Purple Hibiscus Kambili And Her Father
“He poured hot water on my feet, slowly, as if he were conducting an experiment and wanted to see what would happen. He was crying now, tears streaming down my face. I saw the moist steam before I saw the water. I watched the water leave the kettle, flowing almost in slow motion in an arc to my feet. The pain of contact was so pure, so scalding, I felt nothing for a second. And then I screamed” (Adichie, 194). This was one of many intense moments for Kambili, the protagonist, and her father. In the fictional novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kambili portrays her and her parents relationship as unhealthy. Kambili comes from a wealthy African background so it is expected for her and her parents to have a healthy relationship
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When Kambili first gets to be with Papa Nnukwu she’s afraid to talk to him and to interact with him because he is a heathen but over time she sees the real him and sees how he acts and eventually comes to even love him. Kambili wanted to have a relationship with her grandfather, a relationship that he had with her cousin Amaka, “They understood each other, using the sparest words. Watching them, I felt a longing for something I knew I would never have” (165). After sometime, they come to have a relationship and when Papa Nnukwu dies, she feels different. Kambili misses him and longs to have a relationship like that again. Kambili also learns a lot about being a traditionalist due to Papa N and his rituals also when he prays. Aunty Ifeoma wants her to see him pray in the morning one day, “‘Nne.’ Aunty Ifeoma patted my shoulder. ‘Your Papa Nnukwu is on the verandah. Go and watch him’” (166). Aunty Ifeoma wants to see Papa N experience peace with himself. This is good for Kambili because she sees him pray as a traditionalist. While she is watching her grandfather pray she says to herself, “I was surprised that he prayed for Papa with the same earnestness that he prayed for himself and Aunty Ifeoma” (168). Kambili learns that she should pray for everyone equally even though they have done some bad in the world or to
When Kambili first gets to be with Papa Nnukwu she’s afraid to talk to him and to interact with him because he is a heathen but over time she sees the real him and sees how he acts and eventually comes to even love him. Kambili wanted to have a relationship with her grandfather, a relationship that he had with her cousin Amaka, “They understood each other, using the sparest words. Watching them, I felt a longing for something I knew I would never have” (165). After sometime, they come to have a relationship and when Papa Nnukwu dies, she feels different. Kambili misses him and longs to have a relationship like that again. Kambili also learns a lot about being a traditionalist due to Papa N and his rituals also when he prays. Aunty Ifeoma wants her to see him pray in the morning one day, “‘Nne.’ Aunty Ifeoma patted my shoulder. ‘Your Papa Nnukwu is on the verandah. Go and watch him’” (166). Aunty Ifeoma wants to see Papa N experience peace with himself. This is good for Kambili because she sees him pray as a traditionalist. While she is watching her grandfather pray she says to herself, “I was surprised that he prayed for Papa with the same earnestness that he prayed for himself and Aunty Ifeoma” (168). Kambili learns that she should pray for everyone equally even though they have done some bad in the world or to