IndexIntroductionSymbols in Purple HibiscusLove Sip TeaFigurinesLipstickLaughterColorsConclusionReferencesIntroductionThe novel Purple Hibiscus uses many types of symbolism to express dad's violent behavior towards his wife and children. Within the novel there are many symbols used to help develop the novel, throughout the text; the main four are Love Sip Tea, Figurines, Lipstick and Laughter. They all played an important role in the story. Love Sip tea is a tea that severely burns the tongue of Kambili and Jaja, ruled by her father whose power conflicts with love and pain. The Figurines is an anomaly that leads Mama, Jaja and Kambili to freedom, ending the suffering of the entire family. Lipstick represents empowerment and independence for Kambili as a woman. Laughter is another symbol, a symbol that leads Kambili to be more active in the novel. In the novel Purple Hibiscus, Adichie expresses different types of symbolism that affect Kambili's family's daily life through Dad's violent behavior towards them. This means that experiencing a different home and way of life changes their perspective as a dad. Adichie is trying to persuade the reader that as people age, they become more independent, assert themselves, and are more liberal with themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Symbols in Purple HibiscusLove Sip TeaAdichie uses Love Sip Tea to share Dad's abusive actions towards Kambili and Jaja. Dad is responsible for the family drink. He called the tea "a sip of love" because it means "to give love" or "to receive love". Jaja and Kambili take a sip as it means dad's love is consummated in them. The tea would have burned both tongues badly. Kambili stated, “The tea was always too hot, it always burned my tongue, and if lunch was something peppery, my raw tongue suffered” (Adichie 8). Here, Kambili talks about how the drink was always hot and the consequences of drinking tea. Going deeper into the line “Always too hot, always burned my tongue” revealing how violent dad is, he forces Jaja and Kambili to take a sip because it is very hot. Figurines Adichie also uses the figurines as an example to show dad's anger that causes him to be so violent, and as he throws mom's figurines on Palm Sunday. The figurines embody the mother. She treated the stickers as her prized possession, as she thought it would help her find a way to stop Dad's abuse of her and the children. Kambili says: “Things began to fall apart in the house when my brother Jaja didn't go to communion and dad threw his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the étagère.” Here, Dad is trying to vent his anger due to Jaja's refusal to go to communion, which as he said, gave him bad breath. The beginning of the sentence, "things began to fall apart", revealing that the figurines represented the beginning of their journey to freedom and the end of the family's suffering due to Dad's abusive ways towards the family. Lipstick Throughout the novel, Adichie mentions Amaka Lipstick's red because it is a representation of symbolism. Lipstick is a symbol of femininity, womanhood and sexual awareness. Throughout the novel, Kambili notices that Amaka and Aunt Ifeoma wear shiny bronze lipstick, while Kambili and her mother have chapped lips with peeling skin. “I grabbed Amaka's lipstick from the top of the dresser and swiped it on my lips. It seemed strange,not as glamorous as on Amaka; it didn't even have the same bronze shimmer. I deleted it. My lips looked pale, a deep brown. I swiped lipstick on my lips again and my hands were shaking." Here it shows how Kambili always wanted to wear lipstick just like Auntie Ifeoma and Amaka, but due to dad's violence she was always afraid to do so. While he was out visiting Aunt Ifeoma's house, he committed a sin. Even after she commits this sin, she never begins to ask for forgiveness. Kambili didn't really care whether or not she even thought about what the consequences might be. Not only did she try the lipstick once, she tried it again. “I looked down at my hand, at the hastily dried lipstick stain that was still stuck to the sweaty backs of my hands. I didn't realize how much I had packed on. It's... a stain." Here too, going back to the first quote, Kambili shows how incompetent she is with lipstick. He doesn't know how to say it right. Kambili never wore lipstick because she could never wear it due to her father's violent action. Kambili also notes that the lipstick comes to represent her self-awareness as a woman. Laughter Laughter symbolizes Kambili's development and growth. Laughter comes throughout Aunt Ifeoma's house during the week that Dad allowed her to visit. Notice how Aunt Ifeoma's family always laughs and hers doesn't. “At home we always talked with a purpose, especially at the dinner table, but my cousins ​​just seemed to talk and talk and talk.” Here Kambili notices that during meals at Aunt Ifeoma's house we always talk and laugh, inside and outside, throughout the house, even during lunch. The phrase “at home we always spoke with a purpose” reveals that under dad's roof there was almost no movement or talk. It wasn't normal for someone to talk on a daily basis under Dad's roof. ColorsAdiche uses symbolism through nature to show the development of the characters' growth. On many occasions in the novel the red and purple hibiscus plays an important role in the eyes of Kambili and Jaja. The red hibiscus is seen at the beginning of the novel, when things were falling apart. The color red symbolizes the characters' anger as they have yet to find freedom from their abusive father/husband. The color red haunts Kambili. When he had to clean up his mother's blood after dad beat her, all he saw was red. Kambili saw the words in her book as “the blurry typed black, the letters swimming into each other, and then changing to a bright red, the . Red of fresh blood” (Adichie 35). The purple flowers of the hibiscus were described as "rare and fragrant with the shades of freedom" (Adichie 16), which portrays their uniqueness. Kambili and Jaja felt their first sense of freedom at their aunt's house, where it was first seen purple hibiscus time. The purple hibiscus is expected at the end of the novel once dad is gone and the Achikes finally have the freedom they have been waiting for. Keep in mind: this is just an example. Get a personalized sheet now, come on our expert writers.Customize essayConclusion Within the novel there were many symbols that help develop ideas throughout the novel Adichie mentioned a large number of symbols, the most important ones being Love Sip tea, figurines, lipstick. of Amaka and laughter. As Kambili and her family experience these symbols, the theme of the family's growing defiance towards Dad develops. Dealing with these different types of symbolism led the family to put an end to their suffering. Each of these symbols creates a meaning. Love Sip Tea is an example of Pope's violent actions, The Stickers that lead them to freedom, The lipstick and the laughter they bring.)