PURPLE HIBISCUS---SUMMARY

Purple Hibiscus takes place in Enugu, a city in post-
colonial Nigeria, and is narrated by the main
character, Kambili Achike. Kambili lives with her
older brother Jaja (Chukwuku Achike), a teenager
who, like his sister, excels at school but is withdrawn
and sullen. Kambili's father, Papa (Eugene Achike) is
a strict authoritarian whose strict adherence to
Catholicism overshadows his paternal love. He
punishes his wife, Mama (Beatrice Achike), and his
children when they fail to live up to his impossibly
high standards.
The novel begins on Palm Sunday. Jaja has refused
to go to church and receive communion. Because
Jaja has no reasonable excuse for missing church,
Papa throws his missal at his son. The book hits a
shelf containing his wife's beloved figurines. This
defiant act and resulting violence marks the
beginning of the end of the Achike family. Kambili
then explains the events leading up to Palm Sunday,
detailing the seeds of rebellion that are planted in
the children's minds by their liberal Aunty Ifeoma,
Papa's sister.
Papa is a prominent figure in Enugu. He owns
several factories and publishes the pro-democracy
newspaper the Standard. He is praised by his priest,
Father Benedict, and his editor, Ade Coker, for his
many good works. Papa generously donates to his
parish and his children's schools. His newspaper
publishes articles critical of the rampant
government corruption. Since the Standard tells the
truth, the staff is under constant pressure from the
Head of State, the military leader who assumes the
presidency following a coup. When Ade Coker is
arrested, Papa's bravery and position in the
community help to free him.
Kambili is a quiet child. When she tries to speak, she
often stutters or has a coughing fit. The rigid life that
is shaped by her father renders her mute. Each day,
she follows a schedule that allots only time to study,
eat, sleep, pray and sit with her family. Kambili is a
good student, rising to the top of her class. The girls
at school assume she is a snob because she doesn't
socialize and always runs straight to her father's car
after class. When Kambili places second on term,
Papa tells her she must excel because God expects
more from her. Kambili is not a snob; she is
motivated by fear, unable to create her own identity.
At Christmas, the family returns to the Papa's
ancestral town, Abba. The family supervises a feast
that feeds the entire umunna – extended family.
Papa is celebrated for his generosity in Abba as well.
However, he does not allow his children to visit with
his own father, Papa-Nnukwu, for more than fifteen
minutes each Christmas. Papa calls his father a
"heathen" because he still follows the religious
traditions of his people, the Igbo. When Aunty
Ifeoma comes to visit from her University town of
Nsukka, she argues with Papa about his
mistreatment of their father. But Papa is firm. He
will only acknowledge and support his father if he
converts. Aunty Ifeoma invites Kambili and Jaja to
visit so they can go on a pilgrimage to Aokpe, site of
a miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary. Papa
begrudgingly agrees.

Nsukka is a different world. The University is beset
by fuel shortages, pay stoppages, strikes at medical
clinics, blackouts, and rising food prices. The
widowed Aunty Ifeoma successfully raises her three
children, Amaka, Obiora and Chima, with what little
she has. But her family is a happy one. Unlike Papa,
Aunty Ifeoma encourages her children to question
authority, raising them with faith but also intellectual
curiosity. Amaka and Kambili are very different girls.
Amaka, like Kambili's classmates, assumes her
cousin is a privileged snob since she does not know
how to contribute to household chores. Kambili
retreats into silence even in Nsukka. Jaja, on the
other hand, blossoms. He follows the example of his
younger cousin Obiora, concocting his own rite of
initiation out of helping his family, tending a garden
and killing a chicken. Kambili begins to open up
when she meets Father Amadi. A Nigerian-born
priest, Father Amadi is gentle and supportive. He
encourages Kambili to speak her mind. Through
Father Amadi, Kambili learns that it is possible to
think for oneself and yet still be devout. She even
begins speaking above a whisper to Amaka, and they
become closer.
Kambili and Jaja learn to be more accepting in
Nsukka. When he falls ill, Aunty Ifeoma brings Papa-
Nnukwu to her flat. Kambili and Jaja decide not to
tell Papa that they are sharing a home with a
"heathen." Kambili witnesses her grandfather's
morning ritual of innocence, where he offers thanks
to his gods and proclaims his good deeds. She sees
the beauty in this ritual and begins to understand
that the difference between herself and Papa-
Nnukwu is not so great. When her father finds out
that Kambili and Jaja have spent time with their
grandfather, he brings them home. Amaka gives her
a painting of Papa-Nnukwu to take back to Enugu.
Papa punishes his children by pouring hot water
over their feet for "walking into sin."
Pressure mounts on Papa. Soldiers arrest Ade Coker
again and torture him, and they raid the offices of
the Standard and shut down his factories for health
code violations. Shortly thereafter, the government
murders Ade Coker. Tensions rise in the home too.
Kambili and Jaja take comfort in the painting of
Papa-Nnukwu. Papa catches them, however, and he
beats Kambili so severely that she ends up in critical
condition in the hospital. When she is well enough to
be released, she goes to Nsukka instead of home.
Her crush on Father Amadi intensifies and she
begins to break out of her shell more, learning how
to laugh and to join in the Igbo songs. But Aunty
Ifeoma gets fired from the University and decides to
go to America to teach. Kambili is floored. She is not
sure what she will do without the refuge provided by
her aunt and cousins. Amaka does not want to go to
America either because her roots are in Nigeria.

Mama comes to Nsukka, limping out of a cab. Papa
has beaten her again, causing another miscarriage.
Though both Kambili and Jaja have seen this happen
before, this time it is different. Aunty Ifeoma urges
her not to return to Enugu. But she takes her
children back with her. The following week is Palm
Sunday, when Jaja refuses to go to church. In the
week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Jaja grows
increasingly defiant. He finally demands that he and
Kambili spend Easter with their cousins. Weakened
by what the children believe is stress, he allows
them to go to Nsukka. A few days later, Mama calls.
Papa has died. When Mama left Nsukka, she began
poisoning her husband's tea. Jaja takes the blame
for the crime and goes to prison.
The final chapter of the book takes place nearly
three years later. Kambili and Mama visit a
hardened Jaja in prison. He has faced severe
punishments and miserable conditions over the
course of his term. However, with the leadership in
Nigeria now changing again, their lawyers are
confident that Jaja will be released. Though Jaja has
learned to not expect a favorable outcome, Kambili
is overjoyed. She dreams that she will take Jaja to
America to visit Aunty Ifeoma, together they will
plant orange trees in Abba, and purple hibiscuses
will bloom again.

By COMRADE OLAMILEKAN