Symbolism In Purple Hibiscus

Although Jaja is a trailblazer for Kambili’s freedom, he also takes the initiative to provide stability for his family. His understanding of what Mama and Kambili are feeling after enduring Papa’s abuse, drives him to save them from Papa’s spell.
One of Jaja’s many purposes in Purple Hibiscus is to be the catalyst to help Kambili find freedom; Jaja helps Kambili develop her own voice through making her question what’s right. Jaja asks many questions that help Kambili understand and question God’s purpose: “‘Of course God does. Look at what He did to his faithful servant Job, even to His own Son. But have you ever wondered why? Why did He have to murder his own son so we would be saved? Why didn’t he just go ahead and save us?' (289). Jaja is shedding light on
He is making an analogy, God being Eugene, and God’s own son, being Papa’s family. Jaja is saying that the Bible isn’t necessarily factual, that he can question it. Throughout the book, Jaja questions Papa’s faith. When he does this, he makes Kambili uncomfortable. Kambili gets unsettled when Jaja rebels because she gets confused about what’s right and what’s wrong. Later in the novel, she comes to realize that it’s up to her to speak up and decide what she believes. Another example of Jaja surprising Kambili by being bold, is when he offers to kill a chicken: “‘I’ll kill it’, Jaja said, and we all turned to stare at him. ‘Nna m, you have never killed a chicken, have you?’ Aunty Ifeoma said. ‘No. But I can kill it.’ ‘Okay,’ Aunty Ifeoma said, and I turned to stare, startled at how easily she had said that. Was she absent-minded because she was thinking about her student? Did she really think Jaja could kill a chicken?” (234-235). Jaja quickly decides to kill the chicken which is a sign of confidence that he has found in himself. This is also a small act of violence in response to the abuse he has experienced from Papa. Kambili wonders if Jaja can “really kill a chicken”