Role Of Aunty In Purple Hibiscus

The experience that kambili has at ifeoma’s Nsukka leads her towards self –realization. She understands clearly that how her aunty sets goals for her children and how she encourages them to jump higher. She realizes the fate that she excels only because she is terrified of being punished by her father if she fails. For kambili Nsukka does not represent a town where her aunty lives but a symbol of freedom, courage and power. At Nsukka only” her mouth which is always closed seems to be performing almost all the functions associated with it. She smiles, talks, cries, laughs, jokes and sings”. Her experience teaches her to be determined and stubborn. Even she is surprised to see her mother showing her defiance in the form of violating the so called rules of her household. Beatrice’s defiance is the result of the reason that Engene is too weak to challenge her for she has been poisoning him for several days. Aunty too undergoes severe emotional and psychological torture when her relatives and neighbors blame her for the death of her husband. But she overcomes such accusations with the help of her determination and confidence. Aunty is the only woman who challenges Eugene’s …show more content…
But they struggle to achieve the much desired freedom from the clutches of tradition, patriarchy and socio-economic disempowerment of women. They determine to survive in the face of domestic violence, senseless brutality etc. kambili suffer silently in the beginning of the novel. Her journey to her aunty’s house at Nsukka gives her a chance to understand the real meaning of life and the significance of individuality. She tries to be free, courageous and powerful. At the end, she seems to be an optimist, longing for a new, fresh life and obviously she smiles whole-heartedly. She says that”the new rains will come down soon”(307) which symbolizes that a new life is yet to