Psychopathic Character-Types in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus

Abstract

Several existing studies on Chimamanda Adichie's writings have privileged colonialism and religious indoctrination as the bane of the life of characters in Purple Hibiscus. This study recognises these as defining elements of being African. It examines the dominant portraits of psychopathic character-types prevalent in Purple Hibiscus owing to the types of characters portrayed in the novel, by taking its bearing from Sigmund Freud's work on psychopathic characters and character-types in literature. This aspect of Freudian psychoanalysis establishes the link between psychology, psychotherapy and literature. It engages Adichie's character-types using aspects of Freud's literature-derived psychoanalytic models: the exceptions, the success wrecked and the haunted to provide the basis for the psychoanalytical interpretation of Eugene's misconstrued neurosis. Eugene's undiagnosed state traumatises members of his family who seek alternative therapeutic measures: from the washing of figurines to silences and poisoning. This conscious reading of these psychopathic characters portray suppressed mental health issues that bedevils highly placed individuals whose psychological states remain undiagnosed on account of their utopian identity and status.

Keywords: Sigmund Freud, Psychoanalysis, Psychopathic Character- Types, Chimamanda Adichie, Purple Hibiscus