Gender Trauma in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

Abstract

The present research work tries to explore the female specific trauma evoking the tormented state of the protagonist, Kambili and her mother, Beatrice in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. Kambili’s father Eugene, a charismatic yet violent Catholic patriarch demonstrates his helpfulness and generosity in his community but at home he is repressive and fanatically religious. Because of Eugene’s demonic behaviors, they undergo series of physical, mental and emotional torture which haunts them time and again even in his absence. Eugene savagely beats and psychologically humiliates his wife and daughter by imposing his rigid religious doctrine in the name of protecting religious purity, norms and regulations. After visiting Nsukka, hometown of Aunt Ifeoma, Kambili develops her confidence to oppose her father’s torture and cruel attitudes. Similarly, when the torture reaches to the breaking point Mama Beatrice poisons her husband, a counter measure to redeeming herself and her children from the marginal border of taciturnity. After the murder of Eugene, they become free from authoritarian, ordered and scheduled life, which always kept them in fear and tension. They are trying to mitigate or soothe their unforgettable dark past memories to get certain relief in their life. Thus, by bringing into fore the physical and psychological tortures and sufferings of female characters, this research explores gender trauma in Kambili and her mother, Beatrice.