Theme Of Oppression In Purple Hibiscus

Women are an integral part of human civilization and there is no general development of a society or country without an active participation and uplift of women. Though the status of women is different from culture to culture and changes from age to age, the truth is that women have never been considered equal to men. They have always been victims of male domination and oppression and treated like beasts of burden and objects of pleasure. From the past, men have looked down upon women as the weaker sex and treated them as their inferiors and slaves.
Oppression of women is one of the important aspects of postcolonial theory. Generally women are exploited and faced oppression every day. The root of the women’s oppression lies in the division …show more content…
Though they begin their journey as voiceless individuals, but all of them, gradually, find their voice through resistance in their own different ways.In one of the reviews, Claire Hayes says, “Adichie's love of her homeland shines through every page, as too does her awareness of its many shortcomings. She writes of places she knows intimately and it shows; the university town of Nsukka…where Adichie herself grew up. “The issue of Patriarchal oppression is highlighted through the character of Eugene, who subjugates his own family members through constant violence and pressure. However, a major part of the narration recounts the phase of silence. The victimized characters such as Kambili, Beatrice and Jaja are silent spectators of their own exploitation. Moreover, their domestic world is filled with deep silence literally as well as metaphorically. Kambili describes the abundant silence that runs in every part of their family life: “Our steps on the stairs were as measured and silent as our Sundays: the silence of waiting until Papa was done with his siesta so we could have lunch…the silence of driving to the church for benediction afterward. Even our family time on Sundays was quiet...”