Chimamanda Adichie's novel, Purple Hibiscus is about the protagonist Kambili, her brother Jaja and their mother Beatrice subjected to a tumultuous environment at home at the hands of the patriarch – Eugene. He is a devout Catholic who shuns his father's traditional beliefs and pagan religion. Eugenio - like many others in the past - only approves of Catholics and imposes Christian values on his family, oppressing them. Religion is a theme often used to oppress members of society, and this idea of religion dictating Eugene's actions is prevalent throughout the novel. Oppression is justified throughout the novel by Eugene's hypocrisy, his desire for 'perfection' from his children, and his duplicity of censorship both at home and in the workplace. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Religious Values as a Tool of Oppression in Purple Hibiscus Eugene is a successful businessman who does not encourage speaking Igbo (the native language) in public. Kambili notes, “we had to look civil in public…we had to speak English.” Eugene despises the language and is portrayed as an admirer of white colonialism. His sister, Aunt Ilfeoma, calls him "too colonial a product" because he was educated by Catholic missionaries and he despises his pagan father because he was not Catholic. Eugene is known by the villagers of his hometown as a generous and philanthropist. He helps the disabled and seems to care about the well-being of his publisher's wife when she dies. However, he ignores his father's plight and never visits him simply because he is not Catholic. She allows her children, rather reluctantly, to visit their grandfather for “fifteen minutes” during which “they are not allowed to touch or eat anything.” He convinces his children that their grandfather is a “heathen” and burns Kambili – his daughter – with hot water for not telling them that “she shared the same room with their grandfather, a 'heathen'”. She is told “this is what you do to yourself when you fall into sin. You burn your feet." Eugene continually hurts his children because they are not devout Catholics. At the beginning of the novel, Eugene throws his “heavy missal” at Jaja – his son – “across the room and breaks] the figurines ” Readers quickly realize that religion plays a huge role in the whole story. Kambili is taught by him that "pagans" are evil and very different from Catholics. However, he sees his grandfather praying for Eugene's prosperity and realizes that the only difference between Catholics and pagans is their means of worship. Papa-Nnukwu continually utters in his prayers: “Bless my son, Eugene as Papa Nnukwu's religion seems to please him and gives him a sense of contentment, while Papa's religion seems suffocating to her. However, Eugene still ignores his father – who cares for him – and seems to prefer his late father-in-law, an albino and English speaking. Furthermore, Eugene tells his children that looking in the mirror is a sin. He is radical in his view of Christianity and believes in his religion above all else. He expects everyone to comply too. Eugene regularly finds fault with the pastors and priests of St. Agnes, just as he does with his own family. He finds Father Amadi – when he visited their church – noisy and disapproves of his “singing in Igbo”. It refuses to consider Christianity as a liberal and progressive religion. He considers it a dark religion and does not allow his children to turn on the television or listen to music at home. His children are expected to come to school first because “God expects there.
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