Silence In Purple Hibiscus

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In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, silence and diction are used as powerful tools to convey the atmosphere of the environment as well as character development throughout the book. In Enugu, silence fills the Achike household, only broken by Papa Eugene. Whereas in Nsukka, silence is a rarity hardly stumbled upon. The diction that Papa Eugene used manipulated the way in which his children thought and spoke about religion. Eugene believed that in order to become a true Catholic, he needed to speak only English, a belief he thrust upon his children. To him English represented civilisation, whilst Igbo represented ungodly ideals. “He hardly spoke Igbo, and although Jaja and I spoke it with Mama at home, he did not like us to speak …show more content…
She is frightened into staying silent about the physical violence her father incites on her, too frightened to tell the truth. Her inner thoughts are conveyed through her narration, as very little is said to other characters, with the exception of Jaja. Once Kambili is free of her abusive father, she starts to come out of her shell, speaking and laughing more. Only when she comes home from from Nsukka does she realise the silence that fills her household. After her father’s death, Kambili speaks of a different silence, a silence of freedom. “Silence hangs over us, but it is a different kind of silence, one that lets me breathe.”

In contrast to Enugu, Nsukka had a stark absence of silence, especially in Aunty Ifeoma’s home. Every morning started with the singing of traditional songs. Prayers were filled with joy and happiness. “ […] because Nsukka could free something deep inside your belly that would rise up to your throat and come out as a freedom song. As laughter.” Nsukka and Aunty Ifemoa rid Kambili of her internal silence.

In the novel the theme of silence represents oppression and control. The government silences Ade Coker by murdering him. Papa Eugene has scared his children into passive obedient silence. The silence Kambili experiences represents the dominance of her father, when she was free of him she was able to laugh. After his
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