-rica perhaps 3ather Amadi can repac!age Mod to bring to Mermany. 3ather Amadi smiles and sha!es his head. In urope there are no indigenous cultures that need to be pacifed. 3ather Amadi loo!s to ,ambili1s troubled -ace. 7he does not !now what will happen. In two wee!s school starts again. y then Aunty I-eoma may be gone. 0a/a re-uses to spea! to apa. ven though she wants to spea! to him ,ambili re-uses as well. +hey spea! in the garden. ,ambili pluc!s\owers and places the petals on her fngers 3ather Amadi dangerously close. 6e tells her he will go to nugu the -ollowing wee! to tal! to 3ather enedict. 6e will recommend that ,ambili and 0a/a go to boarding school. 6e reassures her but she loo!s away. 6e as!s her to loo! at him. 6is brown eyes nearly ma!e her swoon. 3ather Amadi slips a petal o2 o- her fnger and holds her hand. +hat night she bathes in the rainwater. 7he does not heat the water -or -ear that it will lose the smell o- the s!y. 7he does not wash her le-t hand where 3ather Amadi had slipped the petal o2 o- her fnger. And she does not remove the earthworms -rom the shower. 7he lets them slide away with the water. Analysis
+he most stri!ing development in this chapter is Zama1s defance. Instead o- hiding her actions [ -eeding 0a/a in his room giving orders to the sta2 [ she fnds her voice. +here are two reasons why this happens. 7he is inspired by 0a/a and is willing to protect him by siding with him. And as revealed in the ne4t chapters she is poisoning apa. 7he !nows that he is wea! and cannot challenge her. Ama!a does not want to go to America. 6erhome is in Nigeria. Although politically problematic she does not want to abandon her countryE she wants to stay and try to fght in/ustices. Aunty I-eoma1s -riend hillipa has gone to America and is supposedly happy but her other -riend Chia!uremembers her time in urope. 7he -elt li!e an animal on display. Aunty I-oema has no choice a-ter she gets fred. I- she cannot -eed her children she must consider other options. +hough leaving her home is not the most desired outcome she -eels she must. +he Achi!e -amily1s story parallels its greater conte4t o- political unrest and vice versa. Zama does not want to leave her home so li!e Ama!a she desires to f4 the problems in her own house. 6er murder o- apa can be viewed as a coup. :hen the -amily fnds out that 3ather Amadi is assigned to Mermany ?biora and Ama!a engage him in a discussion about colonialism. +hey suggest that since the white men brought their white man to A-rica perhaps 3ather Amadi should 8repac!age9 his Mod -or urope1s consumption. ?biora is suggesting 3ather Amadi disseminate a blac! image o- Mod. In the fnal chapter o- the boo! Ama!a tells ,ambili that academics dispute the apparition in Ao!pe because Mod wouldn1t come to A-rica. Aunty I-eoma1s children are challenging the dominant
:estern belie- system. 3ather Amadi /o!es that there are no indigenous cultures in urope that need to be pacifed. Geligion was a tool used by imperialists to more easily colonize A-rica. Zissionaries taught A-ricans about their view o- sin and morality in order to !eep them in line. roding the indigenous culture is the frst step towards assimilation. As a traditionalist apa@Nnu!wu sought to preserve his own culture. 6is bond with Ama!a ma!es her question her own -aith. +he di*culty in choosing a confrmation name is indicative o- her challenge to colonialism. +he last paragraph o- this chapter is a beauti-ul description o,ambili1s growth as illustrated through her reaction to several environmental -actors. 3irst she does not want to wash her hand -or -ear o- washing o2 the memory o- 3ather Amadi. +he water she uses is unadulterated rainwater unheated to retain the scent o- the s!y. 7he wants to carry nature with her. +he rains have -allen a-ter an e4treme heat symbolizing the relie- she -eels in Nsu!!a a-ter her e4periences in nugu. 0ust as the s!ies open up so does ,ambili. apa@Nnu!wu says in chapter si4 that both the Catholic Mod and the Igbo Chu!wu live in the s!y. ,ambili believes that weather is a way -or Mod to communicate with the world and by persevering the scent o- the s!y she is trying to hold on to Mod. 7he does not disturb the earthworms when she showers as she had be-ore. +here is a reverence -or nature but also a peace with nature. ,ambili is truly happy in this moment. ,ambili and 0a/a1s continuing coming o- age can be gauged by their reactions to the news o- Fewande Co!er1s daughter. A-ter seeing her -ather !illed by a mail bomb at their dining table Fewande1s daughter has not
spo!en a word. apa has sent her to the best doctors to cure her insisting it is Mod1s wor! and not his own that is responsible. +he benevolence apa shows other people1s children is a contrast to the punishment he metes out with his own. 3or both Mod is responsible. In the case o- Fewande1s daughter he does not ta!e credit -or a miracle [ even though no miracle has occurred. And with his children he is not to blame -or their painP he is saving them -rom hellfre. +he same attitude that ma!es him humble absolves him o- his guilt. 0a/a does not thin! that Mod is responsible -or her cure. apa1s money is responsible. 3urthermore he says she will never be healed. +he psychological scars are permanent and though she spea!s again she will carry the emotional burden the rest o- her li-e. 0a/a is spea!ing o- Fewande1s daughter1s pain but also his own. +hough he has healed -rom his beatings the psychological impact remains. ,ambili her -aith intact still believes that Mod is wor!ing through apa1s good deeds. 7he praises Mod -or the girl1s speech as she is starting to fnd her own. 6er increasingly malleable -aith allows her to ascribe her growth to grace. ,ambili and 0a/a no longer see eye to eye on this matter but they can respect one another as individuals. In the long run this is a better outcome than to be bound by unspo!en misery. At Nsu!!a 0a/a re-uses to spea! to his -ather. ,ambili re-uses as well though she is con\icted about it. 7ilence is a weapon that 0a/a wields to punish apa.
Chapter $i!teen an% 4i0teen 7ummary Chapter 3i-teen
3ollowing the rains a chill -alls over Nsu!!a.3ather Amadi dines with the -amily chidingAma!a -or not yet choosing a name -or confrmation. 7he scans a list he has written up -or her but still re-uses to ta!e an nglish name. 6e as!s i- she would be able /ust this once to accept the way things are done.Ama!a doesn1t understand why she can1t choose an Igbo name since she will not be called by her confrmation name. Aunty I-eoma snaps at her daughter telling her to /ust choose a name. Ama!a does not agree leaves the table and blasts music -rom her room. +he ne4t day aster 7unday Ama!a does not /oin the other young people in the confrmation ceremony. ,ambili reminisces about her own ceremony where she was named Guth her -ather1s choice. Aunty I-eoma decides it is time to visit the miracle at Ao!pe. 0a/a does not want to go.?biora stays home as well to loo! a-terChima. Aunty I-eoma as!s 3ather Amadi to /oin the women. Ama!a teases ,ambili [ he agrees to come -or her. 6undreds o- cars flled with Catholics on the pilgrimage to the apparition clog Ao!pe. It is chaotic. A girl announces that she sees the eauti-ul :oman the `irgin Zary in a tree. ?thers fnd her in the sun. ,ambili watches the tree. It sways depositing \ame@colored petals on the ground. Gibbons cordoning o2 the apparition area sha!e though there is no wind. eople around ,ambili sha!e as well. +he sun turns white and ,ambili sees the `irgin everywhere [ in the sun on the bac! o- her hand in the smile o- a man. ?n the ride home Ama!a says it doesn1t matter i- ?ur Bady appeared or not. +he pilgrimage is the reason ,ambili and 0a/a came to Nsu!!a in the frst place so Ao!pe will always be special. ,ambili is the only one who sees the lessed `irgin. 3ather Amadi
watching ,ambili in the rearview mirror says that something -rom Mod was happening there. ,ambili /oins 3ather Amadi as he says goodbye to the -amilies oNsu!!a. 6er throat eased by singing along with the Igbo songs o- his car1s radio she tells him she loves him. 3ather Amadi presses his -ace to hers and tells her that she is beauti-ul and that she will have more love than she will need in a li-etime. 7he wants to !iss him and tell him that he is wrong. 7he cries on the way home. Aunty I-eoma tells her to brighten up and to pray -or her visa interview the ne4t day. ,ambili will not pray -or what she does not want. ,ambili sits on the bed in Ama!a1s room not saying anything about her day with 3ather Amadi. +o ,ambili1s surprise Ama!a tells her she is singing along with her music. Ama!a sighs. 6ow will she fnd 3ela tapes inAmerica ,ambili does not !now how to com-ort her. +he children are waiting on the veranda when Aunty I-eoma arrives home -rom her interview in Bagos. 7he tells them she got the visa. ?biora screams in e4citement and Chima hugs his mother. Ama!a ,ambili and 0a/a do not rise. +hey have to move out o- the \at in two wee!s then fnd enough money -or the tic!ets. Aunty I-eoma says they will go to nugu with ,ambili and 0a/a to as! apa to help. 7he will also convince apa to send his children to boarding school. 3inality hangs in the air heavy and hollow. 3ather Amadi1s last day snea!s up on ,ambili. 7he -eels her new -ragile li-e will brea! into pieces. 6e as!s her to spend a -ew hours with him be-ore lunch but she says no. 7he as!s him i- Aunty I-eoma as!ed
him to ta!e her to the stadium the frst time. 6e says yes but that he wanted to ta!e her everywhere a-ter that. 6e tells her he will return in the evening but she doesn1t loo! up at him. Ama!a comes out to com-ort her and /o!es that they will campaign against celibacy in the church when they go to university together. ,ambili tells her to stop teasing. 7he !nows 3ather Amadi will never leave the priesthood even though she desperately wants him to. +hat night she copies his Merman address into her noteboo! and he wipes away her tears. 3ather Amadi embraces ,ambili. At dinner she busies hersel- loc!ing away the parts o- her she will not need when he is gone. ,ambili stirs violently in her sleep wa!ing Ama!a. Ama!a holds her until the morning. ,ambili does not tell Ama!a about her dreams. 7he dreamt 3ather Amadi was chasing her through a roc!y path littered with bruised allamanda plants. 3ather Amadi turned into apa dressed in a \oor@length sac! he wears on Ash :ednesday. ,ambili is grate-ul -or the sunlight the ne4t morning. A-ter pac!ing up the \at the apartment loo!s eerily empty. Aunty I-eoma decides they will ta!e a -arewell tour o- Nsu!!a with the -uel they have le-t. +hey go to ?dim 6ill and on impulse climb up to picnic on the top. +he view is wonder-ul. ?biora tells his sister she should paint the view. Instead o- responding Ama!a ta!es o2 running to the top. 0a/a and Chima -ollow. Aunty I-eoma as!s ,ambili what she is waiting -or then ta!es o2 hersel-. ,ambili runs a-ter them thin!ing o- 3ather Amadi. 7he beats her aunt to the pea! then laughs easily when I-eoma suggests she become a sprinter. :hen the sun turns red and is about to -all they leave.
:hile they are playing cards in the livingroom the phone rings. Aunty I-eoma answers and then screams. ,ambili ma!es out nwunye m in her cries and thin!s something has happened to Zama. ,ambili grabs the phone and her mother tells her that apa is dead. +hey -ound him at the -actory. ,ambili in shoc! as!s i- it was a letter bomb. 0a/a ta!es the phone and Aunty I-eoma ma!es ,ambili lie down. 7he stares at a sac! o- rice lost in thoughts o- her -ather. 7he did not thin! it was possible -or her -ather to die. Chapter 7i4teen At home ,ambili and 0a/a stare at the place where the
Ama!a and ,ambili1s -aith are challenged in this chapter. Ama!a a-ter much deliberation and stubbornness decides to not ta!e an nglish confrmation name. 7he does not participate in the ceremony. Bi!e 0a/a she brea!s -rom her -aith. Ama!a and ,ambili visit the apparition in Ao!pe. ,ambili is the only one to see the `irgin Zary. 7he sees her in the tree in the sun and in the smile o- every man. 3or ,ambili Mod is truly everywhere. As she realizes with 3ather Amadi -aith does not only occur in sanctifed places. 6e spea!s through nature and goodness both more prosaic and more power-ul than she imagined. ,ambili1s /ourney o- her own -aith comes to a close here. 7he will always be devout but not in the way apa is devout. 7he ac!nowledges -aiths outside o- her own ta!ing -rom them pieces that help her reconcile the world. ?n their last day in Nsu!!a Aunty I-eoma ta!es the -amily to the top o- ?dim 6ill. +his is a holy place -or the -amily. ,ambili is prompted to run up a-ter her cousins and though she gets a late start she bests many othem. Aunty I-eoma tells her she should be a sprinter. +his echoes what 3ather Amadi had said to her earlier. At the top o- the hill ,ambili tries to fnd 3ather Amadi everywhere. As she surveys the beauty o- the surroundings she longs -or the man she has -allen in love with. 6e has given her confdence enough to run up the hill and also to rise to adulthood. At the top ?biora fnds a grasshopper and proclaims how strong it is. oth he and 0a/a are strong in their own ways. 0a/a !nows about the murder be-ore ,ambili and the police do. It is unclear whether or not he had !nown what Zama was doing while it was happening but he is complicit in the a-termath. :hen ,ambili tells him
that Mod wor!s in mysterious ways he turns a critical eye to the scriptures. 6e !nows that Zama not Mod !illed apa. 5nli!e with apa1s re-usal to be ac!nowledged -or his deeds 0a/a !nows someone must ta!e the blame. 6e steps up and protects his mother in his mind to ma!e up -or the ways in which he has not protected her in the past. 6e has learned -rom watching ?biora stand up to the soldiers and question authority that manhood depends on strength and calls -or -amilial loyalty. 0a/a is now a man. 6e also can no longer reconcile his -aith with what happens in the world. 5nli!e ,ambili he is unable to see anything but rigid interpretations as he has been taught. :hen he thin!s o- Mod as the -ather he is as disappointed in 6im as he is in apa. 0a/a ultimately re/ects both -athers. +hese chapters conclude the section entitled +he ieces o- Mods. +his can re-er to the bro!en fgurines which leads to 0a/a1s bro!en -aith and also the Achi!e -amily themselves. ach individual is a piece o- the gods and the whole o- the -amily is bro!en by apa1s death and Aunty I-eoma1s impending move to America. ,ambili also -eels that she is brea!ing into pieces because 3ather Amadi is leaving. +here are both positive and negative connotations to this title. +he whole o- ,ambili and her -amilial unit is being torn to pieces but ,ambili is also ta!ing pieces o- di2erent gods to heart.
Chapter 4eenteen AG+ 3?5G [ A ;I33GN+ 7IBNCE +6 G7N+ 7ummary Nearly three years later ,ambili and Zama drive to the prison to visit 0a/a. Zama has been reduced to s!in and bones. A-ter 0a/a was
arrested she told people including newspapers that she was responsible -or apa1s murder. ut they did not believe her. 7ince then she has been di2erent. ?ut o- pity no one has criticized her -or not attending the one@ and two@year memorial masses -or apa. No one mentions that she has not cut her hair which is customary -orwidows. ach wee! Zama and ,ambili visit 0a/a. 5sually they go on separate days. ut this day is di2erent. +heir lawyers respected members o- the state have told the Achi!es that 0a/a will be released. 7ince the 6ead o7tate died atop a prostitute his regime is being swept away. +he lawyers and activists have placed the guilt -or the murder on the regime. Bi!e Ade Co!er they argue he was !illed -or his -ree speech. Almost "## people imprisoned -alsely are to be released. 0a/a is -ourth on the list. ut ,ambili and Zama have not yet let themselves re/oice. A silence still -alls over the house. +hey do not spea! o- how muchmoney they have a-ter hal- o- apa1s estate went to the church in addition to donationshe secretly made to several charities. ,ambili tells their new driver to put her 3ela tape on in the car. ,ambili reminisces about the last time she visited Nsu!!a. +he lion statue no longer gleams and there is no longer power. 7he visits Aunty I-eoma1s \at the bemused newtenants letting her in. ;espite the changes ,ambili lets out a throaty laugh. ven though the town is in disrepair the air smells o- hills and history. Nsu!!a can let loose something in your soul the sound emergingli!e a -reedom song. +hey arrive at the prison. 0a/a is bac! in his old overcrowded cell. 6e shares the cramped quarters with a number o- men. +he only
bathroom is a plastic bag that they share. +hey fght over who gets to ta!e it outside because that person gets to see sunlight. 0a/a had a better cell equipped with a bed and boo!s because their lawyers !new the right people to bribe. ut 0a/a says he does not mind the mice and coc!roaches only sleeping ne4t to another man1s -eces. 0a/a is also beaten routinely -or insubordination. ,ambili is not sure i- he does anything to provo!e the abuse or i- it is /ust business as usual in the prison. 0a/a won1t say. 0a/a1s o*cial status this whole time has been Awaiting +rial. 6is shoulders which bloomed in Nsu!!a have sagged. In the letters Ama!ahas written to ,ambili she mentions her letters to the o*ce o- the 6ead o- 7tate and to the Nigerian embassy in America complaining about his treatment. ut she does not tell 0a/a this and 0a/a does not write to Ama!a. :hat will he say Aunty I-eoma sends him tape recordings oher -amily1s voices. As reported in Aunty I-eoma1s letters she wor!s two /obs. ?ne at a small community college and the other at a pharmacy. Ama!a says her -amily does not have time to laugh anymore and they barely see one another. 7he says that Chima 8out-ats9 his outfts monthly. ?biora writes the cheeriest letters. ?n scholarship at a private school he is encouraged rather than reported -or challenging his teachers. Zama and ,ambili o2er a bribe to the guard and are ushered in to see 0a/a. :hen he comes out ,ambili ta!es a deep breath. New emotions are -orming where the old ones are dissolving. 7he thin!s about a letter -rom 3ather Amadi assuring her that 0a/a will be released soon. +he letter is in her bag [ she always carries his letters in her bag until the ne4t one
arrives. Ama!a teases her -or being lovey@dovey but there is nothing romantic in their letters. :hen she as!s him i- she is happy he does not respond. 7he is not competing with Mod -or his a2ectionsP she is sharing him with Mod. 0a/a1s +@shirt +@shirt brought brought new by ,ambili two wee!s wee!s ago is already already flthy. +here is a hardness in his eyes now. +hey eat quic!ly Zama trembling at ,ambili1s side. +hey tell 0a/a that he is being released. 6e responds that there are many interesting characters in his cell. ,ambili corrects him [ he is not being moved but released -rom prison altogether. 6e says nothing. 6is eyes are too -ull o- guilt to realize that ,ambili thin!s he is her hero. +hough he o-ten wishes he did more to protect his -amily ,ambili does not thin! he should have done more. In this new silence ,ambili thin!s about the old silence when apa was alive. 7he does not tell 0a/a that she o2ers prayers -or apa every 7unday and that she longs to see him in her dreams. 7ometimes she ma!es her own dreams but even then she and apa cannot meet. +heir time is up and 0a/a gets led away without ma!ing eye contact to his -amily. :hen they leave the prison there is a moment o- hope. ,ambili laughs and tells Zama that they will ta!e 0a/a to Nsu!!a and to America to see Aunty I-eoma then to Abba to plant new orange trees and he will plant purple hibiscus again. Analysis +he boo! closes on the the present. It is nearly nearly three years years later and 0a/a has been in prison -or murdering apa. As the title o- this section suggests there is a di2erent silence in nugu. Zama is silent now
wrac!ed with grie-. grie-. 7he has tried to tell everyone that she is to blame -or the murder but her con-ession has -allen on dea- ears. 7he spea!s with apa1s money money in the -orm - orm o- bribes -or the prison guard and lawyers who participate in the corrupt system. +hey no longer spea! out against the same system the 7tandard would criticize. In her home Zama does not spea!. ,ambili respects her silence !nowing that as be-ore some truths cannot be spo!en. e-ore the silence was a necessity to maintain apa1s apa1s image. Now the silence is sel-@preservation. sel-@preservation. 0a/a no longer spea!s with his eyes. 6ardened by his brutal e4periences in prison he has learned to shut the vulnerable parts o- himsel- away. away. 6e cannot ta!e com-ort in ,ambili or else the house o- cards he has built that enables him to live through prison will tumble down li!e Zama1s fgurines. As Ama!a understands what can he say America is not the den that ?biora hopes it to be. +hough he thrives in America the rest o- the -amily struggles in their new home. Aunty I-eoma holds down two /obs to ma!e ends meet and Ama!a -eels isolated -rom her roots. And though the Nsu!!a ,ambili ,ambili visits is devoid othe people who once made it a home ,ambili still see!s re-uge there. ?dim 6ill still stands the air scented with hills and history. history. It is the history o- her country and ,ambili1s own history. Gather than her own home Nsu!!a1s trans-ormative trans-ormative power is ,ambili1s re-uge. 7he comes here to restore restore hersel- to -ree the song within her that is -orced into silence in nugu. ,ambili has roots now. 7he listens to 3ela1s tapes and reminisces about Ama!a but the music has also become her own.
.he P"wer "! 4etting in ,Purple 6ibicu, by Chimaman%a A%ichie Malika 3"il &&th Mrade +he novel urple 6ibiscus 6ibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie Adichie set in post@ colonial Nigeria during the Civil :ar in the late &K#s is a bildungsroman that -ocuses greatly on -amily relationships relationships as well as religious and cultural ideals. +he passage describing ,ambili and 0a/a1s frst meal at their Aunt1s house in Nsu!!a provides a star! contrast to the oppressive atmosphere atmosphere in nugu as a result o- her -ather1s abusive nature. +he -reedom and vibrancy o- Aunty I-eoma1s household despite their fnancial limitations bewilders ,ambili while li-ting the restrictions on her li-e and e4posing her to radically diverse values and belie-s. Adichie -oreshadows -oreshadows the development o- ,ambili1s character through the immense contrast between her own home and the Nsu!!a household1s open and loving environment. Adichie emphasizes the symbolic setting in this passage to power-ully convey the disparity in attitudes o- ,ambili1s and Aunty I-eoma1s -amilies. +he gap in wealth is dealt with -requentlyP highlighting that greater material satis-action is not as benefcial as the spiritually nurturing environment o- Nsu!!a. Adichie uses natural imagery while describing the dining table in the second paragraph o- the...
C"ntrate% 4etting Burhan 6ami% +he novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes the li-e o- a teenage girl ,ambili who is raised in Nigeria. In the novel Adichie uses two main settings to e2ectively
describe the themes o- -reedom silence and repression. +he two settings that are used in the novel are ,ambili1s hometown in nugu and another small town Nsu!!a where ,ambili1s aunt and cousins live. +he contrasts between the settings are startling. In nugu ,ambili her brother 0a/a and her mother all -ace oppression -rom apa. ?ver there the teenagers don1t !now what -reedom is and everything they do is determined by apa. 6owever in Nsu!!a both ,ambili and her brother fnally fnd out what -reedom truly is and because o- that they fnd themselves. +he city o- nugu is a large cosmopolitan city devoted to government a2airs and commerce. ,ambili1s -ather ugene is an important fgure in Nigeria and dominates his home using harsh punishments and rigid guidelines. +he house is flled with an oppressive silence that symbolizes the inability o- the -amily to communicate with one another or to e4press themselves. ven during dinner the -amily sits down and they either eat in silence or spea! brie\y in intense short bursts.
urple 6ibiscus 3i-teen@year@old ,ambili1s world is circumscribed by the high walls and -rangipani trees o- her -amily compound. 6er wealthy Catholic -ather under whose shadow ,ambili lives while generous and politically active in the community is repressive and -anatically .religious at home :hen Nigeria begins to -all apart under a military coup ,ambili1s -ather sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt a 5niversity pro-essor whose house is noisy and -ull olaughter. +here ,ambili and her brother discover a li-e and love beyond the confnes o- their -ather1s authority. +he visit will li-t the silence -rom their world and in time give rise to devotion and defance that reveal themselves in pro-ound and une4pected ways. +his is a boo! about the promise o- -reedomP about the blurred li nes between childhood and adulthoodP between love and hatred .between the old gods and the new httpEHHchimamanda.comHboo!sHpurple@hibiscusH
urple 6ibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Abou$ $his boo#
oo! 7ummary 3i-teen@year@old ,ambili>s world is circumscribed by the high walls and -rangipani trees o- her -amily compound. 6er wealthy Catholic -ather under whose shadow ,ambili lives while generous and politically active in .the community is repressive and -anatically religious at home :hen Nigeria begins to -all apart under a military coup ,ambili>s -ather sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt a 5niversity pro-essor whose house is noisy and -ull o- laughter. +here ,ambili and her brother discover a li-e and love beyond the confnes o- their -ather>s authority. +he visit will li-t the silence -rom their world and in time give rise to devotion and defance that reveal themselves in pro-ound and une4pected ways. +his is a boo! about the promise o- -reedomP about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthoodP between love and hatred .between the old gods and the new +evies edia +evies
In a so-t searing voice Adichie e4amines the comple4ities o- L -amily -aith and country through the haunted but hope-ul eyes o- a young
girl on the cusp o- womanhood. Bush cadenced and o-ten disconcerting .this is an accomplished frst e2ort.L @ ublishers :ee!ly +his is a harsh story almost unbearable at frst but beauti-ully L .written.L @ 7chool Bibrary 0ournal recommended -or adults high school +his impressive frst novel is redolent in its depiction o- the L Nigerian countryside and generates a palpable narrative tension over what>s to become o- ,ambili and 0a/a>s new-ound sense o- -reedom.L @ .oo!list uiet chilling and heart wrenching this debut novel is both a L superb portrait o- an un-amiliar culture and an un\inching depiction o- the universal turmoil o- adolescence.L @ `oya recommended -or young adults .and up +he stunning denouement underscores the power o- -amily love. L :ritten with great sensitivity this debut shows why Adichie has already .won several awards.L @ Bibrary 0ournal Bi!e many frst@novelists Adichie tries -or too muchP her portrayal L o- ,ambili>s home li-e is stri!ing but provides -ar too incomplete a depiction o- apa. 6er portrait o- Nigeria is -ascinating but -ragmented. Auntie I-eoma and the cousins are li!able enough but not memorable. Nonetheless with ,ambili the author has created a compelling narrative@ .and a surprising punch at end.L @ ,ir!us
+he in-ormation about Purple Hibiscus shown above was frst -eatured in L+he oo!rowse GeviewL @ oo!rowse>s online@magazine that !eeps our members abreast o- notable and high@profle boo!s publishing in the coming wee!s. In most cases the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead o- publication. I- you are the publisher or author o- this boo! and -eel that the reviews shown do not properly re\ect the range o- media opinion now available please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you .would li!e to see added Zembership Advantages +eader +evies
-ri$e %our on revie
hwari Praa% Pau%el .ranculturati"n I li!ed this boo! the most and I am having my ZA thesis on it.
bekail" $rany Purple 6ibicu +he boo! purple 6ibiscus by Chimamanda Adiche is a captivating and interesting story that !ept me on edge till the last page o- it. +he part that I -ancy most is the dispute between ugene and his -ather (i.e ,ambili>s grand-ather) over religion. :ell written. I must commend Ziss Adiche -or a wonder-ul piece o- wor!.
A%eleye Kanyin"la 3race
Purple 6ibicu@ a b""k reiew +he boo! purple hibiscus is a very in\uential boo! and very inspiring it teaches a lesson to all parents most especially -athersE they should not try to !eep their children in bondage or stop them -rom being e4posed to things that would help them. I cite an e4ample when ,ambili and her brother went to their aunt>s house -or a holiday. +hey were not used to playing with other children o- their age instead they avoided them. Also a good Christian must learn to portray his true nature both outside and on the inside. :e should never be a chameleon to people around us. 3or e4ample ,ambili>s -ather portrayed himsel- as a chameleon by doing good to outsiders and being brutal to his -amily.
#nu"ha A+uka /ai%"n /ae reiew Interesting e4cellent well written novel by an epitome o- the A-rican woman.....Zrs Adichie. It captures man>s inhumanity to man especially during military rule in Nigeria and also the negative e2ects oreligious -anaticism and hypocrisy.
Kalejaye aminat "lai%e .he Purple 6ibicu
Chimamanda is actually a prolifc writer the boo! is very interesting and straight-orward a must read -or everyone especially students preparing -or their fnal e4ams in Nigeria
abeeb "re%unni "niyere praiing +he boo! is rattling good reading. It is intelligible and comprehensive. +he language used is straight-orward and decipherable. more reader reviews $... Zembership Advantages Au$hor .nforma$ion
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Author iography Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in &. 7he is -rom Abba in Anambra 7tate but grew up in the university town o- Nsu!!a where she attended primary and secondary schools and brie\y studied Zedicine and harmacy. 7he then moved to the 5nited 7tates to attend college graduating summa cum laude -rom astern Connecticut 7tate with a ma/or in Communication and a minor in olitical 7cience. 7he holds a Zasters degree in Creative :riting -rom 0ohns 6op!ins and a Zasters .degree in A-rican 7tudies -rom Fale Purple Hibiscus won the Commonwealth :riters> rize and the
6urstonH:right Begacy Award. It was also short@listed -or the ?range rize
and the 0ohn Blewellyn Ghys rize and long@listed -or the oo!er rize. 6er ... short fction has appeared in /ran$a
3ull iography ... Author Interview Bin! to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie>s :ebsite
'ame Pr"nunciati"n Chimaman%a 'g"+i A%ichie@ Chim@muh@ZA6N@duh en@M?6@zee .ah@;C6@ee@(ay) +he 8ay9 is so-t not quite a diphthong httpsEHHwww.boo!browse.comHbbObrie-sHdetailHinde4.c-mHezineOprevi ewOnumberH"#$KHpurple@hibiscus
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieE >3ear o- causing o2ence becomes a >-etish In closing lecture at the N :orld `oices -estival author critiques kdangerous silencing1 in American conversation and ring ac! ?ur Mirls narrative Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie>s lecture -or the Arthur Ziller 3reedom to :rite at the N :orld `oices 3estival on &# Zay.
'ic"le 8ee Zonday && Zay "#&D&J.&# 7+Bast modifed on +hursday & Zay "#&D&J.$# 7+ No one is being murdered or hauled o2 by the American 8 government to prison -or writing a novel9 said Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her Arthur Ziller 3reedom to :rite lecture which closed the N :orld `oices -estival in New For! 7unday night. +hough couched in a thought-ul set o- anecdotes Adichie had sharp words -or her mostly young and vocal audience about the 8codes o.silence9 that govern American li-e +o . choose to write is to re/ect silence9 Adichie went on to say8 Adichie had acted as co@curator o- the -estival along with its director Baszlo 0a!ab ?rsos. And so she had had a -ront@row seat to the roiling debates about Charlie 6ebdo that overshadowed most o- the
-estival1s other events. 8+here is a general tendency in the 5nited 7tates to defne problems o- censorship as essentially -oreign problems9 Adichie .said in what seemed a gesture towards ac!nowledging that 5sing the contrast between Nigerian and American hospitals as an e4ample Adichie pointed out that Americans li!e to be 8com-ortable9. And she worried that the com-ort has brought 8dangerous silencing9 into American public conversation. 8+he -ear o- causing o2ence the -ear oruing the care-ul layers o- com-ort becomes a -etish9 Adichie said. As such the goal o- many public conversations in the 5nited 7tates 8is not .9truth %it' is com-ort Adichie1s remar!s were made all the more poignant because o- a recent personal ordeal surrounding the release o- her -ather who last wee! was !idnapped -rom his home in Nigeria. Adichie did not directly mention the incident in the speech but she did characterise Nigerians as .those who e4pect 8pain9 in li-e Adichie identifed social media as a contemporary 8tool osilencing9. Gegarding the ring ac! ?ur Mirls campaign which was -ocused around the abduction o- "## girls in Nigeria the narrative had been -orced to ma!e out as i- perpetrators o!o 6aram were targeting girls 8so that we could say oh it1s /ust li!e the +aliban9 said Adichie. ut she pointed out o!o 6aram is opposed to western style education -or both girls and boys. 8It is censorship to -orce a story to ft into something .that already pre@e4ists9 she said
rea!ing silences Adichie added is not always easy. 8I have o-ten been told that I cannot spea! on certain issues because I am young and -emale or to use the disparaging Nigerian spea! because I am a ksmall girl1 I have also been told that I should not spea! because I am a fction writer ... ut I am as much a citizen as I am a writer9 she said. It was as a citizen and writer that she spo!e out against the recent criminalisation ohomose4uality in her home country a law that not only put the sa-ety o.many innocent civilians at ris! but also many o- her -riends Adichie concluded with an anecdote about her own teaching o- a wor!shop in Bagos. A student complained that a story was not 8teaching us anything9. At frst Adichie dismissed him but later she thought she had engaged in an 8overprivileging o- literature9. 6is question 8;oes literature matter9 was an important one to her. 8I would not want to live i- I were not able to have the consolation that stories give me9 she concluded 8and -or this reason I will stand and I will spea! -or the right o- everyone 9.everyone to tell his or her story A-ter reverberating applause the evening then moved into a and A session where the N president Andrew 7olomon who later than!ed her 8as a gay American9 -or her stance against the criminalisation ohomose4uality in Nigeria interviewed Adichie on topics ranging -rom the subtleties o- race class and gender to the annoyance o- having to be .aware o- her race in the 7tates
