I seek some conversations with readers of Purple Hibiscus concerning the link of Papa Eugene's violence, piety and his amazing generosity. Does his violence and stringent piety erase his generosity, or does his giving redeem his mistakes somehow and make him a flawed human being; nonetheless human? Moreover how is Papa Eugene violence linked to the violence of the military state of Nigeria of his time? I would very much appreciate to hear how other readers interpret Papa Eugene.
Papa Eugene presents a benign, generous face to the outside world by obtaining the release of his editor and by carrying on a campaign against the excesses of the rulers. But within his own family, he is a ruthless tyrant who disguises his tyranny by a show of religiosity and sanctimony. One of my research scholars very profitably used the theoretical pronouncements of Wa Thiongo, as made in Decolonizing the Mind, to show how Eugene represents the Eurocentric values divorced from Nigerian realities and as such, I believe, it is a poscolonial reading of Adichie's Purple Hibiscus.
Thank you for your helpful response Ali and thanks Pal for the reference you supplied. I found the post very helpful.
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