Character Analysis
Kambili
In the first two chapters of Purple Hibiscus a lot happens. Not
only are the individual family members introduced, but some actions are taken
that in my opinion, will affect how the rest of the book turns out. Most
importantly, we are introduced to Kambili, the main character.
There hasn’t been much description of her physical appearance, however
from small details that are given, I have an idea of what she might look like.
When I think of her I think of a tall, thin girl with long, thick
hair.
At the moment I would say she has three relationships, one with her mom, one with her dad, and
one with Jaja (her brother). With her mom she is more open then with her dad but
is still hesitant to say things. With her dad I get the feeling she has to
really think about what she says. She’s not open. In other words, I feel like
she wants to express herself, but feels like she has to say things that sound
intelligent or religious to please him. Her relationship with her brother gives
the total opposite feeling. When she is with him, I get the feeling that she
says anything that is bothering her and he doesn’t care what it is they talk
about. It’s almost like she trusts him more then she trusts her parents, like
they have a stronger bond.
So far Kambili seems to like calm situations. Their house is so
tense that when she has the opportunity to relax, she takes it. I find she also
likes being with her mom when her mom is doing her hair, helping her with chores
or just talking, once again going back to the point of Kambili liking calm
situations. She also likes being with her brother. She doesn’t have to worry
about sounding smart or using impressive
words.
Kambili has an interesting personality. She is shy in the sense
that she doesn’t say what she really feels or thinks. She thinks things, but
doesn’t say them. She acts like everything is okay, when sometimes they aren’t.
Kambili acts like she is insignificant, not speaking how she really feels, but
she doesn’t realize people will never hear her. She also likes pleasing people. She
doesn’t like them being disappointed with her, so she tries her best at
everything. In some situations she is timid and is always searching for
approval.
So far in the book, Kambili hasn’t been in any conflicts
herself, but Jaja and her farther have. Kambili hasn’t had a chance to take
action in this conflict but that being said, I don’t think she will take huge
actions either. She likes pleasing her farther, and doesn’t like going against
him and getting him upset at her, even if she doesn’t agree with what he is
saying.
In the first two chapters of Purple Hibiscus a lot happens. Not
only are the individual family members introduced, but some actions are taken
that in my opinion, will affect how the rest of the book turns out. Most
importantly, we are introduced to Kambili, the main character.
There hasn’t been much description of her physical appearance, however
from small details that are given, I have an idea of what she might look like.
When I think of her I think of a tall, thin girl with long, thick
hair.
At the moment I would say she has three relationships, one with her mom, one with her dad, and
one with Jaja (her brother). With her mom she is more open then with her dad but
is still hesitant to say things. With her dad I get the feeling she has to
really think about what she says. She’s not open. In other words, I feel like
she wants to express herself, but feels like she has to say things that sound
intelligent or religious to please him. Her relationship with her brother gives
the total opposite feeling. When she is with him, I get the feeling that she
says anything that is bothering her and he doesn’t care what it is they talk
about. It’s almost like she trusts him more then she trusts her parents, like
they have a stronger bond.
So far Kambili seems to like calm situations. Their house is so
tense that when she has the opportunity to relax, she takes it. I find she also
likes being with her mom when her mom is doing her hair, helping her with chores
or just talking, once again going back to the point of Kambili liking calm
situations. She also likes being with her brother. She doesn’t have to worry
about sounding smart or using impressive
words.
Kambili has an interesting personality. She is shy in the sense
that she doesn’t say what she really feels or thinks. She thinks things, but
doesn’t say them. She acts like everything is okay, when sometimes they aren’t.
Kambili acts like she is insignificant, not speaking how she really feels, but
she doesn’t realize people will never hear her. She also likes pleasing people. She
doesn’t like them being disappointed with her, so she tries her best at
everything. In some situations she is timid and is always searching for
approval.
So far in the book, Kambili hasn’t been in any conflicts
herself, but Jaja and her farther have. Kambili hasn’t had a chance to take
action in this conflict but that being said, I don’t think she will take huge
actions either. She likes pleasing her farther, and doesn’t like going against
him and getting him upset at her, even if she doesn’t agree with what he is
saying.
JAJA
The character I chose to analyse is the main character Kambili’s older brother, Jaja. From what I’ve gathered, Jaja is 16 or 17, just a year or two older than Kambili. He is tall and seems to be well muscled. Jaja at first seemed to be quite obedient, always listening to his father. He was unaware of a world outside of his father’s rules. He almost always came top of form in his school; he was basically the perfect child. He always knows what to say and when to say it, in an almost robot-like but believable fashion.
Recently when at his aunt’s house Jaja began exploring the possibility of freedom, and a world beyond his father’s laws. Jaja is amazed by Aunty Ifeoma’s free spirit and open way of thinking. It seems that when Jaja is given an opportunity to change or break the mold his father has so carefully set for both him and his sister, he takes it and builds on it.
Jaja is a good kid, and I think later on in the book he will perhaps stand up to his father. A bigger explosion than when he disobeyed his father earlier at the beginning of the book.
The character I chose to analyse is the main character Kambili’s older brother, Jaja. From what I’ve gathered, Jaja is 16 or 17, just a year or two older than Kambili. He is tall and seems to be well muscled. Jaja at first seemed to be quite obedient, always listening to his father. He was unaware of a world outside of his father’s rules. He almost always came top of form in his school; he was basically the perfect child. He always knows what to say and when to say it, in an almost robot-like but believable fashion.
Recently when at his aunt’s house Jaja began exploring the possibility of freedom, and a world beyond his father’s laws. Jaja is amazed by Aunty Ifeoma’s free spirit and open way of thinking. It seems that when Jaja is given an opportunity to change or break the mold his father has so carefully set for both him and his sister, he takes it and builds on it.
Jaja is a good kid, and I think later on in the book he will perhaps stand up to his father. A bigger explosion than when he disobeyed his father earlier at the beginning of the book.
Amaka
Amaka is the cousin of Kambili and Jaja. By the end of the book you have
gotten to know these characters very well. From what I imagine Amaka is not
short but definitely shorter than Kambili, she is very slim and had dark brown
hair. Her personality is interesting because your opinion of it changes
throughout the book. For instance at the beginning you would think that she is
kind of arrogant towards people and she doesn’t seem very friendly, she is also
very outgoing and is not afraid to speak her mind. She is basically the opposite
of Kambili (who thinks about every word she says to make sure it is ok to say).
Closer to the end I would begin to describe her as a very intelligent but
stubborn at the same time, is very responsible and grown up but is still very
outgoing and is not afraid to challenge other peoples
idea’s.
In the last couple of chapters in the book she is at her own
house in Nnuskka but her family is planning on moving to America, that she is
not happy about because she does not want to leave Nnuskka even though her
family is going bankrupt. She has a strong relationship with her mother and
brothers as well as with Kambili and Father Amidi. I think her bond with her
mother grew when her father died and she was the oldest child. Amaka is a lot
like her mother too which probably contributed to their bond as mother and
daughter. Her relationship with her brothers is like any other group of siblings
no matter what you love them even if sometimes you don’t like them. Now I think
that her relationship with Father Amidi was founded because of religious beliefs
and the fact that he came to their house a lot and in my opinion was like a
father figure to her. Her relationship with Kambili was most likely formed by
sharing a room and when they finally share their interests and get to finally
know each other.
By the end of the book Amaka has had some emotional and physical
conflict with others and with herself. For example at the end of the book her
family is moving to America, this is a conflict for her because she doesn’t want
to leave Nigeria in her little village of Nnuskka. During the book she has a
couple of conflicts with Kambili because she cannot believe that she has never
had to do any house work or chores that she is used to. This might also be
caused by the fact that her brother is adjusting to the lifestyle faster making
Kambili look like she thinks she is better than them in the eyes of
Amaka.
At the end of the book I would say that she adapts to change well
because after she moves to America and Jaja goes to jail the way Kambili
describes her talking does not sound very shocked or uncertain, in fact it
doesn’t even seem like it fazed her that her cousin had gone to jail. Meanwhile
she has moved to America and seems to be adjusting to the different
lifestyle.
-- Rachel Harding
Amaka is the cousin of Kambili and Jaja. By the end of the book you have
gotten to know these characters very well. From what I imagine Amaka is not
short but definitely shorter than Kambili, she is very slim and had dark brown
hair. Her personality is interesting because your opinion of it changes
throughout the book. For instance at the beginning you would think that she is
kind of arrogant towards people and she doesn’t seem very friendly, she is also
very outgoing and is not afraid to speak her mind. She is basically the opposite
of Kambili (who thinks about every word she says to make sure it is ok to say).
Closer to the end I would begin to describe her as a very intelligent but
stubborn at the same time, is very responsible and grown up but is still very
outgoing and is not afraid to challenge other peoples
idea’s.
In the last couple of chapters in the book she is at her own
house in Nnuskka but her family is planning on moving to America, that she is
not happy about because she does not want to leave Nnuskka even though her
family is going bankrupt. She has a strong relationship with her mother and
brothers as well as with Kambili and Father Amidi. I think her bond with her
mother grew when her father died and she was the oldest child. Amaka is a lot
like her mother too which probably contributed to their bond as mother and
daughter. Her relationship with her brothers is like any other group of siblings
no matter what you love them even if sometimes you don’t like them. Now I think
that her relationship with Father Amidi was founded because of religious beliefs
and the fact that he came to their house a lot and in my opinion was like a
father figure to her. Her relationship with Kambili was most likely formed by
sharing a room and when they finally share their interests and get to finally
know each other.
By the end of the book Amaka has had some emotional and physical
conflict with others and with herself. For example at the end of the book her
family is moving to America, this is a conflict for her because she doesn’t want
to leave Nigeria in her little village of Nnuskka. During the book she has a
couple of conflicts with Kambili because she cannot believe that she has never
had to do any house work or chores that she is used to. This might also be
caused by the fact that her brother is adjusting to the lifestyle faster making
Kambili look like she thinks she is better than them in the eyes of
Amaka.
At the end of the book I would say that she adapts to change well
because after she moves to America and Jaja goes to jail the way Kambili
describes her talking does not sound very shocked or uncertain, in fact it
doesn’t even seem like it fazed her that her cousin had gone to jail. Meanwhile
she has moved to America and seems to be adjusting to the different
lifestyle.
-- Rachel Harding