Purple Hibiscus by Adichie is a captivating novel that tells the story of a young Nigerian girl named Kambili, who seeks to free herself from the oppressive environment in which she grew up. In the book, Adichie uses a variety of symbols to convey her message, including nature and pathetic fallacy. By examining the symbolism in the book, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the story and character growth. This essay will explore the use of symbolism, particularly the purple hibiscus, in the novel to analyze its meaning and impact on the story. Therefore, this will be an essay on the symbolism of purple hibiscus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOn many occasions in the novel, red and purple hibiscus play an important role in the eyes of Kambili and Jaja, but also in the novel as a whole. Purple flowers have been described as “rare, fragrant with shades of freedom” (16), which also conveys their importance and uniqueness. Before “things started to fall apart,” the hibiscuses were still a vibrant red color, showing that they had not fully bloomed and that freedom had not yet established itself in the family. Red, a color with a symbolism of anger and violence, haunts Kambili throughout her childhood as she must clean up her mother's blood after an episode of abuse. Kambili is unable to focus after a long period of time and can only read with "the typed black blurry, the letters blurring into each other, and then becoming a bright red, the red of fresh blood." As for red hibiscus, they symbolize family oppression, since the only way dad maintains control over his wife and children is through his violence. The children only see purple hibiscus when they visit Aunt Ifeoma in Nsukka, and are surprised since “[they] did not know [there were] any” (128). Not only do Kambili and Jaja discover a new flower when they arrive in Nsukka, but they also discover what true freedom is. Seeing how Aunt Ifeoma lives with Amaka and Obiora, Jaja and Kambili notice that their lives are rigid and controlled unlike those of their cousins, who have the freedom to do whatever they want. For Jaja, the purple hibiscus means the hope that something new can exist, like a new life without Dad's rules. He takes a stalk of flowers home with him and plants them in the garden in the hope that freedom will come soon. Adichie foreshadows Jaja's rebellious decisions from the moment she notices the rare flowers in which he refuses to go to communion, which leads Papa to throw a "missal across the room" (3). From then on, the flowers “began to produce sleeping buds,” although most were “still on the red ones” (9). As the purple hibiscus begin to bloom, so does Jaja's rebellion towards Dad, revealing how the flowers symbolize Jaja's growth as a character. Over the course of the novel, Kambili's attitude towards nature changes as she matures, but it also reflects her inner turmoil and joy. While staying in Nsukka, Kambili discovers an earthworm “crawling in the bathtub”. Before taking a bath, he picked it up and “flushed it down the toilet” (233) without flushing, even though he knew Obiora was fascinated by worms. Instead of dealing with the crawling insect, he decides to remove it. The earthworm symbolizes Kambili's state of mind, in this case her turmoil, and demonstrates how she is uncertain of her feelings throughout the novel and decides to put them aside instead of facing them. While combing her hair, Kambili notices a snail in an open basket. He observed the creature as it “crawled)