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Purple hibiscus (Themes (Violence (The forces of tyranny, oppression, and…

- - - - Silence and speech are important motifs throughout the novel, to the point that the contrast between the two becomes a recurring theme on both the personal and political level.
      - Silence is associated with the fear of Papa that Mama, Kambili, and Jaja experience at all times. Kambili, especially, rarely speaks, because she is afraid to stutter and also never wants to anger her father. She and Jaja have a “language of the eyes,” speaking only with glances, as they are rarely left alone together and never mention Papa’s abuse out loud.
      - Kambili’s silence then becomes more conspicuous in the presence of Aunty Ifeoma’s family—who are always laughing, singing, and speaking their mind—and Father Amadi, who breaks into song during his prayers. With Ifeoma and Father Amadi’s encouragement, however, Kambili starts to speak more, and even to sing.
      - Jaja also grows more comfortable speaking, and he then turns his silence (which is no longer a fearful one) into a weapon against Papa by refusing to speak to him.
      - “Mba, there are no words in my mouth,” Jaja replied. “What?” There was a shadow clouding Papa’s eyes, a shadow that had been in Jaja’s eyes. Fear. It had left Jaja’s eyes and entered Papa’s. “I have nothing to say,” Jaja said.
- - - - Quote: “I lay in bed after Mama left and let my mind rake through the past, through the years when Jaja and Mama and I spoke more with our spirits than with our lips. Until Nsukka. Nsukka started it all; Aunty Ifeoma’s little garden next to the verandah of her flat in Nsukka began to lift the silence. Jaja’s defiance seemed to me now like Aunty Ifeoma’s experimental purple hibiscus: rare, fragrant with the undertones of freedom, a different kind of freedom from the one the crowds waving green leaves chanted at Government Square after the coup. A freedom to be, to do.”
      - The Purple hibiscus flower taken from Nsukka symbolizes the childrens defiance to their parents and how their attitude toward their father changes as they have seen how the non abusive family in nsukka acts they start to change their attitude to their fathers abusive nature and become more free of his tyranny and do their own things with their similar to how the purple hibiscus changed the garden entirely. and how in Kambilis eyes it represents a sort of freedom. This is shown through the quote
      - Becoming more confident to speak
- - - - this symbol shows the theme of violence and it shows how a lot of domestic abusers think and that they believe that they are showing love and helping their family by hurting and disciplining them but it actually hurts the family and does nothing good
- - - - the reason why this symbolizes change in mamas attitude is she polished the figures after papa beat her as a coping mechanism but when she decides to not replace them it shows that she no longer needs her coping mechanism as she has toughened up and is ready to stand up against violence
        
        The figurines link to real life domestic abuse victims who have things like polishing figurines as coping mechanism but once they are gone it makes them change and resent their partner or parent who abuses them and can drive them to do things like poison their abusive partner