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Abstract
This discourse attempts to explore the extreme religious fanaticism and Catholic high handedness of the novel’s central character, Eugene Achike and the subsequent patriarchal attitude it begets towards the family members especially Kambili. It shows how religion which is otherwise an instrument of peace is used by him to support the violent behavior directed against the ideologically different set of people. As a staunch religious character whose Catholic ideals dominate his humanly love and his compassionate self, he doesn’t ever hesitate in turning brutal on his family when they fail to come upto his impossibly high religious standards. The paper thus brings to light the interconnectedness of different forms of oppression and highlights the role played by patriarchy in augmenting this sentiment. It brings to light how patriarchy which is a product of traditional and uncultivated society acquires greater force and intensity through neocolonial agencies at work in a post-colonial setup. Since patriarchy gives the dominant set of people a right to consider them as the standard, they consider it rightful to compel others to follow. As a result, they deprive them of their ability to think and infuse in them a kind of identity crisis. The paper proceeds into understanding the silent and inward struggle of Kambili to achieve a stabilized and substantial sense of self. Kambili strives hard to become functional in the way a normal free individual is. The novel is about her hard and incessant struggle to transform herself from a mere spectator and a victim to a self-conscious individual. This consciousness reveals itself through the development of many facets of her personality which enable her to acquire a social and sexual awareness. Thus, the study shows how the novel slowly shifts Kambili from the margins to the center of her own consciousness.