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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Key Examples in Purple Hibiscus
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Things Fall Apart:
In this passage Adichie calls on one of the novel’s motifs, alluding to Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. In so doing, she is situating the Achike family’s struggles within the larger context of postcolonial Nigeria and its struggle for self-definition:
Things started to fall apart at home when my brother, Jaja, did not go to communion and Papa flung his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the étagère.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Black-Purple:
When Eugene terrorizes and beats his wife Beatrice, she channels her fear and resentment into the meticulous cleaning of her porcelain ballerina figures. This recurs as a motif throughout Purple Hibiscus. Kambili describes seeing her mother doing this using the visual imagery of swollen, painful flesh contrasting with brittle, delicate ceramics:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I would go down to see her standing by the étagère with a kitchen towel soaked in soapy water. She spent at least a quarter of an hour on each ballet-dancing figurine. There were never tears on her face. The last time, only two weeks ago, when her swollen eye was still the black-purple color of an overripe avocado, she had rearranged them after she polished them.
Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Lipstick:
In this passage, Adichie uses the motif of bright, colorful lipstick to symbolize bravery and rebellion against oppressive authority. She’s also highlighting Kambili’s internal struggle with self-expression, as she’s been so squashed by Eugene’s strict moral codes:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Although I tried to concentrate on Mass, I kept thinking of Amaka’s lipstick, wondering what it felt like to run color over your lips.
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Jaja of Opobo:
As Jaja and Kambili chat with Aunty Ifeoma and her family, Adichie uses an allusion to a famous Nigerian historical figure to explore themes of resistance to oppressive power. Moments like this recur as motifs in Purple Hibiscus, as they reflect the tangled mixture of anti-colonial sentiment and Anglophilia in late-20th and early 21st-century Nigeria:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Obiora smiled and pushed his glasses up. ‘Jaja of Opobo was no saint, anyway. He sold his people into slavery, and besides, the British won in the end. So much for the defiance.’
‘The British won the war, but they lost many battles,’ Jaja said, and my eyes skipped over the rows of text on the page.
Related Themes:
