Love for Igbo Culture: Protest against Colonialism in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus

Abstract

This study focuses on the major female characters in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus who adhere to their native Igbo culture and resist the western Christian culture. It focuses on how people especially women have been culturally, politically and socio-economically oppressed. People especially women, love their own traditional Igbo culture, and the colonized people protest against colonialism. On the basis of the theoretical tool of feminism, the thesis explores how female characters are gradually awakening on issues of discrimination between white and black, male and female as well as religion and language, education, sexuality, Igbo songs, etc. which inspire Igbo people to protest against colonial rule and love towards native culture Igbo. Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus depicts two opposite pillars of religion: traditional Igbo culture and Western Christian culture, where Eugene blindly follows Western Catholic Christian culture but his father Papa-Nnukwu celebrates his own traditional Igbo culture. Adichie also presents third type of characters like Kambili, Beatrice, Ifeoma, Jaja, Father Amadi, Amaka, Obiora, Chima, etc who respect traditional Igbo culture while they practice Western Christian culture. A fifteen years major central female character Kambili and her brother Jaja have got flourishing freedom in their aunt Ifeoma's home than their home where they were badly abused by strict colonial schedule applied by their devoutly catholic father, Eugene. Unable to cope with Eugene's continual violence, his wife Beatrice poisons him and Jaja takes the blame for the crime.