Purple Hibiscus post 2

Purple Hibiscus is a very interesting book so far. It's portrayal of Nigerian culture in recent times is a side of history that literature often over looks. Having read Things Fall Apart, Purple Hibiscus shows how colonization and European influence have affect society in Nigeria. The largest ways that the colonization appear to have changed society are the spiritual and social structures of society. In the century or so since European influence arrived, the Nigerian people have seen a large shift in religion. While there still are people who still practice old clan rituals, like Kambili's grandfather, many people have given up these clan beliefs in order to follow the Catholic Church. This divide in religion can be seen clearly between Nigerian cities, where most of the population is Christian, and rural areas, where people still practice traditional Igbo ways. The social structure in Nigeria has also changed greatly since the arrival of Europeans. In Things Fall Apart, clans had social systems based on titles, where as in Purple Hibiscus one sees a more modern social system more based on wealth. However, in both time periods, males dominate society. It's really interesting to see how Nigeria has changed over the course of colonization and I think Purple Hibiscus does a great job at portraying modern society in the culture