Purple Hibiscus
Purple Hibiscus
Character Analysis
Kambili is the narrator of our story; she is a shy, observant 15 year old girl. Kambili is constantly searching for her father's approval. Throughout the book, Kambili evolves deeper into her true identity. Kambili lives in Nigeria with her wealthy family and has never known anything different than what her overprotective father has shown her, which consists of love through discipline and strict Christianity is the only way to live. Kambili’s older brother is named Chukwuka, but is commonly referred to as Jaja because of a childhood nickname. Jaja is very defiant towards his father and his beliefs. Jaja is the center of trouble throughout most of the story because of his refusal to conform. Jaja is motivated by his family to do the best he possibly can in every aspect of life and later in the story, he is motivated by his cousin to take on the role of the male head in his family. After Mama poisons Papa Eugene, Jaja takes the blame and is sent to prison despite but is later released. Papa Eugene is Kambili’s father and a very successful businessman. Eugene has very strong faith because when he was younger, he was converted from traditional Igbo culture to a Catholic belief system. Papa uses his religion to justify his disciplinary actions towards his children and says its simply because “he loves them and wants what's best.” He smothers, controls and beats his family as a sign of affection. Towards the end of the novel, Mama poisons the tea and kills her husband, Papa. Ifeoma is Kambili and Jaja’s aunt; Eugene’s sister. Aunty Ifeoma is intelligent and independent, raising her children on her own. She is a major influence on the decisions and actions made by Kambili and Jaja throughout the book. Ifeoma is motivated by happiness, not only her own, but everyone she interacts with. Kambili and Jaja went to live with their aunt temporarily and she changes the way they look at everyday life. Aunty Ifeoma quits her job at the
Character Analysis
Kambili is the narrator of our story; she is a shy, observant 15 year old girl. Kambili is constantly searching for her father's approval. Throughout the book, Kambili evolves deeper into her true identity. Kambili lives in Nigeria with her wealthy family and has never known anything different than what her overprotective father has shown her, which consists of love through discipline and strict Christianity is the only way to live. Kambili’s older brother is named Chukwuka, but is commonly referred to as Jaja because of a childhood nickname. Jaja is very defiant towards his father and his beliefs. Jaja is the center of trouble throughout most of the story because of his refusal to conform. Jaja is motivated by his family to do the best he possibly can in every aspect of life and later in the story, he is motivated by his cousin to take on the role of the male head in his family. After Mama poisons Papa Eugene, Jaja takes the blame and is sent to prison despite but is later released. Papa Eugene is Kambili’s father and a very successful businessman. Eugene has very strong faith because when he was younger, he was converted from traditional Igbo culture to a Catholic belief system. Papa uses his religion to justify his disciplinary actions towards his children and says its simply because “he loves them and wants what's best.” He smothers, controls and beats his family as a sign of affection. Towards the end of the novel, Mama poisons the tea and kills her husband, Papa. Ifeoma is Kambili and Jaja’s aunt; Eugene’s sister. Aunty Ifeoma is intelligent and independent, raising her children on her own. She is a major influence on the decisions and actions made by Kambili and Jaja throughout the book. Ifeoma is motivated by happiness, not only her own, but everyone she interacts with. Kambili and Jaja went to live with their aunt temporarily and she changes the way they look at everyday life. Aunty Ifeoma quits her job at the