Adichie Identity

8/10/2019 Adichie Identity

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Clue 1

Nota Clue

Professor Ray

EN 112

April 8, 2014

A Search for Identity

In a orld filled ith unendin! uncertainty, it is easy to lose ones identity, or to ne"er

de"elop one at all# $he Oxford Dictionary defines identity as %a person&s conception and

e'pression of their indi"iduality or !roup affiliations (such as national identity and cultural

identity)#* So+e people de"elop an identity around a ho y, or a reli!ion, others de"elop an

identity around a past e"ent, and so+e de"elop an identity ased on their relationships ith

people, ut hat happens hen one ne"er de"elop an identity- .o does one function in society,

hen he does not /no ho he is as a person- In the oo/, Purple Hibiscus $he the+e of

identity is a "ery pre"alent one# $hrou!h the eyes of a+ ili, a 1 year old !irl, the readers see

not only the +ain character stru!!lin! to find her "oice, ut the rest of her fa+ily too# $he fa+ily

e!ins their uest in search of ho they are as people, hat they elie"e in, and ho they ish

to li"e their li"es# $his uest is constantly challen!ed y a+ ili3s father, ho has his o n !oals

in +ind for the+, and ill not tolerate any for+ of diso edience# $hrou!h Adichie3s no"el

Purple Hibiscus, the reader is !i"en a !li+pse into the li"es of people ho are e+otionally and

physically a used, and ho are stripped of any and all freedo+s# $he eauty of this no"el is that

it allo s the reader to atch as the characters sift throu!h their tra!edies, and fi!ht to construct

an identity of their o n# y analy5in! these characters e !et a "ie into the asic hu+an



Clue 2

e'perience# 6e e!in to understand that the uest for an identity is an inte!ral part of the hu+an

e'perience#

In this no"el the uest for identity e!ins ith a+ ili, a Ni!erian !irl orn in a city

called Enu!u# 7ro+ the e!innin! of this story the reader sees that a+ ili is a shy and

intro"erted person, ho has ne"er een !i"en the opportunity to !ro and e'peri+ent# She

/no s nothin! +ore a out the orld than her father lets her /no , and only finds en oy+ent

fro+ thin!s that +a/e her father happy# .er a usi"e relationship ith her father +a/es her cra"e

his appro"al# $his poisonous relationship /eeps her fro+ e"er de"elopin! thou!hts and opinions

of her o n# E"erythin! she does, she does to +a/e her father proud# Early on in the no"el, hile papa Eu!ene is tal/in! a out the current state of their country, a+ ili says to hi+, %9od ill

deli"er us,* (Adichie 2:)# She does not say this ecause she herself elie"es it, ut rather she

says it to !et her father3s appro"al# $his is e"ident ith the line that follo s# She says %I said

/no in! papa ould li/e +y sayin! that* (2:)# $his is neither the first nor last ti+e that she

see/s his appro"al# ;ater, hile papa Eu!ene and his sister Ifeo+a are tal/in! a out <a a and

a+ ili !ettin! a ay fro+ ho+e, aunty Ifeo+a as/s the+ if they ould li/e to co+e to Nsu//a#

<a a responds first y sayin! %If Papa says it is all ri!ht,* (=>)# a+ ili follo s up y sayin! %I

ish I had said that* (=>)# $his is a co++on occurrence throu!hout the no"el# Early on the

reader sees that the only thin! she has ithin her life of i+portance to her is her father3s

appro"al#

a+ ili3s uest to find her "oice and identity is only reali5ed after a fe "isits ith

Aunty Ifeo+a in Nsu//a# She is thrust into a co+pletely unfa+iliar orld# $his is a orld here

she has the freedo+ to +a/e choices, the freedo+ to spea/ and +ore i+portantly, the freedo+ to

uestion# In Nsu//a, after a lot of coa'in!, she e!ins to find herself# Ifeo+a helps her find her



Clue 3

"oice, 7ather A+adi helps her see hat a healthy relationship can loo/ li/e, and A+a/a teaches

her to uestion# 6e see Ifeo+a pushin! a+ ili to react hen A+a/a +a/es a re+ar/ a out her

ina ility to prepare orah ecause she is rich# Ifeo+a says %? !inidi, a+ ili, ha"e you no

+outh- $al/ ac/ to her@* (1>0)# $he pushes she +a/es and the influence she carries, help dri"e

a+ ili to spea/ up#

$hrou!h a nu+ er of interactions ith 7ather A+adi, $he reader atches as a+ ili

falls in lo"e# $his ne for+ of a relationship ith a person unloc/s feelin!s ithin a+ ili that

she has ne"er felt efore# $hese feelin!s and desires re"eal a ne side to her# efore !oin! to the

stadiu+ ith 7ather A+adi for the first ti+e, the reader atches a+ ili put on lipstic/ (1>4)#.er sha/y e'perience ith the lipstic/ reflects her e'perience ith her ne found e+otions# She

is as ne to the concept of lipstic/ as she is to the ants and desires of her ody, and li/e +ost

people her a!e, she does not /no ho to handle the+# $his passion for 7ather A+adi only

continues to !ro as ti+e passes# After e'pressin! her feelin!s for A+adi she says %I anted our

lips to +eet and hold, ut he +o"ed his face a ay* (2>:)# Althou!h he cannot e'press these

feelin!s ac/, the reader still sees ho happy and safe 7ather A+adi +a/es her feel# She trusts

and elie"es in hi+# 6hen a+ ili is confused and scared a out the fact that Aunty Ifeo+a is

lea"in!, 7ather A+adi assures her that e"erythin! ill e o/# .e says, %I ill as/ hi+ to

con"ince you father a out oardin! school so you and <a a can start ne't ter+# It ill e fine,*

(2:=)# She trusts hi+ and elie"es that thin!s ill or/ out ecause of his support# $hese

e+otions and eha"iors reflect the si!ns of a healthy relationship# In ian at5 article %Are Bou

In ;o"e ?r <ust 7ulfillin! A Need-* she tal/s a out hat a healthy relationship loo/s li/e# She

says, %Bour soul+ate is so+eone you can trust and ho in turn, ill e a le to trust you# A

healthy relationship in"ol"es e uality in decision +a/in! and has four co+ponents Respect,



Clue 4

.onesty, ;oyalty, and 7aithfulness* ( at5)#6ith these characteristics in +ind, the reader e!in to

understand that e"en thou!h she has een a used her hole lifeD she is still a le to en!a!e in a

healthy relationship# y the end of the no"el, e see that she dra s stren!th and security si+ply

fro+ holdin! on to the letter he rites her# She uses his letters to help carry her throu!h <a a3s

i+prison+ent# She says %<a a ill co+e ho+e soon, 7ather A+adi rote in his last letter, hich

is tuc/ed in +y a!# Bou +ust elie"e this# And I elie"e it, I elie"e in hi+,* ( 02)# $his

po erful line re"eals the true nature of their relationship# $hey stand to!ether as soul+ates#

7ro+ the first ti+e a+ ili !ets to Nsu//a the reader sees a stru!!le et een A+a/a

and a+ ili# $he star/ differences et een the ays in hich they ere oth raised, +a/e itdifficult for the+ to see eyeFtoFeye# After uite a it of !ettin! used to, the reader e!ins to see

that A+a/a ar+ up to her# efore !oin! off ith father A+adi, a+ ili says she doesn3t ha"e

any shorts to ear, So Ifeo+a as/s A+a/a to lend her a pair# She does so ith no o ections or

side re+ar/s# $he reader see3s that this is a elco+ed chan!e hen a+ ili says %I e'pected

A+a/a to sneer, ut she !a"e +e a pair of yello shorts as if it ere nor+al that I did not ha"e

any* (1>4)# 7ro+ this point on, the reader e!ins to see that they ha"e finally learned to accept

each other# An i+portant aspect a out the relationship et een a+ ili and A+a/a is rou!ht up

y 7ather A+adi, hile they are sittin! in his car# A+adi says to her, %Bou ha"en3t as/ed +e a

sin!le uestion# Bou should ha"e learned the art of uestionin! fro+ A+a/a* (1>=)# .e says this

in a halfF o/in!ly, ut the interestin! thin! is that, A+a/a actually does influence a+ ili# She

sho s her ho to search for her o n ans ers instead of lindly acceptin! the ans ers forced

upon her# E"en thou!h only for an instant, A+a/a3s influence !a"e a+ ili the push she needed

to re el# 6hen a+ ili3s father finds a+ ili and <a a holdin! a paintin! of their !randfather, he

runs o"er and rips it into pieces# Instead of ust sittin! ac/, and aitin! for her punish+ent, she



Clue 5

refused to si+ply atch as so+ethin! "alua le to her as destroyed# %No@ I shrie/ed# I dashed to

the pieces on the floor as if to sa"e the+,* (210)# 6ith A+a/a3s influence, the reader atches as,

for the first ti+e in her life, a+ ili fi!hts for hat she elie"es in#

6hile this no"el centers on a+ ili and her search for identity, she is not the only one

ho is on this ourney# $he reader also sees <a a and his +other on a si+ilar uest# At the Start of

the no"el <a a is in a si+ilar +ental state to that of a+ ili# .e is uiet, reser"ed and o edient,

ut he, ust li/e a+ ili, is chan!ed y his e'perience in Nsu//a# After Papa Nnu/ u3s death,

<a a e!ins his re ellion# <a a as/s for the /ey to his roo+, e"en thou!h he /no s he ill not

recei"e it (1=1)# .e re els a!ainst his father, hopin! to find so+ethin!, to find hi+self, to createan identity# .is re ellion 9ro s as he e!ins to find hi+self# After Pal+ Sunday, <a a not only

refuses to !o to co++union, he loc/s hi+self in his roo+, and refuses to co+e out (2 8)# .is

final act of re ellion co+es out hen he decides that he ants to !o to Ifeo+a house for Easter#

<a a does not e"en as/, he al/s into his father3s study, and tells hi+ that they are !oin! to !o to

Ifeo+a3s house for the holiday# $hrou!h his actions e e!in to see <a a find hi+self# 6ith all of

his ne e'periences in Nsu//a, and his relationship ith ? iora, e see a ne <a a e+er!e, A

<a a ith a+ itions and a !oal# <a a is inspired y ? iora and ho he has ta/en the role of the

+an of the house# 6ith this in +ind, <a a +a/es a pro+ise to hi+selfD he is deter+ined to protect

his fa+ily li/e ? ioara# In the end, he ris/s his future to /eep his +other safe#

6hile their +other is also searchin! for an identity of her o n, her circu+stances are

different than those of her children3s# 6hile her children ne"er had the opportunity to de"elop a

personality of their o n, Ga+a eatrice had a life efore she +et Papa Eu!ene, ut sadly, ithin

the relationship, any sense of self is lost# She, li/e a+ ili and <a a, is reser"ed, passi"e and

uite# $hese traits coupled ith the a use and her ina ility to rea/ free of the to'ic relationship



Clue 6

hint at the fact that there is so+ethin! +ore !oin! on psycholo!ically# In Mosby's Dictionary of

Medicine, Nursing, & Health Professions in an article called Battered Wo an !yndro e "BW!#,

says that %psycholo!ical testin! re"eals the typical attered o+an to e reser"ed, ithdra n,

depressed, and an'ious, ith lo selfFestee+, a poorly inte!rated selfFi+a!e, and a !eneral

ina ility to cope ith life&s de+ands* (Gos y3s ictionary of Gedicine)# It continues y tal/in!

a out the cycles that people ith 6S !o throu!h# It says that

In the first phase, the +an acts increasin!ly irrita le, ed!y, and tense# Her al a use,

insults, and criticis+ increase, and sho"es or slaps e!in# $he second phase is the ti+e of

the acute, "iolent acti"ity# As the tension +ounts, the o+an eco+es una le to placatethe +an, and she +ay ar!ue or defend herself# $he +an uses this as the ustification for

his an!er and assaults her, often sayin! that he is %teachin! her a lesson#* $he third sta!e

is characteri5ed y apolo!y and re+orse on the part of the +an, ith pro+ises of chan!e

(Gos y3s ictionary of Gedicine)#

6ith these thin!s in +ind, it is easy to see that Ga+a eatrice suffers fro+ 6S# $he only thin!

that +ana!es to !et her out of the "icious cycle she has een stuc/ in for so lon! is the loss of her

second child to hi+# $he loss of the second child finally pushes her past the point of no return,

her uest for identity ends hen she uilds up the resol"e to ta/e action# In the end, she decides

that in order to sa"e herself, and her children, she +ust ta/e the life of her hus and# $he first

ti+e e +eet Aunty Ifeo+a, she says so+ethin! "ery interestin! to eatrice# 6hile in

con"ersation, Ifeo+a says %N unye +, so+eti+es life e!ins hen +arria!e ends* (> )# $his

line fits eatrice3s situation perfectly# 6ith Eu!ene out of her life, she has an opportunity to

+end her ro/en identity#



Clue 7

It is hu+an nature to ant to elon!# 6e as hu+an ein!s are uilt around social

interactions, and one of the +ost i+portant aspects of this interaction is our sense of self#

6ithout a !ood understandin! of ho e are, it can e easy to e "icti+i5ed# 6ithout a sense of

self, e ha"e no defense a!ainst those ho ish to +anipulate us and /eep us do n# In a orld

choc/Ffull of un/no ns, anderin! the earth in search of oneself can e an a+a5in!ly dauntin!

tas/# In the no"el Purple Hibiscus e are itness to three people stru!!lin! to find out ho they

are in this orld# $his no"el causes the reader to uestion ho ell he /no s hi+self# In the end

e +ust all find out ho e are and hat e ish to do in this orld of ours#



Clue 8

6or/s Cited

Adichie, Chi+a+anda N!o5i# Purple Hibiscus # Ne Bor/ Anchor, 200

attered 6o+an Syndro+e ( s)# Mosby's Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, & Health

Professions$ Philadelphia %lse ier Health !ciences , 2012# Credo Reference# 6e # 10

Gay 2014#

%Identity (social science) Oxford Dictionary # 2= April 2014# 6e # 1l +ay 2014

at5, ian# Are Bou In ;o"e ?r <ust 7ulfillin! A Need-# esbian Ne(s 2>#1 (2001) =#

Gaster7I;E Pre+ier# 6e # 10 Gay 2014#

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Adichie Identity