Post #15: The Ending of "Purple Hibiscus"

I was kind of disappointed with the ending of Purple Hibiscus; it just didn't end as I hoped it would.  However, I have to explain my feelings first.

I have to admit that I was a little relieved when the father died, firstly because it was him and not the mother (for I was scared to death that something had happened to her when first getting the phone call), and secondly, because he had done some really awful things to Kambili, Jaja, and Beatrice, and they deserved to be free of him.  Not saying that anyone deserves to die, but people deserve their freedom, nonetheless.

Back in Enugu, I was surprised that Beatrice was the one to poison Eugene, and yet it made perfect sense to me.  I think that out of everyone, he was the most (physically) abusive to her, and so, excuse the cliché, he had it coming.  She may have been a bit extreme, but I'm proud of Beatrice for taking action, for after the beating Eugene gave Kambili that landed her in the hospital, something needed to be done.

However, I was so sad when Jaja took the blame for his father's murder, and I was even sadder--and almost angry--that his mother let him do it.  Jaja was obedient to his father for so long, and grew into someone who could stand up for himself, and he gets punished for it.  I know that he was trying to be the man of the family and take care of his mother and sister, but I really wish that things had turned out differently.

What I found almost the most upsetting was how Beatrice, who always believed she needed a man in her life to tell her what to do, turns out in the end.  When she said that she and the children can't leave Eugene, because they would have no where to go and nothing to do, I agreed with Aunt Ifeoma that Beatrice was wrong, that she is a strong woman, and that she definitely does not need a man in her life to be happy.  But in the end of the Purple Hibiscus, it seemed that Aunty Ifeoma was wrong; without Eugene, or even Jaja, Beatrice seemed to wilt, to go crazy, to stop caring what others thought not because she had confidence in herself, but because she did not care about life anymore.  Seeing how Jaja was imprisoned and refused to let anyone comfort him was one thing, but this was a whole other story.  I was so glad when Beatrice cheered up for the first time at the prospect of Jaja being released from jail, but she shouldn't have to "cheer up"--she should be happy with the family and the freedoms that she has left.