Critical Analysis of Conflict in the ‘Purple Hibiscus’

Abstract:-

The Africa is faced so many conflict like social, political and ethnic. For the main causes are weak government, state collapse, inter-ethnic clashes, economic decline, and unequal distribution of resources. African writer portrait the conflict of Africa through their fiction like Chinua Achebe, Adichie Etc. Adichie describes this history with fictionalized in her novels. This paper tried to analyze conflict in Adichie’s debuted novel purple hibiscus (2003) through the lens of conflict. How Adichie described political and ethnic conflict of Nigeria through his novel’s characters. And these conflicts lead to the violence and riots. In this novel internal and external two kind of conflict describe through characters. How impact of conflict on Igbo people. What was the Main cause for the conflict?

Introduction:-

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel purple hibiscus is setting of Nigeria history during post 1990s or may be the late 1990s. The novel is deeply affected by Nigerian civil war or Biafra war during 6th July 1967 – 15th January 1970. The Biafra war effect we see in Adichie’s novel. Nigerian civil war fought between the government of Nigeria and the state of Biafra. Africa has a large diversity of ethnicities, cultures and languages. In the same way Nigeria had a population of 60 million people, and more than 250 different ethnic groups available.

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This ethnic group speak 250 different languages. Main Nigerian ethnic groups are Igbo and Hausa-Fulani. The Hausa group was Muslim and had a system of government that was relatively feudal. In the other side the Igbo people was mainly Christian people and had a more democratic society. And their different cultures, this differentiation creates ethnic conflict. We know main reason of ethnic conflict is intolerance and inadequate relationship between the religions within the state or country to Nigerian civil war/Biafra war. We saw Biafra war’s effect in Adichie’s novels ‘Purple Hibiscus’.

Conflict:-

Conflict means a disagreement or clash. And how these clash main reason was ethnic differences, political instability and the impact of colonialism in Nigerian people. Nigeria colonize by Britain in 1945 and their colonial effect we saw in this novel. And character’s behavior and political situations reflected colonies language and culture.

This effect we find in the character of ‘Eugene’, who become victims of foreign cultures. He used British culture and language and neglected his own culture and mother tongue he completely accepts western culture under which he submerges his native culture. Because of the Colonization effect the northern Nigerian people were neglected by western minded Nigerian people. Because that ethnic tension growing between them. And these lead to ethnic conflict.

Eugene’s daughter and protagonist of this novel Kambali described his father as

“He hardly spoke Igbo, and although Jaja and I spoke it with Mama at home, he did not like us to speak it in public. We had to sound civilized in public, he told us; we had to speak English. Papa’s sister, Aunty Ifeoma, said once that Papa was too much of a colonial product.” (Adichie 10)

He forces his views of religions on his family and forced to followed its. If they not followed he beats them. He beats Kambili so severely, she is hospitalized in critical condition. When we talk about domestic violence, we saw some injury, stress, fear and nervousness depression are common.

We saw this characteristics in Jaja, Beatrice and Kambili. Eugene had beats Beatrice when she was ill and because of she does not want to visit father Benedict. For this small issue he beats her and she miscarries. He poured boiling water on Kambali and Jaja feet because they share a home with his heathen father. He believe they walked in sin. “For owning a painting of Papa-Nnukwu, Kambili is kicked until she is hospitalized.” (Conflict)

When Beatrice tells Kambili about her pregnancy, she mentions that she miscarried several times. Describe Beatrice loses two pregnancies at Eugene’s hands. The other miscarriages may have been caused by these beatings as well.

Religious differences was created religious conflict like in Nigeria. Christianity and Igbo cultural differences was main reason of conflict in purple hibiscus novel. Like Eugene and his father. Religious riots or conflict is not new it is around the world. Dispute between two culture and language lead to conflict. And this converted into violence and riots.

Adichie clearly portrays the conflicting repression of Kambili’s patriarchal home. Where she is ordered to follow a strict schedule. This novel express ‘Violence’ as an important theme to express condition of Nigerian situation. Adichie purposely expresses the catholic upbringing of the Kambili and her brother Jaja, as contrast to their auntie’s strong Igbo traditional customs.

Eugene obsessed with power and control and wants to remain the dictator in his family. This domestic violence create a conflict in Achike family and lead to a crime, when Beatrice killed her husband Eugene.

Adichie also describe how Political instability after post colonization was a reason of conflict in Nigeria. It was a difficult time in Nigeria’s political history, the idea that there is a vacuum in power and in the references to oil shortages. The limited resources which main reason for creating conflict. Primarily Adichie trying to portray political conflict through main character of Kambili, her family and government.

Karl Marx said in his conflict theory “claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict because of competition for limited resources. It holds that social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus and conformity.” (Conflict Theory) In this theory point of view who have power they used resources, And poor is struggling for that. This inequality create conflict. Power is main dominated form in conflict.

Socially inequality create conflict between different classes in social conflict theory. According this theory rich people in power and poor people was suffering for resources. This unequal distribution among working or poor people lead to revolt. How resources create a conflict we saw in the Biafra war reason of oil.

Unequal distribution and shortage of resources build a conflict in Adichie’s novel like oil, light and water shortages produce a riots, strikes and violence in university, And fuel shortages was describe by Ifemona’s character. Ifeoma said “We have not had fuel for three months in Nsukka. I spent the night in the petrol station last week, waiting for fuel. And at the end, the fuel did not come. Some people left their cars in the station because they did not have enough fuel to drive back home. If you could see the mosquitoes that bit me that night, eh, the bumps on my skin were as big as cashew nuts.” (Adichie 39)

Politics and power always related to corruption. Corruption is easily destroy the political system. Adichie describe how political instability create a corruption in Nigeria. Like Police officer openly takes bribe “We do not talk about the huge checks we have written, for bribes to judges and policemen and prison guards.” (Adichie 140)

How people offer a bribe to Eugene for his not published his articles on against government in his newspaper. This is best describe in this quotes “It was that evening, before dinner, that the government agents came, the men in black who yanked hibiscuses off as they left, the men Jaja said had come to bribe Papa with a truckful of dollars, the men Papa asked to get out of our house.” (Adichie 97)

Ifeoma, University professor in Nsukka faced problems. Professor were not paid for nearly two months, because of that some people had migrant to America. The situation was not good for so Ifeoma is also want migrate America. Writer describe this situation as “We just called off yet another strike, even though no lecturer has been paid for the last two months. They tell us the Federal Government has no money.” Aunty Ifeoma chuckled with little humor. “Ifukwa, people are leaving the country. Phillipa left two months ago. You remember my friend Phillipa?” (Adichie 39)

Man v/s society this conflict describe between Ade Coker’s editorials and government. Ade Coker the editor of the Standard in Eugene’s paper. He is openly critical of the corrupt government with Eugene’s support. Are Coker was arrested for the newspaper had some publication that was against the Head of State. Ade Coker free by the help of Eugene. Eugene wanted to run his newspaper underground to make his staffs safe.

“One of the Head of State, or “Big Oga.” Few details about the government are given, but politics still affect the daily lives of Adichie’s characters: workers’ strikes cut off power and water, police require bribes at random checkpoints, and Ade Coker, who is based on the real-life journalist Dele Giwa, is assassinated with a letter bomb. We see everything through a young adult’s point of view, but a political one by showing the tragic personal results of the legacy of colonialism, dictatorship, and corruption.” (Colonialism)

Because of that Ade Coker becomes a political target. And he is killed by a letter bomb. Adichie used real incident and situation in her story. Ada Coker represent Dele Giwa, He was a Nigerian Journalist, editor and founder of magazine called ‘Newswatch.’ Who was also killed by ‘Mail bomb explosion’ as Adichie describe in her novel. Adichie revisiting history and fictionalizes history. She was used real history of Dele Giwa and create a political conflict and violence in this novel.

Nigerian people cannot get fresh water, light and petrol. Kambili saw a painful incident in market, where the military force was inflicting violence upon the citizens. Like Adichie describe in this novel as “Market women were shouting, and hands placed on their heads, in the way that people do to show despair or shock. A woman lay in the dirt……laughing.” (Adichie 24)

The methods of intervention in any type of violence have to be associated with understanding the very nature, causes, and dynamics of the conflict.” (Jeong 17)

Kambali is living in terror because of that she unable to create her own identity. Because of that she feel Internal conflict of man v/s self. She was always silence in novel, show was not express herself.

“Violence and intractable conflict seem certain to remain a prominent and tragic part of the human condition.” (Jeong 17)

Jaja rebelled against his father by skipping communion on Palm Sunday. It is an important religious holiday.

Conclusion:-

Conflict can arise from misunderstandings, differences, poor communication, personality clashes, resource control, religious or land disputes. Eugene is a religious zealot and rules over his family through imposed his authority. He mentally and physically abused his family. He is really communist person. When we saw Eugene as negative character. We also feel as his moral dilemma. This describe as the physiological conflict in his character. He is Nigerian but he believes that white people do everything better. So he wants everything in his life to be western and modern. Just like he used British accent when talking to white people, and avoids native Igbo language. Adichie revisited history and describe political and ethnic conflict in Nigeria through this novel’s characters. Adichie describe internal and external conflict. Like internal conflict of Eugene, Jaja and Kambili’s characters. External conflict of man/Society by Ade Coker’s editorials against the government. External conflict of man vs. man, like Jaja against Papa and Papa against Papa-Nnukwu. And Eugene’s violence.

References

1. Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Purple Hibiscus. London: Harper Perennial, 2003. Print .
2. 'Colonialism and Niderian Politics.' n.d. LitCharts. 11 4 2019. .
3. Conflict. n.d. .
4. 'Conflict Theory.' 2018. Investopedia. 4 2019. .
5. Jeong, Ho-Won. Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis. Singapore, 2008.