Purple Hibiscus: Motifs 4 key examples

The direct allusion Adichie makes here to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart signals the important overlap between the two novels. Things Fall Apart was published in 1958 and is widely considered one of the most important works of African fiction of the 20th century. It focuses on an intensely traditional and controlling father figure, Okonkwo, and his experiences with colonialism disrupting the rhythms of traditional life and established identity in his community. Both this novel and Purple Hibiscus share a focus on the pressure that outside change puts on the inner lives of families and on people's perceptions of gender roles and obedience. In Achebe’s novel, the author explores the partial collapse of Igbo society under the pressures of colonialism and the change the “new” Christian religion brings to some communities.

This is mirrored in Purple Hibiscus by the breakdown of the Achike household, where religious discord between Jaja and Eugene and political changes outside the family's control exacerbate preexisting tensions and violence. Jaja’s refusal to attend communion is the first of many personal rebellions against Eugene’s rigid religious authority. This act of defiance and its aftermath echo the broader religious and ethical conflicts that troubled Nigeria after its liberation from British rule. These disputes—between Catholicism and indigenous practices, and between tradition and modernity—connect the fracturing of the Achike family to the national struggle for identity in early 21st century Nigeria.

The imagery in this passage contrasts the fragile porcelain figurines with the physical damage to Beatrice’s soft and vulnerable flesh. This is gruesomely exemplified in the language surrounding her “swollen eye,” described as the “black-purple color of an overripe avocado.” The reader can almost feel the unpleasant squish and give of a rotting fruit as they read this sentence, and they can sense the delicate skin and bone of a damaged eye socket. This juxtaposition also shows a painful disconnect between the household’s outward appearance of luxury and order, and the violent reality of Beatrice and her children's lives. The revolting description of Beatrice’s bruised face makes the reader acutely aware of the toll Eugene’s abuse has taken on Kambili’s mother.

The way Beatrice fiddles with and polishes the delicate figurines is part of an attempt to create control and perfection amidst the unpredictable chaos of her marriage. When she cleans these figures—and after the worst violence, rearranges them—she’s making a ritualistic effort to reclaim agency in a situation where she has almost no power. Their polished, orderly presence mirrors her silence in the face of her husband’s violence. Cleaning and polishing them is part of her struggle to maintain an appearance of normalcy. The act of “rearranging” them after polishing suggests a deeper emotional need to impose structure and symmetry, even as her own life becomes increasingly fractured. When Eugene actually breaks some of them, as he does in the flashback in the novel’s first few chapters, it signals the beginning of the end of Kambili, Jaja, and Beatrice tolerating his reign of terror.

The motif of lipstick recurs throughout the novel. It represents defiance and self-assertion in the face of societal and familial constraints around women using beauty products. Those who do are considered by conservative religious men like Eugene to be acting inappropriately and making a spectacle of themselves for male attention. Here, Kambili’s fascination with Amaka’s lipstick contrasts with her own fear of such flamboyant rebellions. Lipstick, for Kambili, is not merely cosmetic. Her father has always forbidden her from wearing it and criticized women who do. Amanda choosing to wear lipstick is admirable but almost unimaginable to Kambili. Her curiosity about “what it felt like to run color over your lips” reveals her yearning to be able to express herself in this way, even though she knows her father would never allow it.

This early moment and others like it also shows Kambili’s internalized judgment of women who wear lipstick. It illustrates the tension between Kambili’s desire for autonomy, and the guilt she feels for questioning the values imposed upon her. Later in the novel, lipstick becomes an even more powerful symbol of liberation when Beatrice applies it after Eugene’s death. This act of defiance represents her publically breaking free from his oppressive control over her appearance and her actions.

The allusion Adichie makes here is to Jaja of Opobo, a historical figure who rose from enslavement to become a powerful ruler and merchant who founded his own kingdom. Jaja of Opobo, originally named Jubo Jubogha, monopolized the palm-oil trade in much of Nigeria in the mid-19th century. In 1869, conflicts with merchant rivals pushed Jaja to establish the independent Kingdom of Opobo. The new kingdom strategically controlled trade routes and palm oil markets, directly engaging with European traders. However, Jaja's control over trade repeatedly clashed with British ambitions to dominate the palm oil economy. When the British attempted to impose free-trade policies that would undermine his monopoly, Jaja resisted, which made him a target for British violence. In 1887, British authorities tricked Jaja into boarding a ship under the pretense of negotiating with him, and exiled him to the West Indies. Although he was later allowed to return to Opobo, he died on his way there in 1891. His leadership and his defiance of the overwhelmingly powerful British Empire made him a symbol of African resistance to colonial exploitation for many Nigerians.

The motif of anti-colonial struggle and its interplay with Anglophilia recurs throughout the novel. Jaja of Opobo’s intelligence and his defiance of British imperialism mirrors Jaja Achike’s growing resistance against the oppressive authority of his father, Eugene. Both Jajas challenge dominant powers in their respective contexts—imperialism in Jaja of Opobo’s case, and familial tyranny in Jaja Achike’s. Obiora’s pragmatism about Jaja of Opobo’s imperfections contrasts with Jaja’s idealism here. Obiora sees the former king as a fundamentally flawed figure, and his ultimate defeat by the British as evidence of the futility of resistance. However, Jaja focuses on the victories within the broader struggle, saying the British also “lost many battles” and hoping for a better future for himself. This passage situates Jaja’s personal rebellion within a larger historical and cultural framework. By aligning him with a figure like Jaja of Opobo, Adichie suggests that he might truly be able to resist and subvert the violent domination of his father. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, Jaja must resist being squashed and oppressed.