Kambili's Use Of Symbolism In Purple Hibiscus

There is a voice within every human being. It is our way of expressing ourselves and putting out our emotions or expressions towards one another. There are often cases where we don’t have that sense of freedom of speech, however. The limitation of a voice being heard was heavily shown through Kambili in Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Kambili is a native girl who has lived with being silenced by her father’s disciplinary actions and abuse. She hasn’t experienced the freedom of having a voice in the household especially with the political corruption and religious fundamentalism that has taken over her country. Adichie creates this story to explain the hardships that were encountered in post-colonial Nigeria, using the Achike family. Through the use of symbolism and literary concepts, we are shown that the wealthy household was anything but glorious. According to Thomas C. Foster in How to Read Literature Like A Professor, a symbol can mean various things towards a reader. Symbolism can range from objects and images to events and actions. We are provided with a fair share of symbolism in

Silence is the only way Kambili and the rest of the family can cope with the taunting abuse, “My raw tongue suffered, but it didn’t matter, because I knew that when the tea burned, it burned Papa’s love into me” (Adichie, 8). Papa believed that the form of violence towards his family was for their own good. In How to Read Literature Like A Professor, Foster explains there are two types of violence in literature, one of which is character-caused, such as stabbings, poisonings, etc. We witness a form of character-caused violence when Mama takes the decision of poisoning Papa, believing there was no other way out of his tormenting abuse. Adichie shows us that violence will always lead to more violence, especially if it brings you one step closer to your