Purple Hibiscus Study Guide
Understanding Nigeria and Its Role in the Novel
The British took control of Nigeria during the late 1800s and early 1900s and it remained
a British colony until 1960 when Nigeria gained its independence. After years of
colonization and long-standing regional tensions, Nigeria’s newly declared independent
government lacked stability and a series of military coups ensued.
Kambili and her family are members of one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, the
Igbo. After a coup in 1966, army leaders suspended the national and regional
constitutions causing even more turmoil. Later that year, another coup established a new
leader, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon. The turmoil in the country eventually resulted in the
politically-motivated massacre of Igbo people in the North. The leader of the Igbo,
Chukwuemeka O. Ojukwu, declared the Igbo region the independent Republic of Biafra,
resulting in a bloody civil war between Biafra and Nigeria. The secession effort
eventually failed, and Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria in 1970.
While the country’s economic situation improved after this civil war due to its oil
reserves, corruption and unemployment persisted, which led to further instability and
successive coups. The chaos and violence under the leader Big Oga in Purple Hibiscus
echoes the atmosphere during the reign of General Sani Abacha who took over Nigeria in
1993. During this time, a well-known writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa, was executed along with
other human rights activists and Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth of
Nations. Abacha died in 1998 and was succeeded by General Abdul salam Abubakar who
attempted to restore order. He released political prisoners and held elections. A former
leader who was imprisoned during the rule of Abacha, General Olusegun Obasanjo, was
inaugurated as president of Nigeria in 1999.
Culturally, Nigeria has over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, but the three largest are
the Igbo (or Ibo) in the East, the Hausa in the North, and the Yoruba in the West. As for
religion, about half the country is Muslim and approximately forty percent is Christian.
Traditional religion, based on the worship of many gods and spirits, is still practiced
today.
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DISCUSSION AND WRITING
Structure, Technique, and Plot
1. In an interview with the author on public radio, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains
why she chose to have a younger narrator, “I think a younger narrator made me more
careful not to overburden my fiction with polemics, or with my own politics. It is also
more believable to see the complexities and absurdities of religion through the eyes of a
younger person who is not cynical or jaded.” Discuss the advantages in using a younger
narrator. How does it affect the way that the reader understands the story?
2. The novel begins with a flashback. Is this an effective narrative device? Does it
suggest the narrator has a better grasp of the meaning of the various events as they unfold
in the novel?
3. The novel is composed of four sections. Explain the significance of the four section
headings, focusing on the key words and concepts: “gods” and “spirits,” “breaking” and
“pieces,” and “speaking” and “silence.” Why is the novel structured around Palm
Sunday?
4. In some respects, Kambili’s story is similar to a traditional form of the novel called a
bildungsroman. A bildungsroman follows the intellectual and moral development of a
young character, usually a boy, as he discovers a place for himself in the world. While
this novel is more modern than traditional, Purple Hibiscus is the story of a young
character who seeks to define herself in a world beyond the one her father created for her.
Discuss how the book might be seen as an example of a bildungsroman.
Character and Conflict
1. How does Kambili change during the course of the novel? Discuss, in general, ways in
which Kambili needs to change and the events and characters that bring about the
changes.
2. Silence is almost another character in the novel.
• Discuss the types of silence in the novel, specifically regarding Kambili. For example,
she mentions early in the story that her family asked “each other questions whose
answers we already knew. Perhaps it was so that we would not ask the other questions,
the ones whose answers we did not want to know”[p.23]. Characterize this silence and
why it exists in her family. How does this silence interfere with Kambili’s maturation?
• Does this kind of silence persist until the end of the novel?
• At another point early in the story, Kambili must speak in front of her classmates, “I
cleared my throat, willed the words to come. I knew them, thought them. But they would
not come”[p.48]. How is this silence different from the silence described above? When
does Kambili begin to find her voice?
• Is it problematic to have a narrator who is always struggling to find her words?
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3. In what ways is Kambili isolated by silence? Prior to Nsukka, is there any community
that Kambili feels a part of?
4. As a result of her need to discover her own voice, Kambili is sensitive to the voices of
others. It is not only what they say that is important, but how they say it. What are her
first impressions of her aunt’s voice? Of the voices of her cousins? Of Father Amadi?
Why are these voices so important to Kambili?
5. As opposed to her home, Kambili says of her aunt’s house, “Words spurted from
everyone, often not seeking and not getting any response”[p.120]. Why does Kambili
finally speak up at her aunt’s house?
6. Why is it important for Kambili to make connections with other people in order to
learn more about herself?
7. Discuss the final paragraph of the novel. What does it signify about how she feels
about herself and her future?
Father
8. In the first chapter, Kambili describes sipping her father’s tea. He asks his children if
they would like what he calls a “love sip.” Kambili says, “The tea was always too hot,
always burned my tongue. . . . But it didn’t matter, because I knew that when the tea
burned my tongue, it burned Papa’s love into me”[p.8]. How does this experience help to
characterize the relationship between Kambili and her father?
9. Kambili fears her father, yet she also loves and admires him. That love and fear persist
until the end of the novel. After all his abuse, why does she still feel this way? In turn,
after her father beats his children, he shows tremendous remorse. How does Kambili feel
about his remorse? Do her feelings about her father’s behavior change during the course
of the novel?
10. Her father is an important figure in the local church and in the community. Why is
there such a stark contrast between his public persona and his behavior at home? Discuss
the possible reasons for the contradiction in his behavior. Does this contradiction address
any larger questions about the political situation in Nigeria?
11. How does her father react to news of what is going on in Nigeria and the killing of his
editor? Despite all his power at home, does he have any real power in the country’s
politics?
12. Why does her Aunty Ifeoma say that Kambili’s father is a “colonial product?” In
what ways does her father show the influence of colonialism?
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13. Discuss the incident in which her father almost beats Kambili to death. What
precipitates this beating? What does this incident represent for Kambili? In what ways
does it show that Kambili has changed after her visit to Nsukka? What does this moment
mean for Kambili’s relationship with her father?
14. What does Kambili learn from her father? How has he damaged her? Has he helped
her in any way?
15. How does Kambili react to the news of her father’s death? Is it surprising that after all
that she has suffered that she feels sadness?
Mother
16. What role does her mother play in Kambili’s life? In what ways does she influence
Kambili?
17. How does her mother deal with the abuse of both herself and her children? Kambili
says of her mother, “there is so much that she did not mind”[p.19] and that her mother
“spoke the way a bird eats, in small amounts”[p.20]. What does Kambili think of her
mother? Does she fully understand her parent’s relationship?
18. The opening of the book describes the breaking of her mother’s figurines. Why does
her mother pay such loving attention to them? At one moment, Kambili describes her
mother “needing” the figurines. Why would she “need” them? Is it significant that they
are delicate figures of ballet dancers?
19. What is her mother’s attitude toward her father and marriage in general? For example,
early in the novel, she explains to Kambili that her father stayed with her even though she
had difficulty having more children. How does her perception differ from Kambili’s
Aunty Ifeoma?
20. Why does Kambili’s mother come to Nsukka? Why does she go back to her husband?
At one point, she says to Aunty Ifeoma, “Where would I go if I leave Eugene’s house?
Tell me, where would I go?”[p.250] Does her situation speak to any larger issues about
the situation for some women in Nigeria?
21. Why does Kambili’s mother poison her husband? How has she changed by the end of
the novel? In what ways does she still suffer after her husband’s death? Kambili
speculates that people don’t question her mother’s physical deterioration because they
believe it is caused by grief and denial. This implies that Kambili thinks it is something
other than grief and denial. Discuss what else could have caused the dramatic changes in
her mother’s appearance and in her demeanor.
22. How has Kambili’s relationship with her mother evolved?
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23. What does it mean to Kambili when her mother thanks her at the end of the novel?
Why does it make Kambili so happy? Does it show that their relationship has changed?
Jaja
24. How does Kambili feel about her brother? How does her perception of him change
during the course of the novel? Discuss their relationship and his importance to Kambili.
25. What incidents show her that her brother yearns for change in his life? This is clear in
his fierce defiance of his father on Palm Sunday, but find other examples which lead up
to this moment.
26. In what ways does Jaja differ from his sister in how he finally asserts his
independence?
27. The book begins with Jaja’s rebellion against his father. Do his actions really
precipitate everything falling apart, and why?
28. When Jaja stands up to his father, he says “‘Then I will die.’ Fear had darkened Jaja’s
eyes to the color of coal tar, but he looked Papa in the face now”[p.7]. Even though the
reader isn’t yet acquainted fully with Kambili and her family, it is clear how important
Jaja’s words and actions are. How can the reader tell that this is a pivotal moment? How
does Kambili react?
29. Why does Jaja always try and take the blame? For example, he takes the blame for
poisoning his father and goes to jail. Is there something particular to his culture that
compels Jaja to act this way?
30. When Jaja and Kambili first visit their Aunty Ifeoma, Jaja notices a beautiful flower
in her yard, the purple hibiscus mentioned in the title of the novel. Why is Jaja attracted
to the flower? What is the significance in Jaja bringing it back to plant in their yard at
home? Why is Jaja the one who is most interested in the purple hibiscus? What does the
flower represent in the book?
31. Discuss the idea of freedom as it is presented in the novel. Do Kambili, her brother,
and mother ever experience freedom?
32. Does Jaja suffer more than Kambili? If so, in what way? At one point, Jaja and
Kambili discuss the emotional damage suffered by the daughter of the slain editor of her
father’s newspaper, “She will never heal”[p.259]. Will Jaja ever heal? Discuss the final
scene with Jaja in prison. What has prison done to him?
33. Discuss how Jaja and Kambili communicate. Is it always with words?
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34. Aunty Ifeoma tells her children, Kambili, and Jaja a story about another Jaja in
Nigerian history. What is the significance? Why is she telling this story? How does it
relate to Jaja?
Aunty Ifeoma
35. How does Kambili initially describe her aunt to the reader?
36. Discuss Kambili’s first impressions of her aunt’s home. How does it contrast with the
atmosphere of her own home? Is she taken with it at first? If not, what does she grow to
appreciate?
37. What women role models does Kambili have to follow? Contrast Aunty Ifeoma with
Kambili’s mother. What does she learn about being a woman from these two characters.
Contrast their ideas, the way they talk, the way they dress, and, in general, the way the
two women live.
38. Contrast Aunty Ifeoma with her brother, Kambili’s father. What do they think of one
another? What is the most significant aspect of their relationship for Kambili? What
different aspects of Nigerian culture do they represent? In what ways are they similar?
39. What does Kambili admire about her aunt? What does Kambili learn from her aunt
and how does she help Kambili develop a stronger sense of self?
Cousins
40. Discuss Kambili’s relationship with Amaka and how it evolves throughout the course
of the novel. What are her first impressions? How is Amaka different from Kambili?
41. Why is Amaka somewhat hostile to her cousin during her visit with Kambili’s family
and then again when Kambili and Jaja come to stay with them?
42. What does Kambili admire about Amaka? Why is she so important to Kambili?
Papa-Nnukwu
43. Kambili is forbidden to have a real, substantive relationship with her grandfather.
Why is her father hostile towards him? Why does he impose so many restrictions on his
children’s visits? Describe their visit to their grandfather. What does Kambili notice
about her grandfather during these restricted visits?
44. Kambili’s cousins are very close to their grandfather and they are delighted when he
tells stories like the one about the Tortoise and the cracked shell. What does this scene
reveal about Kambili?
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45. Why does Aunty Ifeoma ask Kambili to watch Papa-Nnukwu pray? What does she
learn? What surprises her about his prayers? Is there anything significant about the words
that Kambili uses to describe his ritual?
46. How does Kambili feel when Papa-Nnukwu dies?
47. Why does the unfinished portrait of him become so important? What is the
significance in her choosing to use this as her act of rebellion against her father?
48. Why is it significant that Amaka is the one who is closest to her grandfather?
Father Amadi
49. What is different about Father Amadi? Contrast Father Amadi with Father Benedict.
50. Although Kambili meets Father Amadi when she travels to Nsukka, this is not the
first time that Father Amadi appears in the novel. Where does he make his first
appearance, and why is it important?
51. What attracts Kambili to Father Amadi? What does she admire about him? Why does
she fall in love with him? Find examples of how she behaves differently around him?
How does he make her feel?
52. Her love for Father Amadi changes as the novel progresses. Why is he so important to
Kambili developing a stronger sense of self, and what important lessons does she learn
from him?
Politics and Culture
53. In what ways does this novel show a clash of cultures between pre- and postcolonial
Nigeria? How do the effects of colonialism manifest themselves in the various characters
in the novel? Kambili’s father? Papa Nnukwu? Father Amadi?
54. What is the role of religion in the novel? What is Kambili’s relationship to
Catholicism? How does it make her feel? What is the relationship of the religion brought
by colonialism to the traditional religion of ancestral worship?
55. Discuss the significance of Kambili’s pilgrimage to Aokpe. What does it reveal about
her feelings toward religion?
56. How does the political situation in Nigeria affect the plot?
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57. What does Kambili think about the political situation? Is she fully able to understand
what is going on or does this knowledge grow during the course of the novel. Her father’s
world suffocates her, but in other ways, it protects her. Does Kambili really experience
what is going on in the outside world?
58. Why does the author mention the country’s current leader, Big Oga, and the
politically motivated killing of Nwankiti Ogechi? What does it say about her father?
59. Does the theme of silence in the novel raise a larger question about the political
situation in Nigeria?
60. In what way does Kambili’s familial situation and collapse resemble the political
situation in Nigeria? Amaka and her brother, Obiora, have very different opinions about
what the family should do as the political situation deteriorates. Obiora believes they
should leave and go to the United States while Amaka wants to stay, “What do you mean,
leave? Why do we have to run away from our own country? Why can’t we fix
it?”[p.232]. Does this reflect the larger conflict that exists in Nigeria and other countries
with similar political circumstances? Why does Aunty Ifeoma feel she must go to
America? Discuss the incidents and issues which force her to make this decision. What
will their life be like in America? How does Kambili feel about their departure?
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
In Depth Discussion
1. In many ways, the first chapter is a microcosm of the entire novel. Virtually every
important theme and character is introduced. Document these elements in the first
chapter, and discuss how they are important to Kambili’s development and what role they
play in the story.
2. In one of her many descriptions of her aunt, Kambili says, “When she barged into the
dining room upstairs, I imagined a proud ancient forebear, walking miles to fetch water in
homemade clay pots, nursing babies until they walked and talked, fighting wars with
machetes sharpened on sun-warmed stone. She filled a room”[p.80]. In contrast, the
narrator in Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, says, “No matter how prosperous a
man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women)
he was not really a man.” These thoughts evoke very different images of women in
Nigerian culture. Discuss the role of women in the novel as it is presented through
Kambili’s mother and her aunt. As a young woman, how does Kambili view her choices?
Is Nigeria’s patriarchal past present in the novel?
3. Discuss in detail all the key moments in the story which lead to Kambili’s development
and mark its similarity to a true bildungsroman. As this traditionally refers to a male
character, discuss what is different about defining one’s place in the world if you are a
young woman. This might be an opportunity to introduce students to feminist literary
criticism such as Carol Gilligan’s In a Different Voice.
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BEYOND THE BOOK
1. The first line of the novel regarding things falling apart is clearly a reference to Chinua
Achebe. Discuss the connection between the two writers. Compare Achebe’s novel
Things Fall Apart with Purple Hibiscus and discuss how Nigeria is represented in each
story, how the question of gender is addressed in each story, and how Adichie
incorporates aspects of Achebe’s style and concerns into her own narrative voice.
2. Read Adichie’s short stories, “The American Embassy,” “Half of a Yellow Sun,”
“New Husband,” and “Light Skin,” and compare and contrast them with Purple Hibiscus.
• Do any themes recur?
• Each story explores different roles for women in Nigeria. For example, compare the
women in “New Husband” and “The American Embassy” with the female characters in
Purple Hibiscus.
• “Half of a Yellow Sun” and “The American Embassy” deal more explicitly with the
political situation in Nigeria. Compare these stories with Purple Hibiscus. What aspects
of Nigerian culture are revealed in each? What does the reader learn about the human
impact of the political situation in Nigeria?
3. As with the novel, Achebe is mentioned again in the story, “Light Skin.” Discuss his
influence on Adichie and why he figures so prominently in her writing.
OTHER TITLES OF INTEREST
Additional coming-of-age novels:
Breath, Eyes, Memory, Edwidge Danticat
Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid
Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid
Nervous Conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga
Graceland, Chris Abani
Aké: The Years of Childhood, Wole Soyinka
Other titles by Nigerian writers:
Waiting for an Angel, Helon Habila
The Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emecheta
Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
No Longer at Ease, Chinua Achebe
Arrow of God, Chinua Achebe
Anthills of the Savannah, Chinua Achebe
The Famished Road, Ben Okri
The Open Sore of a Continent, Wole Soyinka
The Lion and the Jewel, Wole Soyinka
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ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This teacher’s guide was written by Karen Iker. Karen Iker has a master’s degree in
American literature and has worked in the book publishing industry for ten years.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2004 by Anchor Books
Knopf Academic Marketing
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