In what ways does silence impact our lives? Every day we are faced with choices that lead us towards making decisions that we may or may not want to make. How we deal with these issues speaks volumes about who we are as an individual and how people, and the world, perceive us. Women have been silenced for hundreds of years and are no strangers to having their voices go unheard or ignored. The novel, Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngoni Adichie, guides us towards the understanding that women’s voices can be heard through other channels other than the spoken word and that if one plays close enough attention, those unspoken words can speak volumes.
“Silence speaks louder than words”
The well-known saying, “Silence speaks louder than words” is exemplified in this novel. It is an underlying current that touches many characters throughout the book but none more than Kambili and her mother. They are both silenced by oppression in their own home, smothering their freedom to speak freely with each other. Kambili, especially, rarely speaks for fear of stuttering or saying something that might anger her father. She is unable to speak words about the horrifying truths that happen at home, behind closed doors, fearing the repercussions to herself, her mother and her brother, Jaja. She communicates with Jaja throughout “the language of the eyes” out of the fear that she will upset her father. Kambili has learned to use this silence as a way to get back at her father, using it as a source of strength to defy her father. “What has gotten into you?”Papa asked. “What is wrong with you?” I lay on the floor, curled tight…The kicking increased in tempo…I curled around myself tighter. This small excerpt from the novel gives us an inside look at the abuse Kambili faced at the hands of her father but also shows us how she has the ability to use her silence, the lack of action to the violence, as a show of strength towards her abuser. She is not only silenced by the expectations of her father, but also because of her gender and societal pressures in addition to the censorship and tensions of her country and its corrupt government.
Kambili’s mother is also forced into silence by the abusive behaviour of her husband, Eugene. She says “there was an accident” and she has had a miscarriage. We learn that because Mama was not feeling well and did not want to visit with the priest, this enraged her husband enough that he beat her so severely, causing her to lose the baby. Her fear for herself and the safety of her children weighs heavily on her shoulders but her circumstances and time prevent her from breaking free from Eugene’s tyranny. The family dynamic centers around the sporadic violence and terror spread by Eugene when he feels that something is sinful or when someone is acting disobedient in his eyes. His strict rules and schedules only force the family to walk on eggshells for fear of extreme punishment. We see that for both Kambili and her mother, Eugene is the main contributing factor for their silence.
Kambili and her mother are not the only people who are forced into silence, Eugene also suppresses those who do not hold the same political view, religious beliefs, and worldview as he does. He stifles Jaja’s growth by forcing him to follow in his footsteps and makes him fearful for not aligning with his ideals. This is evidenced when he speaks the words, “Have you no words in your mouth?” he said entirely in igbo. A bad sign. He hardly spoke Igbo,…he did not like us to speak it in public,…We had to sound civilized in public,…We had to speak English.”
He alienates his own father, Papa Nnukwu, referring to him as a heathen for not adopting the same religious beliefs and moral values as him and shows him much disrespect for holding and following Igbo traditions. Ironically enough, Eugene, too, was trying to be silenced, by the politically corrupt government of Nigeria, by sending and subsequently acting on threats towards his newspaper, The Standard.
While the novel, Purple Hibiscus, portrays silence, we cannot truly call it a silent novel. At the onset of the story, silence results from oppression and a sense of powerlessness but eventually works towards hope, peace and freedom. Adichie does an excellent job of giving Kambili a voice through her written words. As the book is narrated in the first person, this allows us to hear and feel Kambili’s thoughts, thus giving her a voice, just not in the way the reader had expected. She struggles to express her feelings because of her trepidation, stemming from the violence at home, but through the narration, she voices her ideas and emotions, vocalizing her thoughts, which allows the reader to struggle with her; to feel her reality. She is certainly not as outspoken as her Aunt Ifeoma or as confident as her cousin Amaka, “I watched her every movement she made; I could not tear my eyes away. It was the fearlessness about her…”, but with their love and support, Kambili learns to open up, trust in herself, and share her experiences, which enables her to find a new way to make her voice heard.
Referring back to the saying, “Silence speaks louder than words,” we can see that this novel truly exemplifies how women are able to break the silence, become stronger, change their circumstances and uncover new ways to be heard. Women need to find their inner strength, which will enable them to work through their silence and find their voice. Our society also needs to learn to listen for what is not spoken, to truly see what lies beneath, then once we can see afresh, we will have the ability to overcome our obstacles and speak our truths, enabling one to uncover their true selves.
There have been many times in my life where I felt my voice was being overlooked. In these particular times, my words were loud, clear, and powerful, yet no one seemed to notice. I have always had this feeling that what I said didn’t matter to others, whether it was because of how I looked, how I acted, or how others saw me. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have had an idea and never said anything due to the fact that I had been shut down every other time in my life. Something that I will never forget happened in the eighth grade, when we had a group assignment in one of our classes. It was a physics lab and I knew exactly what I was doing and was ready to help my group succeed. I began to state my thoughts and ideas when suddenly a boy stopped me and asked everyone else in the group what they thought we should do. I was very much open to hearing everyone’s ideas, but after that, I was never acknowledged again. I was silenced, despite the fact that I had so much to say and offer. Having your voice taken away, especially in a situation where you feel passionate, is painful and till this day it makes me question what people see in me. Do I appear incapable? Why is my voice not valued? What am I missing?
Citations:
- https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71HrR7gQt6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg
- https://images.saatchiart.com/saatchi/1178065/art/7542459/6611207-HSC00002-7.jpg
- https://www.kultplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/34471561c8feea4664f9d41220dfd537-amazing-paintings-amazing-art.jpg
- https://images.saatchiart.com/saatchi/992393/art/6114627/5184411-HSC00002-7.jpg
- https://www.artmajeur.com/medias/hd/p/e/peintreshadow/artwork/14163197_image0.jpg?v=1612993148
- https://www.artmajeur.com/medias/hd/t/s/tses-sasha/artwork/15086498_img-20211029-105511.jpg
