Homework question from school:

Q. Chronological order is the only way to convey a story or an idea. Discuss the structure of
Purple Hibiscus agreeing or disagreeing with the statement.

A. In the novel Purple Hibiscus, the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses the coming of
age story of a young, upper class fifteen year old girl named Kambili to address issues of
religion, family dynamics and culture in post-colonial Nigeria. Through the eyes of Kambili,
Adichie describes the effect colonialism has on relationships, and cultural practices. The
political violence is due to English colonialism and oppression and the book narrates the
account of the wars and violence that took place. Also, the domestic violence towards
Kambili’s mother by Papa Eugene (Kambili’s father) is vividly shown in the novel and he uses
violence as means to enforce oppression over his family.

The story begins in a medias res (it starts in the middle of the action) with the phrase ‘Things
fall apart’. This introduces the readers to the troubles in the household of Kambili’s family.
The reader can sense that the family is somewhat broken due to the views of the father,
who is the head of the family. The father throws a figurine when he gets to know his son,
Jaja did not attend the communion, a religious event Papa holds in great regard. Mama
went to collect the broken pieces of her figurine with her bare hands, unbothered with what
took place. This gives an insight into their family dynamics as the opening sheds light upon
Papa’s abusive behaviour, Mama’s submissive nature, Jaja’s rebellion phase, and Kambili
observing her family. The incident also foreshadows as to why Papa deserves the end that
he gets despite being such a popular and likeable figure publicly. Kambili is the narrator of
the events taking place hence making it an honest account since she is too young to
comprehend the intensity of the situations. The novel is not written in a chronological order
as the next events which follow culminate the outcome of Jaja skipping communion.
Moreover, the different shades of Papa’s character are well brought out through different
angles throughout the course of the story allowing the readers to understand his nature.

I disagree with the statement that ‘chronological order is the only way to convey a story or
an idea’, since the novel captivates the reader’s attention by starting with the rising actions;
Jaja not going to communion, Mama’s miscarriage, Kambili and Jaja living with Aunty Ifeoma
and the kids coming home to confront Papa. The rising action placed in the start builds the
readers curiosity as well as the plot’s suspense on whether the family will continue to deal
with such an unreasonable and dual – faced man. Jaja skipping communion is the main
conflict of this story as Papa Eugene cannot imagine anybody, especially his own son,
skipping an important Catholic event. If the story had started during the present and not in
the past, the readers would have not understood where Papa Eugene’s anger stems from.
We get to know while reading further that Papa Eugene inflicted his anger on his family
because he was a religious orthodox and wanted things to be done in order while keeping
the British culture in mind. The previous chapters are in past tense however, the final
chapter is in present tense as Kambili is eighteen years old and is narrating the current
situation of her family. She reflects upon what has changed and how it has changed in the
last three years. The ending which is in present moment brings an effective closure to the
story as well as the trauma of the family. In hindsight, the mention of the love sip from the
tea mentioned in the initial few pages also makes sense. The book is divided into four main
sections, each containing a number of chapters that are not numbered or titled. Each
section concerns an important phase in Kambili’s story. These sections are titled ‘Breaking
Gods – Palm Sunday, ‘Speaking with our Spirits – Before Palm Sunday, ‘The Pieces of Gods –
After Palm Sunday’ and ‘A different silence – The present’ respectively.

The first section explains the family feud that took place because of Jaja skipping
communion and this led to a permanent rift in the family. Adichie gives the readers an
insight into the personalities of the characters and the family dynamics of the Achieke’s. The
importance of this dramatic structure is to build tension from the beginning so that when
the other characters are introduced, the readers get attached to them making the climax
more satisfactory. The main antagonist’s fanatic side is brought out the best through this
and as a reader you carry that image with you throughout the course of the story. In the
subsequent chapters of the novel, Adichie accounts the choking atmosphere that engulfs
the household which is a result of Papa’s highhandedness and blind religious fanaticism. The
next section shows Kambili’s point of view in more detail as she talks more about living with
her authoritative father and silent and timid mother. Moreover, she narrates her experience
of living with her Aunty Ifeoma, who she finds loving and quite opposite to her father, Papa
Eugene. Both the children come to the realisation that the lives they are living are not
normal as the environment is dictated and controlled by their demeaning father. The
readers are able to connect Papa’s characteristics introduced in the previous section with
Kambili’s point of view in this section and this would not have happened if Papa’s traits
were introduced earlier. The chronological order not being there is effective since it does
not follow the normal cause and effect order and shows how things take place over time. In
‘The Pieces of Gods – After Palm Sunday’, Kambili explains what happened after Palm
Sunday. This section is important since the stormy weather’s destruction in the starting of
this section relates to the novel’s opening in which Kambili says that things began to fall
apart in her family on Palm Sunday. This section describes the aftermath of Jaja's rebellion
and Papa's breaking the figurines. Things begin to fall apart on Palm Sunday, and they
continue to fall apart quickly and with a vengeance. Kambili says that a new silence suddenly
descends on the house as the broken figurines represent the old silence being Papa’s
abusive nature. The timing of the novel's events around Catholic holy days is a significant
structural element of the novel, but in this section it seems especially significant. Palm
Sunday marks the celebration of Christ as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem and is hailed as
"he who comes in the name of the Lord." Good Friday marks Christ's crucifixion, and Easter
is the celebration of his resurrection. The broken figurines and the storm signify that the
family has endured enough abuse from Papa Eugene and now they can finally fight for their
freedom. Lastly, in the final section the story shifts to the present where Jaja has defied his
father’s dictatorial stance and drifts to the anti-climax where Papa is dead and Jaja is
imprisoned and released. Moreover, Aunty Ifeoma and her liberal-minded children have
relocated abroad. Since the novel is being narrated in this manner, it adopts a non-linear
plot structure.

Also, the novel has been structured in a way that every element talked about in the novel
contributes to the overall meaning being conveyed. For instance, the first section heavily
focusses on Papa Eugene and the readers would not have been able to understand him and
his abuse in the later chapters had he not been introduced earlier. Each chapter marks the
development of the girl-narrator, Kambili, as she curiously becomes intrigued about the
situation surrounding her. First she questions her identity, and, then, her domestic reality, a
delicate aspect of her life that has been completely dominated by the fear of her demeaning
father. Moreover, first person narration enables the reader to understand the family
dynamics better. Had the story been narrated in another person’s point of view, there
would be less effect of suspense and tense atmosphere.
The changes in the characteristics of the main characters throughout the novel is
highlighted. Kambili becomes more mature as the years go by since she lives life on her own
terms which is opposite to the life she lived before, under the rule of her autocratic father.
She still believes in the Catholic faith but her beliefs are more liberal than her father. Jaja is
reserved and obedient at the beginning of the novel. However as the plot unfolds, he
becomes rebellious and confident, by skipping communion despite knowing his father’s
extreme anger issues. While living with Aunty Ifeoma, he discovers a passion for gardening
and feels at home over there. He learns the importance of freedom and when he returns to
his house, he confronts his father and abandons the Catholic faith. Jaja is shown to be
selfless as well since he takes the blame for Mama’s crime, which is poisoning his father, and
Jaja is imprisoned. Papa Eugene is a wealthy businessman and devout Catholic who is shown
to be an important and generous man in the public, but an abusive authoritarian at home.
Papa cut ties with those who did not believe in Christianity, such as his own father. He also
denounces the African traditions and strongly believes in the British culture. At the end,
Mama Beatrice realises he is a threat to her children and she kills Papa Eugene by poisoning
him. Mama Beatrice is a submissive lady who does not confront Papa Eugene about the
abuse he inflicts and she covers it up by making excuses for him. Mama works quietly by
serving her family and taking care of the home. She does not speak up against Papa Eugene
despite losing two pregnancies after his beatings. As Papa’s abuse worsens, she slowly
poisons him. When he dies and Jaja is arrested, she sinks further into her shell and is
constantly distracted.

To conclude, the novel is not a straightforward chronological narrative but follows the
Freytag pyramid as it begins with the rising action, which is Jaja refusing to receive
communion at church. Adichie has included the rising action in the beginning as a hook to
build interest in the reader. Papa’s abusive and fanatic nature is brought out in the climax as
Kambili narrates the time when he attacked Jaja and that leads to Mama slowly poisoning
Papa Eugene. The story goes back to the past again where Kambili is explaining the events
which lead up to the scene (Speaking with our Spirits – Before Palm Sunday). The resolution
and falling action are when Mama goes to court and is not convicted for Papa Eugene’s
murder because of the new laws. The narration comes back to the present day, three years
later, with Kambili being hopeful for the future since Papa Eugene is dead, Jaja comes out of
prison and Mama takes a stand for herself. Kambili has come to age as she has escaped her
religiously orthodox father and has found her freedom despite the battles she faced as a
child.