Purple Hibiscus | Quotes

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1. Things started to fall apart at home when my brother, Jaja, did not go to communion. Kambili, Part 1, Section 1

The opening line of the novel describes a turning point in the life of Kambili's family—after which Papa's tyrannical control over the family begins to weaken. Although resistance and rebellion may indicate positive changes—since Papa's behavior is so violent—they also introduce chaos into the well-ordered family. The opening line also refers to Things Fall Apart by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, a novel about the erosion of traditional culture as a result of colonial influences.

2. I knew that when the tea burned my tongue, it burned Papa's love into me. Kambili, Part 1, Section 1

Before drinking his tea, Papa's custom is to offer Jaja and Kambili "love sips." Like Papa's brand of love, which is controlling and abusive, Papa's love sips cause pain and lasting damage. Kambili's experience of Papa's love is that it hurts. After Jaja refuses Communion, Papa is so angry that he does not offer the love sips. At the end of the novel, when it is revealed that Mama has been poisoning Papa in his tea, it becomes especially important that he did not offer the love sips on this occasion.

3. We did that often, asking each other questions whose answers we already knew. Kambili, Part 2, Section 2

Kambili describes the communication between her and Jaja as consisting of nonverbal looks and gestures and, as here, words that take the place of real expression. Asking questions to which they already know the answers replaces deeper or more honest communication. Kambili goes on to suggest these questions and answers replace other questions they might ask, "the ones whose answers we did not want to know." Throughout the novel, what remains unsaid is just as important as, or more important than, what is said aloud.

4. I did not even think to think what Mama needed to be forgiven for. Kambili, Part 2, Section 3

After Mama expresses a desire to sit in the car during the visit to Father Benedict's home because she has morning sickness, Papa brutally beats her, and she miscarries the pregnancy. Afterward, Papa has the family say prayers for God to forgive Mama. Kambili joins in the prayers determined to get them right. Although most people would say Papa is at fault for his violence and more in need of forgiveness, Kambili doesn't question his placing the blame on Mama. This acceptance shows the hold Papa has on his family's thoughts.

5. He was gracious, in the eager-to-please way that he always assumed with the ... white religious. Kambili, Part 2, Section 4

Papa's embrace of the culture and religion of white people shows the effects of colonialism. Though he is Igbo, he has embraced the colonial idea that white culture is superior. Throughout the novel, Papa shows this bias, often speaking English with a British accent when around white religious people, such as Father Benedict.

6. I was not sure what my laughter sounded like. Kambili, Part 2, Section 6

Kambili dreams that she is laughing, and in the dream she feels the sound is not her own laughter. However, she recognizes that she laughs rarely, or not at all, so she wouldn't recognize the sound if she did hear it. Early in the novel Aunty Ifeoma's frequent laughter and Kambili's lack of it are important points of contrast. When Kambili learns to laugh, she shows the change that has resulted from Aunty Ifeoma's influence.

7. You could say anything at any time to anyone. Kambili, Part 2, Section 8

Kambili's experience has been dominated by Papa's strict enforcement of rules and order. Everything in her life is policed by Papa, and many things remain unsaid for fear of his reactions. Conversation at meals is especially ritualized and controlled. In Aunty Ifeoma's household, the children speak their mind at all times, and the conversation at the table is raucous. Kambili feels it is completely uncontrolled, and it causes her deep discomfort at first.

8. That's a hibiscus, isn't it, Aunty? Jaja, Part 2, Section 8

Jaja is the first to notice the purple hibiscus growing in Aunty Ifeoma's garden. Typically, hibiscus flowers are red, but Ifeoma's friend, a botanist, created a version with a deep purple color. The flower becomes a symbol of freedom from, and even rebellion against, tradition, which Jaja embraces before Kambili does.

9. Being defiant can be a good thing sometimes. Aunty Ifeoma, Part 2, Section 9

Aunty Ifeoma can see Jaja is beginning to open up to new ideas and subtly encourages him to push back against his father's oppressive rule.

10. He was smiling ... He was smiling. Aunty Ifeoma, Part 2, Section 10

After Papa-Nnukwu dies, Aunty Ifeoma tells Kambili that even in death his face had a smile. Smiling and laughter are important in the novel, as Kambili seems unable to do either one. That he was smiling as he died suggests the joy present in Papa-Nnukwu—a joy Kambili lacks as the novel begins and learns as it progresses.

11. The painting ... represented something lost, something I had never had, would never have. Kambili, Part 2, Section 11

Amaka makes a painting of Papa-Nnukwu and gives it secretly to Kambili, who hides it in her bedroom. When Papa finds out, he tears the painting to pieces and beats Kambili unconscious. To Kambili, the painting represents the family connections, especially with her grandfather, that she was denied by Papa's adversarial attitude toward Papa-Nnukwu's traditional Igbo practices.

12. It was hard to turn my head, but I did it and looked away. Kambili, Part 2, Section 11

After Papa beats Kambili until she is nearly dead and must go to the hospital, he visits her there. Mama tells her, "Your father has been by your bedside every night these past three days. He has not slept a wink," praising Papa for being a good and loving father. But finally, Kambili has had enough. Though in terrible pain, she turns her head away at Mama's words. This is the first moment in which she seems to question her father's love.

13. We did not scale the rod because we ... could, we scaled it because we were terrified ... we couldn't. Kambili, Part 2, Section 12

After watching Father Amadi coach local boys in the high jump, Kambili sees in this a metaphor for the difference between Aunty Ifeoma's parenting and Papa's parenting. Aunty Ifeoma sets the bar higher and higher, expecting her children to rise to the occasion and successfully get high enough to clear it. Papa sets a high bar as well, but he propels his children over it by fear, not by joyful expectation.

14. The old silence had broken and left us with the sharp pieces. Kambili, Part 3, Section 14

After Jaja refuses to take Communion, defying Papa, and Papa breaks the figurines, the family is forever changed. This change is neither all bad nor all good. It marks the beginning of the end of Papa's oppressive rule. Mama speaks louder, smiles a little, and doesn't sneak around. Jaja continues to defy Papa without consequence. Yet, something about the new state of things is still going to hurt them, the way glass can cut after breaking. The symbol of the figurines as representing their submission to Papa's rule is clarified in this metaphor.

15. Silence hangs over us, but ... a different kind of silence, one that lets me breathe. Kambili, Part 4, Section 17

After Papa's death, a kind of silence still exists, but it is not the fear-based, oppressive silence of constant worry about Papa's punishments. This change suggests that although not all the traumas of the past will be fully healed, their pain will lessen enough that breathing and even laughter become possible. The closing section of the novel is bittersweet as it describes the aftermath of Papa's murder, but it is also filled with the beginnings of hope.