27th Annual Student Research Conference
The "Good Father": Deconstructing the Patriarch in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus
Cullen Roop
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Purple Hibiscus concerns Kambili Achike, a teenage girl in postcolonial Nigeria, and her family, dominated by her strictly Catholic father, Papa Eugene. Though wealthy Eugene gives generously and appears to be a pillar of the community, his harsh religious convictions lead to calculated abuse of his wife and children at home. Using a feminist lens, I will examine the idea of the "father figure", its supposed authorities and responsibilities as demonstrated in Papa Eugene's character, and how the reverberating effects of colonialism and Christianity shape him and impact his family. I will also explore the ways that this suffocating patriarchal force functions as a symbol of larger oppression in Nigeria.
Keywords: Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, postcolonialism, feminism, patriarchy, colonialism, Christianity, masculinity
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 308-5
Location: VH 1320
Time: 2:00