EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN: A STUDY OF CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S PURPLE HIBISCUS

Abstract

Over the years, writers have explored many issues that affect the African society. Currently, the
wide spread of domestic violence as a social problem, has awakened the interest of African writers
as a result of its negative consequences. Women and children have been marginalized, stereotyped
and humiliated in different ways. All these have negative impact on them; hence complications
resulting from violence lead to depression, pains, physical disability, mental instability and lastly,
death. This paper investigates the negative effects of domestic violence on women and children in
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus in order to expose the negative impact of these acts
on  women  and  children.  The  selected  text  is  investigated  to  explore  the  stereotype  or
discriminations which could be stopped through proper understanding of the damages and dangers
posed by these subduing acts. This study educates the masses on different faces of domestic
violence, their causes and effects. The paper adopts feminism as a theory in analyzing the texts; it
therefore concludes that domestic violence has become the order of the day in different societies
today despite the assertion of individual human rights. Hence, African writers have dedicated their
literary energy in exposing this social problem.