How old is Amaka in Purple Hibiscus

When Papa comes in, Ifeoma nags him to let her take his children sightseeing. Later, Ifeoma’s children arrive. Amaka is a fifteen-year-old girl, like Kambili. Obiora is a slightly younger boy, and Chima is a boy of seven.

Who is Amaka in Purple Hibiscus?

Amaka is Ifeoma and Ifediora’s only daughter. She is Kambili’s age, around fifteen, and originally does not like Kambili, believing her to be a snub and jealous of her lavish lifestyle.

How old is Eugene achike?

Eugene’s obituary Eugene Achike, 43, of Nigeria, passed away on July 17, 1985, after a tragic battle with poison. Eugene was born on October 24, 1942, to Papa-Nnukwa in Abba. He was a wealthy factory owner and his life revolved around religion.

How old is the main character in Purple Hibiscus?

The novel’s narrator, a fifteen-year-old girl who is quiet and withdrawn, but an excellent student. She idolizes her father, Papa, even as she fears his violent punishments, and her worldview is based on his strict Catholic rules.

Why does Amaka hate Kambili?

Kambili feels strange calling him “father,” as he is young and dressed only in a t-shirt and jeans. Father Amadi asks what Jaja and Kambili think of Nsukka, and Amaka immediately says that they hate it. Kambili continues to show her privileged lifestyle in her inability to live as frugally as Ifeoma and her children.

Is Father Amadi White?

A young, handsome Nigerian priest who is friends with Aunty Ifeoma and her children. He is a Catholic who also respects his Nigerian roots, incorporating Igbo songs into his prayers and blending the old ways with the new.

Why did Jaja go to jail?

The book closes on the present. It is nearly three years later and Jaja has been in prison for murdering Papa.

Who Killed Papa in Purple Hibiscus?

In the novel Purple Hibiscus, Mama kills Papa by putting poison in the tea that he shared with his children, which is not lost on Kambilli.

Why is Papa abuse in Purple Hibiscus?

The forces of tyranny, oppression, and silence all use violence as their tool throughout Purple Hibiscus. … Papa uses violence to enforce his own kind of oppression on his family, as he beats them, whips them, and pours boiling water on them. This violence then leads to more violence in the very attempt to escape it.

What Aunty Ifeoma calls Mama?

Ifeoma calls Mama nwunye m, which means “my wife,” to show that she accepts her as the wife of the family—but it is part of an “ungodly tradition” according to Papa.

Article first time published on

What music does Amaka listen to in Purple Hibiscus?

Kambili agrees, though she knows that she won’t actually pray, as she cannot pray for what she does not want. In the bedroom Amaka is listening to one of her favorite musicians, Fela, and she is surprised when Kambili starts singing along.

What Nigerian novel is the first line of Purple Hibiscus alluding to?

An obvious feature of Purple Hibiscus is its allusion to that other famous novel from Adichie’s compatriot and fellow Igbo, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

Is there a Purple Hibiscus movie?

“It is a thrilling challenge to tell a truly international story so full of love, humour and heart.” Adichie’s award-winning novels include Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, which was recently made into a film starring Thandie Newton and 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor.

How does Kambili become free?

At the beginning of the novel, Kambili is seen as immature and young because of the fact that she is very observant but does not say anything…show more content… This is because they live a different lifestyle, they are not constrained to Papa, they are allowed to be free and experiment!

How did Purple Hibiscus end?

Purple Hibiscus ends with Eugene Achike, Kambili’s father, dead. Someone finds him over his desk, which obligates Kambili and her brother Jaja to…

Where does Kambili in Purple Hibiscus live?

Fifteen-year-old Kambili lives in luxury in Enugu, Nigeria. Kambili, her seventeen-year-old brother Jaja, and their parents—Papa and Mama—inhabit a huge house inside a walled compound.

How many cousins does kambili have?

Ultimately the two cousins grow close and understand each other better.

How does kambili change in Purple Hibiscus?

In the novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kambili’s stay in Nsukka with Aunty Ifeoma allows her to be in a new environment, where she meets new people such as Father Amadi and gets closer to her other family members, leading to a drastic change; Kambili becomes more open to speak her mind and stand up …

How is Papa portrayed in Purple Hibiscus?

Kambili’s father, a wealthy factory owner and devout Catholic. Papa uses his vast wealth to support his friends and relatives, many charities, and his church, St. Agnes. He also publishes the newspaper the Standard, the only paper willing to criticize the corrupt government.

What happened to Jaja's finger?

Chima notices that Jaja’s little finger is gnarled and deformed, and he asks him about it. Aunty Ifeoma quickly says that Jaja had an “accident,” and she sends Chima away.

What year is Purple Hibiscus set in?

Purple Hibiscus takes place in postcolonial Nigeria, most likely in the 1980s, though a specific year is not given.

Why did Jaja not take communion?

The narrator, a 15-year-old girl named Kambili Achike, who lives in Enugu, Nigeria, says that “things started to fall apart” in her family after one specific day: her 17-year-old brother Jaja refused to go to communion on Palm Sunday, and her Papa, Eugene, a devout Catholic, threw his missal (a Catholic liturgical book …

When her swollen eye was still the black purple color of an overripe avocado?

The last time, only two weeks ago, when her swollen eye was still the black-purple color of an overripe avocado, she had rearranged them after she polished them. “I will plait your hair after lunch,” she said, turning to leave. “Yes, Mama.”

What was chimamanda's first novel?

As a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, she began writing her first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003). Set in Nigeria, it is the coming-of-age story of Kambili, a 15-year-old whose family is wealthy and well respected but who is terrorized by her fanatically religious father.

What does Amaka give kambili as a gift when she leaves Nsukka?

What does Amaka give Kambili as a parting gift? How is the gift symbolic of her time in Nsukka? She gives her a painting of Papa Nnukwu. It shows that Papa Nnukwu left a mark on her life and will be a part of her life.

Why do Kambili and Jaja go to Nsukka?

Kambili asks for Aunty Ifeoma. Aunty Ifeoma arrives with Father Amadi. While visiting, Aunty Ifeoma insists that Kambili and Jaja come to Nsukka to live with her. In Nsukka, Aunty Ifeoma, her children, and Father Amadi help Kambili recover.

Why did the students riot in Purple Hibiscus?

The students riot because the university rarely has power and water, and they cannot study properly. There is clearly a lot of anger in Nigeria against the tyranny of the Head of State (and the sole administrator at the university), and the response to violence is then often violent itself—like this riot.

What type of figurines does Mama collect?

Mama has some beloved ceramic figurines of ballet dancers that she keeps on the étagerè. She always polishes them meticulously after Papa beats her. Mama, Kambili, and Jaja never speak aloud of Papa’s violence, but polishing the figurines become a kind of euphemism for his domestic abuse.

Why is the book called Purple Hibiscus?

The purple hibiscus, the symbol that gives the novel its title, is a flower growing in Aunty Ifeoma’s garden. … Because of its role in Jaja and Kambili’s mental awakening, the purple hibiscus comes to represent freedom and individuality—things they lack under Papa’s rule, but find in Nsukka with Aunty Ifeoma.

Is Purple Hibiscus a true story?

Purple Hibiscus draws on certain aspects of her background – her home town and her Catholicism, for example – but it is very far from autobiographical. It is an evocative and moving portrayal of a childhood in a fanatically religious household, one ruled by a charismatic and violent Catholic patriarch.