Origination from the Latin word "rule", a canon is a standard of judgment for ecclesiastical laws based on an accepted set of religious texts. Purple Hibiscus, a novel written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is a perfect example of literary canon considering that Adichie analyzes oppression and silence through the young character, Kambili, trying to convey her life through personal thoughts. Purple Hibiscus accentuates the role of culture, religion and specific time period while challenging accepted ideas. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A constant theme that ran throughout Adichie's novel was the prevalence of oppression. Kambili, Daddy's Girl, expresses her thoughts in her head for most of the novel. Clear insight into Kambili's feelings towards Dad is shown when she says, "My nightmares began then, nightmares in which I saw the charred remains of Ade Coker splattered all over his dining table, on his daughter's school uniform, on the bowl of your baby's cereal, on your plate." of eggs. In some of the nightmares, I was the daughter and the charred remains became those of dad. This thought of Kambili shows her subconscious thoughts about dad. After Ade Coker's death, Kambili begins to have dreams that turn into her father's death, and perhaps she doesn't care about those thoughts. Throughout the novel, Dad has placed such a subconscious silence on Kambili that she begins to have these unimaginable images of Dad's death, until she realizes that it might not be the worst thing in the world. Since the topic of a canon is culture-bound, Kambili would never disrespect dad by talking back to him or giving her opinion on a situation that has already been created. Therefore, he can somehow live his life and express his thoughts during his dreams, unconsciously. On the topic of oppression, when Dad broke Mom's beloved figurines, Kambili said, "I wanted to say I'm sorry that Dad broke your figurines, but the words that came out were, 'I'm sorry that your figurines are broken, mom." Physical violence was also a factor in Kambili's silence and when this scenario occurred, Kambili was too afraid to disrespect dad and what she wanted to say were not the words she actually said out loud. This quote plays a significant role in a literary canon because it not only shows the meaning of Kambili's silence lying in her subconscious but also shows the cultural aspect of her not disrespecting her father. A literary canon , being one of the most important books of its time, is clearly described as to why Purple Hibiscus is included. When Kambili talks about her brother Jaja, she says, “I looked at Jaja and wondered if the darkness in his eyes was shame. . I suddenly wished, for him, that I had done the ima mmuo, the initiation into the spirit world. I knew very little about it; women didn't have to know anything, since it was the first step towards initiation into manhood. But Jaja once told me that he had heard that boys were flogged and made to bathe in the presence of a crowd who insulted them. The only time dad had talked about the ima mmuo was to say that Christians who let their children do it were confused, that they would end up in hell fire.” This quote shows two big factors in this novel, religion and authority. Jaja at one point was telling Kambili about this religious ritual that converted boys to their manhood, but he wasn't allowed to do it because dad told himhe considered it a sin and only wanted his children to end up in heaven. Jaja was shown these different ways of life through his aunt's humanistic beliefs and his grandfather's traditionalist rituals. Jaja compares herself to her cousin Obiora, who is very eloquent and mature for her age. Obiora had completed ima mmuo in her father's hometown. Jaja is never allowed to visit his grandfather for more than fifteen minutes a year because Jaja's father does not see life the same way as his father and Jaja's grandfather. Dad's view on culture is significantly different than the rest of his family, which is why Jaja didn't have to visit Auntie Ifeoma at first. Although she is dad's sister, they are very different religiously, and dad would like to keep Kambili and Jaja away from that side of the family, in an authoritative way. Kambili strongly believes in God's connection with nature and many other things. She tends to try to find it in the natural world, which is something she was taught by her mom. Although he does not adhere to many religious rituals outside of the Igbo song taught by Dad, he connects the Catholic God and Chukwu. Since God created the world and is prevalent, Igbo Chukwu built the earth and associated everything in it. Kambili's home is in Enugu, but she is unsure of her future now that she has been shown a freer lifestyle in Nsukka with the help of her aunt. She loves dad but doesn't want to live in his shadow for the rest of her life. He clarifies this by stating: “The rain fell on the veranda floor, even though the sun was shining and I had to squint my eyes to look out of Auntie Ifeoma's living room door. Mom told Jaja and me that God wasn't sure what to send, rain or sunshine. We would sit in our rooms and watch the raindrops sparkle in the sunlight, waiting for God to decide.” Although Kambili feels love for her father, she can only imagine a better, more liberating life for herself when she is older. This shows how traditions and culture change over time looking at the present time. Children are excessive with the rules they are supposed to respect, with the energetic nature of their parents, or parents. Adichie shows a deeper meaning through her words when she describes these scenes in the novel. Kambili's inner thoughts show how culture can change over time due to the fact that when things are put under pressure on young people, it makes them rebel and change in their own ways once they grow up. Rebelling against religion, Jaja shows his feelings by saying, "Of course God does." Look what he did to his work as a faithful servant, even to his Son. But have you ever wondered why? Why did he have to kill his son to save us? Why didn't he go ahead and save us?' Jaja is questioning the parables of the Bible, he has shown his break with faith at this point and shows how low he is in his life. The treatment of the son by God, his father, is linked to the abuse that Jaja also had to suffer from his father. Now that Dad is dead, Jaja says so is his faith. It represents the clear image that religion was imposed by dad unintentionally on the children and now that he is gone, no one can control them to that level of severity anymore. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay After dad's death, children's lives change dramatically. Kambili lays out her thoughts as they come to mind, saying matter-of-factly: “'We will take Jaja to Nsukka first, and then we will go to America to see Auntie Ifeoma,' I said. "We will plant new orange trees in Abba when we return, and Jaja will also plant purple hibiscus, and I will plant ixora so we can.