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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Soft Endlessness:
Adichie uses a combination of visual and tactile imagery and hyperbole to depict Kambili’s perception of safety with her father as a younger child. This was particularly true during thunderstorms, when he would comfort her:
When I had thought of heaven as a child, I visualized Papa’s room, the softness, the creaminess, the endlessness. I would snuggle into Papa’s arms when harmattan thunderstorms raged outside, flinging mangoes against the window netting and making the electric wires hit each other and spark bright orange flames. Papa would lodge me between his knees or wrap me in the cream blanket that smelled of safety.
The visual and tactile imagery juxtaposes the cozy interior of Eugene’s room with the chaos of the storm outside. Words like “softness,” “creaminess,” and “endlessness” evoke a sense of comfort and security. They emphasize the contrast between the peaceful safety of the room and the violent storms that hurl “mangoes against the window netting” and create “bright orange flames” from sparking wires. This contrast reinforces Kambili’s belief that her father’s presence is protective rather than threatening. It’s easier for her to love him uncomplicatedly when she believes he shields her from external threats.
The hyperbole in Kambili’s comparison of Eugene’s room to “heaven” also reveals her childlike idealization of her father. She elevates the luxuriant sensory details of the room—the softness of the blanket, its “smell of safety,” and the physical comfort of her father’s closeness and being “lodged between his knees”—to a divine level. Here, she’s suggesting that she once believed this was the ultimate form of love and security. Being kept safe by Eugene is a childish Kambili's idea of "heaven," even if a slightly older version feels differently.
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Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Musical Voice:
As Kambili listens to Father Amadi speak about the “apparitions” of the Virgin Mary in Aokpe, the narrative uses hyperbole and simile to convey Kambili’s infatuation with his beautiful speaking voice:
He spoke so effortlessly, as if his mouth were a musical instrument that just let sound out when touched, when opened.
The simile Adichie uses here—comparing Father Amadi’s voice to a musical instrument—points out how melodious and effortless Father Amadi’s speech is to the lovesick Kambili. It's not just his speech that the protagonist likes, however. Kambili has a pretty serious crush on Amadi by this point, and so everything he does is exaggeratedly appealing to her. Kambili imagines that his mouth is the physical body of an instrument, and that his speech is the captivating “music” it produces. The image of lovely sound being “let out when touched” reinforces the idea that she can't get enough of Amadi's words, unlike the often harsh speech of her parents and schoolmates. It also suggests that she’s thinking about touching or "opening" his mouth herself, which she knows would be absolutely forbidden.
Kambili's hyperbolic description of his voice exaggerates its perfection because of her intensely romanticized view of Father Amadi. Rather than listening to what he's saying and taking it in, her infatuation causes her to idealize even the most ordinary of things he does.
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Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Body and Blood:
Kambili’s spiritual refreshment and reaffirmation of faith during the pilgrimage to Aokpe are dramatic; she uses visual imagery and hyperbole to describe her experience of witnessing the apparition of the Virgin Mary:
The sun turned white, the color and shape of the host. And then I saw her, the Blessed Virgin: an image in the pale sun, a red glow on the back of my hand, a smile on the face of the rosary-bedecked man whose arm rubbed against mine. She was everywhere.
The visual imagery Kambili uses here paints the moment as one of overwhelming brightness. This moment is itself like a biblical story of the apparition of a divine presence, where a believer is overwhelmed by the blinding light of God. The description of the sun as “white, the color and shape of the host” also draws a direct connection to the Eucharist, or communion wafer. The sun is often used as a metaphor for the “son of God”; when Kambili sees the sun as the Eucharist, she’s literally seeing it as the body of Christ. The “red glow” juxtaposed with the white sun further mirrors the imagery of communion, where Christians consume white wafers and red wine to symbolize the “body and blood” of Christ. This interplay of colors transforms an ordinary setting into a holy vision, showing how Kambili perceives the world through her faith. This combination of familiar religious images infuses the natural world around her with deep religious meaning.
The hyperbole in this passage lies in Kambili’s perception of the Virgin Mary as “everywhere.” Rather than seeing a spectral woman or some other visual representation of the mother of Christ, Kambili sees her in the “smile” on the face of the man next to her, in the sunlight, on her skin. The spiritual experience is all-encompassing. The Virgin Mary’s presence transcends a singular location or subject, which makes Kambili feel comforted because she’s “everywhere.” Her senses and emotions amplify the ordinary into something miraculous.
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Chapter 17
Explanation and Analysis—Squeeze the Clouds:
The final sentences of Purple Hibiscus use simile and hyperbole to capture Kambili’s newfound sense of hope and freedom as she and Beatrice travel to pick up Jaja from prison. She’s finally able to envision a better future for herself and her family:
I am laughing. I reach out and place my arm around Mama’s shoulder and she leans toward me and smiles. Above, clouds like dyed cotton wool hang low, so low I feel I can reach out and squeeze the moisture from them. The new rains will come down soon.
The simile in this passage compares the clouds above the two driving women to "dyed cotton wool," as if they were made of an ordinary, everyday material that Kambili would encounter regularly. For Kambili, in this moment the clouds feel tangible, as though she could grasp and influence them. This imagery points to her belief in the possibility of affecting change now that Eugene is gone and Jaja will be free. She feels a renewed sense of agency and power, both in her personal life and in the broader context of her world.
The hyperbolic language about the clouds that follows—suggesting that she could "squeeze the moisture from them"—exaggerates this sense of agency and optimism. While Kambili cannot literally control the rain, the language Adichie uses here reflects how rejuvenated her new circumstances are making her feel. She’s also looking happily toward the future, where the promise of "new rains" signal even more renewal. In much of the novel, Kambili has felt confined to her father’s house and as if she will be punished forever for her sinful behavior. Here at the end, though, everything is different, as she feels empowered to the extent that she can touch the clouds.
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