Love and Emotional Ties in Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun

Love and emotional ties are complex experiences which not only underscore human relationships but also define actions and inactions, even in conflict situations. Many Scholars have made various attempts to describe and theorize the dynamics of love and emotional connections and their ideas have set the frame for interdisciplinary engagements of love and emotions in research. Scholars in Psychology, Religion, Political Science and many other fields are beginning to explore the intersection between love and emotions and the unique experiences that characterize their fields. In the field of Literature, it is common to see the engagement of the concept of love and emotions as themes in fictional and non-fictional texts but less common to see them as critical or theoretical approaches. Hence, this study examines the portrayal of love and emotions in Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, and Half of a Yellow Sun using the tenets of John Lee’s Colour Wheel model and Robert Stenberg’s triangular theory of love. The analysis reveals that the novelist intentionally illustrates the shades and dynamics of love and emotions as intricate phenomena that can either heal or destroy interactions. This study recommends a more detailed engagement of love and emotions as fundamental experiences which could help in shaping societies especially with the rising waves of chaos in many parts of the world. This study is a contribution to the body of knowledge because it illustrates the application of the conceptual and theoretical constructions of love and emotions in Literature.