Narratives That Shape Our World

Narratives have been universally told since the beginning of human existence because they highlight social issues, shaped by their contexts. ‘Purple Hibiscus’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the film, ‘The Color Purple’ directed by Stephen Spielberg are no exceptions of such narratives. Through analysing and comparing narratives, truths about society- both previous and current are revealed. Such narratives allow future generations to be well-versed of the hardships endured by their ancestors. The two narratives highlight the issues endured by Black women in the 1900s including the silencing and oppression of women as a result of systematic patriarchy. The narratives empower Black women through a movement known as womanism; a movement created to recognize Black women who were overlooked during the feminist movement.

The two narratives share many common themes, with a main theme being the power of narrative and speech. It’s ironic that these narratives include an ever-present female voice, illuminated through the first person perspective, yet they don’t have a voice because of the mental and physical abuse they endure from men.

In the novel, ‘Purple Hibiscus’, Kambili transitions from a girl who struggled to find her own voice as well as her own identity to a maturing woman who managed to find her own voice as well as the courage to be able to use it. Similarly, in ‘The Color Purple’, protagonist Celie transforms from an abused woman into a liberated woman who uses her voice to stand up to oppressors. Kambili resembles Celie with her struggle to use her voice under the supremacy of her father, and later, struggles to use her voice under the supremacy of her husband. These transformations empower women who may be going through similar situations to find the courage within themselves to withstand oppressors.

In Adichie’s ‘Purple Hibiscus’, the dehumanisation of Beatrice and the abuse from her husband symbolises oppressed African women. It is revealed how wives and their worlds are abused by their husbands and in turn, how their voices are stolen from them. Adichie empowers African women by exhibiting how important it is for women to confront their oppressors. Due to the Nigerian society defining a good woman as a woman who maintains silence and passivity, Beatrice remains silent against Eugene through all the beatings, nor does she consider leaving him.

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Beatrice’s figurines symbolises her silence, since, after every violent confrontation with Eugene, she tends to the figurines instead of breaking her silence. The figurines breaking at the beginning of the novel foreshadows and signifies the progression of Beatrice as she stands up to Eugene and fights for her rights. Adichie utilises contrast between Beatrice and Aunty Ifeoma, who is a strong, empowered woman, to emphasise Beatrice’s weakness as a result of her silence. The contrast between Aunty Ifeoma’s home being full of laughter and talk and Beatrice’s home being the opposite emphasises the silence evident in Beatrice’s home. Beatrice reaches a breaking point after seeing Aunty Ifeoma’s strength and rises with enough courage to poison Eugene, thus killing the patriarchy evident in her and her children’s lives.

Similarly, in ‘The Color Purple’, the protagonist suffers through similar hardships of being oppressed physically and mentally and silenced by her father and later, by her husband Albert. The silencing and oppression of women in the movie are conveyed in many scenes where Celie is threatened with physical violence by either her father or her husband to keep quiet. Her authentic voice, which is mainly heard in her letters to god, is contrasted to her timid voice when speaking to a male figure.

The progression of Celie’s strength can be seen as she finally smiles with teeth, after being self-conscious about her appearance for many years because of her husband. Her habit of covering her mouth every time she is about to laugh conveys her fear of expressing herself, as a result of being abused by her husband. As the stronger female voices of Shug and Sofia are introduced, Celie’s voice becomes more apparent and she learns to smile with teeth. However, she automatically reverts to her timid self in the presence of a man, as depicted in this scene where Celie was unable to speak to an individual she constantly openly talks to due to Albert’s eye on her. Similar to ‘Purple Hibiscus’, where Aunty Ifeoma empowers Beatrice into raising her voice, Shug and Sofia empower Celie to do the same. Following Celie’s journey to being the liberated woman, she is at the ending of the film, making ‘one size fits all’ pants for both genders showing that women who live in a patriarchal society can become liberated through empowerment.

To conclude, narratives are told to reveal truths about the past and possibly the current. ‘Purple Hibiscus’ and ‘The Color Purple’ are told to empower Black women who have been oppressed and overlooked throughout history.