SETTING AND SELF-DISCOVERY IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S PURPLE HIBISCUS AND AMERICANAH

SUMMARY

This study aims to highlight the role of the environment in moulding human character, demonstrating that the environment in which one lives or grows up has a positive or negative impact on one's personality. To that purpose, I read Purple Hibiscus, a story in which Kambili and her brother Jaja visit three different cities and villages: Enugu, Abba, and Nsukka. In Enugu, where their religious father's aggressive nature and intolerance have rendered them silent and restrained, and turned their mother afraid, obedient, and powerless, they have encountered a welcoming environment in Abba and Nsukka. More intriguingly, Nsukka is a university center, a place where progressive, understanding, and open-minded people reside. Kambili and Jaja's stay in this town at Aunty Ifeoma's house has allowed them to actively participate in events, even take on duties, and express themselves openly, which they have never done before.