Feminism in Chimamanda Adichie's Novel Purple Hibiscus

Nigerian literature in English has witnessed impressive expansion in the past few decades. The most notable feature of Nigerian literature is the rise of women writers who have created immortal books in English. Chimamanda Adichie is one such prolific writer whose debut novel “Purple Hibiscus” mirrors the enchanting beauty and richness of the country without shying away from capturing its trauma, tragedy, desperation, resignation and political tribulations. The novel presents a moving picture of the effect of domestic violence on children, of religious fanaticism and of the political unrest in Nigeria. At the core of the novel are a brother and sister who seem to have a perfect life, but in reality, it is slowly suffocating them. The novel is at once the portrait of a country and a family, of terrible choices and the tremulous pleasure of an odd, rare purple hibiscus blooming amid a conforming sea of red ones. The novel is a feminist work that challenges the dehumanising tendencies of patriarchy and the oppression of women in postcolonial Nigerian society. The novel depicts how women can assert themselves in a male-dominated world through education and female solidarity.