Novel Chat: Purple Hibiscus
Novel Resources for Teachers
Essential Questions:
● Is freedom given or inherent?
● What occurs when our freedom is dismissed or ignored?
● Who is in control of our freedom and independence?
Themes:
● Identity
● Religion
● Speak or Silence
● Mental & Physical Abuse
● Perception (Public) vs. Reality (Private)
About the Author
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Novelist, Short Story Writer, MacArthur Fellow (2008)
Author’s Biography
Author’s Website
A Conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
TED Talk: The Danger of a Single Story
Book Summary
Published in 2003, Purple Hibiscus was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s first novel and a One Maryland One Book selection in 2017.
Fifteen year-old Kambili lives with her brother JaJa and her parents in Nigeria. Her family is wealthy and her father, Eugene, is wellrespected in the community. But at home and despite his strong religious beliefs, he is physically and mentally abusive to both his
wife and children. He demands perfection and accepts nothing less. The family mainly suffers in silence.
While Kambili and JaJa are visiting their father’s sister, Aunty Ifeoma and her family, the children enjoy a house filled with life, laughter,
music and books. Though Aunty Ifeoma is not wealthy, her home is nurturing and Kambili, JaJa and their cousins can speak openly
without fear of repercussions. While with Aunty Ifeoma, Kambili meets and falls in love with a priest which complicates matters.
Adding more tension, is the stark differences between Eugene and his father, Papa-Nnukwu. Eugene refers to his father as a heathen
and a pagan because Papa-Nnukwu continues to follow the traditional, non-Christian beliefs of his indigenous culture rather than
follow European religious practices.
When Kambili and JaJa return home, the abuse and tension escalates which results in the death of one family member and the others
forced to make critical and life-changing choices.
What you, as the teacher, should know about this book and related topics.
Purple Hibiscus is told as a first person narrative by Kambili, the protagonist. She does
not relay events in chronological order, but commences in the past, at a key point in the
story – the Palm Sunday family meal of her family – then goes further back into the past
to detail what led up to this point and, finally, concludes in the present.
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Background Knowledge
Social/Historical Issues Raised
Controversy
Cultural Sensitivity
The novel is divided into four sections, each containing chapters that are neither
numbered nor titled. Each section concerns an important phase in Kambili’s story:
“Breaking Gods – Palm Sunday”, “Speaking with Our Spirits – Before Palm Sunday”,
“The Pieces of Gods – After Palm Sunday” and “A Different Silence – The Present”.
Nigeria was a British colony from the 1800s until becoming an independent nation in
1960. Though not a focus, several characters are affected by the political climate.
● Exploring Africa
● Birth of the Nigerian Colony
Instances of abuse are part of the novel’s plot and may be uncomfortable and traumatic
for students, e.g., Beatrice (Mama) recounts the incident that results in the death
(miscarriage) of her fetus/unborn child. See the school counselor for resources and
support with facilitating discussions with students about mental and physical abuse.
Catholicism is a part of the story and as such, knowledge on the significance and
meaning of the religious practices is important in order to provide background information
or address misconceptions that may arise since students will come with diverse
experiences and beliefs in regards to religion and religious practices.
Collaborative
Conversations
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Exploring the Big Ideas
How does this novel connect to the
theme?
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Beyond the Novel
Resources
Cultural Representation: Think about the identities or experiences in the novel
(race/ethnicity, religion, identity/gender, culture). When did an identity or
experience in the novel prompt you to consider privilege, power and/or bias?
When did you notice celebrations, inequities or lived experiences?
Identity: How are masculinity and femininity defined in the novel? How are both
defined In today’s society?
Identity: How do our environments help to shape who we are, our worldview
and serve to either empower or silence us? When has a move or change of
environment impacted your identity and empowered or silenced you?
Religion: What does the novel as a whole say about the nature of religion?
About the relationship between belief and behavior?
Religion: Jaja questions why Jesus had to be sacrificed, yet, he sacrifices
himself to save his mother from prison. Why does he do this? Do you agree with
Jaja’s decision to accept the blame for his father’s death? Should this be
understood as a Christian sacrifice or a simple act of compassion and bravery?
Under what circumstances would you accept responsibility or blame for
someone else’s actions?
Speak or Silence: How does silence and quiet obedience impact one’s
freedom and independence? In what way is the refusal to be quiet dangerous?
Mental & Physical Abuse: Beatrice, Kambili and JaJa all suffer abuse at the
hands of Eugene. Oftentimes those being abused return to the abuser and
justify the abuser’s behavior. Should the abused be judged for their decisions?
What advice would you offer to someone in a similar situation? How can we as
community members break down the barriers around abuse and domestic
violence to reduce the stigma and encourage healthy dialogue and the creation
of a supportive community response?
Perception (Public) vs. Reality (Private): How does wealth, power and
privilege influence perception and reality?
Perception (Public) vs. Reality (Private): How is the theme of perception
(public image) versus reality (private image) reflected throughout the novel?
Think about today’s society, are there people you know or have observed that
have a private image and a public image which differ? How do you cope with
the discrepancy? For those whose public and private images differ, are they
hypocrites? How hypocritical is it to portray yourself as one way in public and
another way in private?
TeachingBooks.net
● An online database of multimedia resources to explore books and their authors.
Newsela Novel & Book Studies
● "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Research
● Fela Ransome-Kuti: Kambili’s cousin plays music by Fela Ransome-Kuti. Kuti
used his music to speak out against the colonial mentality of his upbringing and
advocated for a return to both traditions and democracy. He was arrested and
severely abused for his criticism of the government. Research Kuti’s music.
Create a playlist of his music. Why was his music considered such a threat in
Nigeria?
● Musicians or Spoken-Word Artists: Research artists who have used music or
spoken-word to speak out in support of or against an issue or cause in the U.S.
or abroad. Create a presentation of the issue or cause with a playlist of the
songs or spoken-word of one or more artists.
● Paganist or Traditionalist: Research the Igbo culture. Compare and contrast
the beliefs and practices of paganism and traditionalists.
Four Corner Debate
Speech, TED Talk or Multi-Genre Project
● Write a speech, record a TED Talk or create multi-genre project using one of the
novel’s themes or questions below:
○ What does it mean to be truly free? What is the relationship between
freedom and sacrifice?
○ Is freedom given or inherent?
○ What occurs when our freedom is dismissed or ignored?
○ Who is in control of our freedom and independence?
○ What does it mean to love someone? Should love ever hurt?
If students enjoy reading Purple Hibiscus, then you might
recommend these books for independent reading:
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Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Things Fall Apart by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates