AFRICAN PROSE
ADICHIE CHIMAMANDA NGOZI: PURPLE HIBISCUS
Examine the relationship between Eugene and his wife in the novel.
Explanation
Eugene seems brutally oppressive and aggressive in his relationship with his wife, Beatrice, who is loving and submissive. He does not seem to consider her condition or feeling when he decides what to order her to dol. Sometimes, he even appears to punish Beatrice for nothing at all. This treatment of her detracts from Eugene's show of love in the things he provides her and the children.
Whereas Eugene explains carefully to the children that the excessive punishment he metes out to them is for their sins and necessary for their recovery and redemption, Eugene does not care to tell his wife, or anyone else, why he treats her as he does. His beating her, from Kambili's brief comment, is routine. And he seems to relish hitting her only on the belly and particularly when she is pregnant.
Once, when the pregnant Beatrice, unsure of what may happen in the priest's house if she goes there, asks to excused, Eugene bullies her into going. He is livid and implacably condemns the woman at dinner. At night, Kambili keeps count of the thudding of brutal punches. Then Eugene carries Beatrice off to hospital. She has been bleeding She comes back home without the pregnancy.
Besides, Eugene expects his wife to concur in all he does and keep her place in line. When her figurines are broke she meekly clears the debris. Eugene's wife is so totally under his thumb that she dare not offer reasonable objection to anything. She looks on as Kambili is beaten to unconsciousness. Yet she has her silent resentment
The last straw is the beating she gets while the children are away in Nsukka. This makes her miscarry yet another pregnancy. From her own account to her sister-in-law, this time, Eugene does not know that she is pregnant. All same, he breaks a table on her belly. This mild attempt to excuse Eugene's brutality rather brings his cruelty Beatrice into focus: even when he knows that his wife is pregnant, he will hit her bulging belly. Beatrice's docile resignation to Eugene's treatment of her is unacceptable. She cannot risk leaving him for another woman to take her place. if she cannot change him, no other woman must have Eugene. So she poisons him slowly.
Eugene's wife does not deserve the harshness he metes out to her. Quietly, she takes extreme steps to deal will the situation.