Purple Hibiscus: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

Kambili’s feelings towards Father Amadi are definitely romantic now, but she remains just as shy and silent as before and is afraid to speak to him, even actively hiding from him. Her instinct is still toward silence, toward non-independence. It also seems “unpriestly” to Kambili that a Catholic priest would come to check up on a heathen’s health.

Papa has basically denied Jaja and Kambili outside friendship and familial love, and so Kambili has never gotten to know her grandfather like Amaka has. Kambili finally starts to realize and regret this fact. Just as Kambili and Jaja share a language of the eyes, so Amaka and Papa-Nnukwu seem to understand each other without many words.

Even as Kambili cries and longs for a close relationship with her grandfather, the only thing she can say out loud is to repeat Papa’s dogma. Aunty Ifeoma now clarifies her different approach to religion—she is still a Catholic, but she doesn’t force her beliefs on others or consider other beliefs to be without value. In her explanation of Papa-Nnukwu she also emphasizes the importance of cultural tradition, of valuing where you come from as a source of strength. Kambili is starting to see how her silence negatively impacts her ability to engage with the world, to have fun in it.

Ifeoma understands that Kambili has only Papa’s word that being non-Christian is evil, and so she makes Kambili see for herself. Papa-Nnukwu prays for Papa with a sincerity that Papa never returns in his own prayers. Papa-Nnukwu prays for Papa’s health and well-being, while Papa only prays that Papa-Nnukwu become a Catholic. Once again there is an aspect of joy and love in religion that is totally foreign to Kambili, and she starts to long for it.

Amaka is irritated not just by Kambili’s privilege but also by her meek submissiveness. Aunty Ifeoma again tries to draw Kambili out of her shell—when Amaka is rude to Kambili, Ifeoma rebukes Kambili for her silence more than Amaka for her rudeness. And this succeeds, as Kambili finally finds her voice and is able to speak without stuttering or whispering.

Papa-Nnukwu does not hate Christianity, but only the kind that Papa and his white missionary teachers practice—one that rejects everything about Nigerian culture as sinful and paganistic. Father Amadi, fortunately, believes in a more inclusive faith.

Obiora, like Amaka, brings up real issues about colonialism and Eurocentrism in religion, although Ifeoma and Father Amadi never engage his arguments for real. Father Amadi has now joined Aunty Ifeoma in trying to get Kambili to open up, even if he has to practically force her. Kambili is very much infatuated with him by now, and is terrified by her foreign new feelings.

Amaka now starts to act more sympathetically towards Kambili, as if she realizes that the true source of Kambili’s meekness. Kambili had admired Amaka and Ifeoma’s lipstick at Christmas, and now she has a chance to wear it herself, but she still can’t rid herself of guilt about vanity.

Kambili again finds herself only able to repeat Papa’s platitudes when she is nervous. She is still very confused by the new environment in Nsukka, and to her, Jaja breaking their silence and telling the truth about Papa is almost a betrayal.

Here Father Amadi tries to show Kambili the joy that he finds in Christianity—that it doesn’t always have to be about guilt and punishment, but can be about laughter and love. Kambili is confused by this idea, while also still confused by her feelings for Father Amadi. Yet she slowly starts emerging from her shell.

Father Amadi is clearly flirting with Kambili and recognizes her feelings for him. He finally manages to draw a smile out of her. Sprinting after Father Amadi and this smile finally begin to break up the silence in Kambili. Her sexual feelings for Father Amadi continue to grow as well.

Once again Father Amadi’s Catholicism is contrasted with Papa’s. Papa (and therefore Kambili) sees God as white, and Western culture as superior, while Father Amadi sees God as just as present in poor Nigerian boys as white Catholic priests.

Kambili now laughs for the first time, possibly ever. We see just how tragically pervasive the silence has been all her life. She manages to ask a spontaneous question as well. Yet still she imagines God as white and British—so much so that God himself won’t be able to pronounce her name correctly.

Father Amadi’s approach to the priesthood is much more natural and heartfelt than Father Benedict’s, and so his faith seems that much more alive. Kambili is truly falling in love with Father Amadi by now. There also seems to be a suggestion that Father Amadi may have feelings for Kambili, which creates tension about the relationship through much of the rest of the novel.

As usual, Papa has no concern for Papa-Nnukwu’s health or his children’s relationship with their grandfather, but only dwells on the fact that they have committed a sin. After Kambili’s moment of joy and freedom, Papa reasserts himself.

Adichie continues to juxtapose scenes poignantly—now Papa’s cold and angry call about Papa-Nnukwu’s “paganism” is contrasted with Ifeoma and her children’s’ intense and loving grief over his loss. Kambili has been so recently reminded of Papa’s anger and rules, and so she can’t help thinking of sinning even as she mourns her grandfather.

Even in her grief, Amaka still has the freedom to cry as loudly as she wants. Kambili, Mama, and Jaja have always had to cry in silence, to avoid stirring Papa’s anger up further. Obiora continues to take on more maturity and responsibility.

The workers’ strikes are so ubiquitous that they can’t even find a stretcher for a dead body. Papa-Nnukwu took joy in his family and in his traditions, unlike Papa and his family, and Papa-Nnukwu’s joy followed him into death.

Amaka sees the corruption in Nigeria and their own lack of money as partly responsible for Papa-Nnukwu’s death, which may be true. Kambili wants to mourn loudly and angrily, but feels that she doesn’t deserve to. Part of her growing up will be to escape her sense of not being deserving.

This scene of loving grief is once again juxtaposed with Papa’s cold anger and overwhelming presence. Even Jaja, who has been finding his voice and sense of freedom, immediately seems to slip back under Papa’s control.

Here Papa truly shows just how much he has sacrificed familial love and affection for the sake of his religion and Eurocentric worldview. He does not grieve over the death of Papa-Nnukwu the person, but only over the fact that Papa-Nnukwu never converted before he died. In her intense grief Ifeoma loses her usual calm and confidence and breaks down at Papa’s coldness.

The time of blossoming freedom and joy is over for now, and Kambili and Jaja seem unable to escape Papa’s tyrannical world. But they have been changed by their experience in Nsukka, and Ifeoma now fully understands their plight.

Amaka’s scorn for Kambili seems to have dissolved, and she gives her this precious reminder of Papa-Nnukwu and her time in Nsukka. Papa, as usual, responds to problems by throwing money at them.

Jaja does still carry the rebellious sense of freedom and new voice he found in Nsukka, and he talks back once to Papa, though he immediately falls silent afterward. Papa’s violence towards Mama has not abated in the children’s’ absence.

Now that she is back at home, Kambili once again notices the differences between her family and Aunty Ifeoma’s, notably the wealthy abundance and the lack of joy. Jaja tries to press on and assert his individuality, pushing against Papa for the first time. Papa, of course, blames this new independence on Papa-Nnukwu’s unGodly influence.

For Kambili, however, the silence of life returns. In this almost comic example of the curtains we see just how much control Papa keeps over his family. Kambili and Mama still never speak of Papa’s violence, but only of the figurines, the symbol of Mama’s quiet submissiveness.

This horrifying scene is Papa’s worst punishment yet. He still cries and calls Kambili “precious,” and actually thinks that the violent punishment is good for her and will help save her soul from hell. Kambili is still helpless against Papa, and doesn’t deny any of the supposed sins she has committed.

Mama helps her children and tends to them, but does not try to stop Papa even as he hurts them so terribly. This punishment is not Papa lashing out in anger, but premeditating a punishment that seems to him to fit the crime his children have committed. Even the newly outspoken Jaja submitted to Papa’s punishment.

We now learn some of the backstory behind Papa’s violence. He was punished in similar ways by the missionary priests at his school, and he saw this punishment as ultimately saving him from sin and hell, and so he wants to “help” his children by teaching them in the same way. Kambili still idolizes Papa so much that even when he brutally hurts her she still cannot imagine him as ever doing anything wrong.

Jaja and Kambili still remain silent about Papa’s violence, but they can at least speak about their reminders of Nsukka’s freedom. The purple hibiscus follows Jaja home, as he carries his new freedom and individuality back to Enugu.

Papa seemed unmoved by Papa-Nnukwu’s death, but he does at least pay for a lavish “heathen” funeral, perhaps feeling guilty and so breaking his own strict rules, but also perhaps realizing that not showing generosity toward his dead father would affect his public image. The political world intrudes into the family’s sphere now. Ade and Papa want to publish a story accusing the government of murdering an activist, and the Head of State is trying to distract them with an interview, or bribe them with money (perhaps similar to how Papa whitewashes his lack of care for his father with the funeral). These are the first methods of censorship, and if they fail they will use violence.

Papa doesn’t discuss any of this with his family, but it is now obvious that he has put himself in danger by publishing the story about Nwankiti Ogechi’s alleged murder. It has embarrassed the Head of State on an international scale, and so Papa’s allies fear that the government will respond with violence to silence Papa just as they did Nwankiti Ogechi.

Jaja continues to pull away from Kambili, as if she were part of Papa’s toxic control. Jaja instead draws closer to Aunty Ifeoma, speaking with her in a way that he has never spoken to Kambili. Ifeoma seems to understand the symbolism of the purple hibiscus, and so Jaja’s news means that he is trying to assert his new independence at home.

Amaka’s scorn and coldness has dissolved, and she now treats Kambili as a friend. Kambili likes this new familial love, but is surprised by it. In the Catholic tradition in Nigeria at this time, children had to choose English names to be confirmed as officially Catholic. Papa, of course, chose Kambili’s name for her.

Kambili tentatively reaches for her own kind of freedom after her experience at Nsukka. She doesn’t rebel against Papa, but she does overcome her own shyness and play sports with the other girls, and embraces her strong feelings for Father Amadi, not worrying about whether they might be “sinful” or not.