Campbell's Heroic Journey In Purple Hibiscus

Campbell’s hero cycle is a very specific set of steps that shows is there is an epic hero. There are many components involved in this hero cycle including an ordinary world where the hero begins the story, a call to adventure, crossing into the unknown, several tests, the supreme ordeal, the road back, and more. If a story fits Campbell’s hero cycle, then the story must include most, if not all, of the steps in the cycle. I analyzed Purple Hibiscus to test if this novel followed the hero cycle or not. Purple Hibiscus follows the life of Kambili and Jaja, who both live in Enugu, Nigeria. Kambili and Jaja come from a wealthy family, and their father is highly regarded in the society. From the outside, they appear to be a perfect family; however, they fall short of that expectation. The public is not aware that Papa, Eugene, is an abusive father. He believes if you don’t follow the Christian life-style, you should be punished for your sins. Kambili’s life begins to change once Christmas time arrives. The drastic change is due to her Aunty Ifeoma arriving for the holiday with her three children Aunty Ifeoma insists on having her niece and nephew stay at her house for a week because they’ve never been to her home. It took time for Papa to warm up to the idea, but he eventually became comfortable enough with the idea of them going, as long as

However, there are multiple instances where the threshold is crossed. The first time Kambili crossed a threshold would be the same scene as when she was called to adventure as well. There is a more important time when Kambili crossed the threshold into the unknown. Once Kambili had jumped into the car to stay at her Aunty Ifeoma’s house for a week marks the true experience of Kambili crossing the threshold. On her car ride to her aunt’s house, Kambili is finally entering a world unknown to her for a prolonged period of