Since European colonization in Africa, the idea of master-slave relationship and white supremacy had been established by white settlers, leading them to favor the culture and religion they brought into the African continent. Not only wiping out the tribal religions that were long practiced by the African inhabitants, white supremacy had razed the entire line of African heritage and replaced it with the more “civilized” white ideologies. Yet, many African writers such as Chimamanda Adichie portrayed the destructing effects of post-colonialism through the medium of English to bring the world with awareness towards African traditions and legacy that were buried beneath the land of colonized Africa. In her novel Purple Hibiscus, Adichie effectively points out the lasting effects of post-colonial legacy through creating foil characters, employing contrasting settings as a symbol, and revealing the internal struggles Kambili suffers with.

        Adichie demonstrates the post-colonial legacy through the foil characters, Papa and Aunty Ifeoma. Papa, whom Aunty Ifeoma calls a “colonial product,” is a Christian extremist – he views Christianity as the crème de la crème of all the ideologies in Nigeria and forces his family to live by every rule Christianity dictates. For example, Papa constantly reminds his children to stay away from his own father, whom he calls a “heathen.” Even after Papa Nnukwu’s death, Papa insists not to acknowledge his father only if he abandons his identity as a “heathen” and converts to Christianity. This shows how post-colonial legacy is so powerful that it brainwashes Papa to view Christianity, a remnant of European colonization, above familial love. Aunty Ifeoma, on the contrary, is impulsive Papa’s foil. Unlike Papa, she embraces her identity as a Nigerian and cherishes the bond and laughter with her children above all, which is something that Kambili is unable to attain from Papa. Even though Aunty Ifeoma is a Christian, she never succumbs to the conservative norms and rules Christianity dictates. This is shown through how Aunty Ifeoma devotes her time with her father even though both of them believes in different religions. The creation of foil characters ultimately delineates how some Nigerians, such as Papa, are permanently ingrained with the influences white colonists had brought, while others, including Aunty Ifeoma, are able to retain and embrace their identity as a Nigerian in the face of these influences with pride.

        Adichie further utilizes the contrasting settings in Nsukka and Enugu as a symbol to depict the different extents of post-colonial influence in Nigeria. Nsukka is not only a place that is rich in Igbo rituals and parades, but a place where Kambili enjoys the liveliness Aunty Ifeoma brings and descries the Mmuo values in depth. Not only spiritually nurturing, Nsukka is where Kambili finds her laughter, in which she claims, “I smiled, run, and laugher” (180). There, she is able to break free from the chains of Christian customs and assert her identity as a Nigerian. Unlike what her father preaches on the Christian sins and punishments, Kambili sees the happiness on Papa Nnukwu’s face as he performs rituals and prayers for everyone in the family. Adichie cultivates vivid descriptions as she describes the vibrancy of traditional African values in Nsukka, which is a symbol as an outbreak for Kambili to fully yearn her selfdom and free herself from her pent-up emotions towards her identity. In contrast, everything in Enugu is stressed with tidiness and dictated with the rules and customs of Christianity Papa enforces. Kambili is “muted” in Enugu, ultimately showing how people in Nigeria are “muted” under the control of post-colonial influences, forever unable to attain the identity of a “Nigerian.” This juxtaposition of settings is indeed a symbol for Adichie to depict the different extents of post-colonial legacy in Nigeria.

        In addition to employing settings as a symbol, Adichie points out the strong effects post-colonial legacy enforces through the internal struggles Kambili suffers with. At Nsukka, Kambili tries on lipstick for the first time, which is often worn by Nigerians during Igbo parades, despite knowing that wearing makeup is against the conservative values of Christianity Papa dictates. However, as soon as she puts on lipstick, Kambili immediately wipes it out. This reveals her internal struggle between obeying her father and earnestly expressing her inner identity, ultimately depicting how Kambili is unable to get away from the strict moral codes of Christianity. Ultimately, Adichie utilizes the internal struggles of Kambili to magnify the lives of Nigerians, showing how many are similar to Kambili, constantly struggling and yearning to preserve the Nigerian identity but are unable due to the control of post-colonial legacy.

        Purple Hibiscus is an excellent criticism on post-colonial Nigeria that reveals the outcomes of years of European colonization. Through the creation of foil characters, settings as a symbol, and Kambili’s internal struggles, Adichie effectively delineates the effects of post-colonial legacy, showing how some Nigerians such as Papa and Kambili are in struggle to attain their Nigerian identity in the face of these post-colonial effects that continue to dictate everyday life. Yet, a few such as Papa Nnukwu have the unique ability and strength to fully assert themselves as Nigerians without having any influences of post-colonialism. Others, such as Aunty Ifeoma, are able to both be under the influence of post-colonialism while embracing and preserving their identity as Nigerians. Expressing the traditional Nigerian values and post-colonial effects through the medium of English, Adichie here achieves her purpose to portray how cultures and values across the world can coexist and will never replace one another, as long as people accept each other’s culture while embracing their own identities.