Purple Hibiscus: Genre 1 key example

As a coming-of-age novel, the story centers on Kambili's journey of personal growth and self-discovery while also showing how her brother Jaja grows and changes. It follows Kambili from a sheltered but traumatic childhood into a more independent and self-aware young adulthood. This journey is at the core of the novel, as Kambili learns to voice her emotions and to develop an understanding of her own desires and needs. Her emotional and intellectual maturation is the centerpiece of the story, as her perspective is the only point of access readers have to the events of her life.

Simultaneously, Purple Hibiscus is also a political and postcolonial novel. Set against the backdrop of Nigeria in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the novel reflects the difficulties Nigerian society underwent when navigating the aftermath of colonialism and the ongoing political instability of military rule. The national upheaval going on outside the high walls of Kambili’s house parallels the internal chaos that hides behind them. In both places, as Adichie shows, power and control manifest violently. As it describes Kambili’s experiences, the novel reflects on political oppression, the societal expectations and gender roles that Nigerians of the time navigated, as well as the clash between traditional Nigerian customs and Western influence. Adichie’s other works—notably the award-winning Half of a Yellow Sun—also engage deeply with themes of Nigerian identity and the impact colonialism has had on the country.