THE FEMALE METAMORPHOSIS AND SELF ACTUALIZATION: A STUDY ON CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S 'PURPLE HIBISCUS' AND UNOMA NGUEMO AZUAH’S 'SKY-HIGH FLAMES' (Pages 118-126) by Ms. Ashok Aparna* and Dr. Ilamaran P** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

The third generation African women novelists mark a revolutionary change in the literary realm with the representation of female characters who recognize their entity and identity through the harsh realities of their lives. Though the second generation female writers gave a good start, the successors could clearly establish the „self attained‟ female characters as well as rebuke the stereotyped gender roles in Africa. The contemporary African writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Unoma Nguemo Azuah through their works Purple Hibiscus (2003) and Sky- High Flames (2005) respectively, show the development of female characters in achieving the sense of wholeness and personhood. Being young girls, Kambili of Purple Hibiscus and Ofunne of Sky- High Flames get trapped into the stereotyped gender constructions of African tradition and the heart breaking experiences make them capable to come out of the confined shells of patriarchy. The Womanist approaches such as bonding with nature, self realization through traumatic incidents, sisterhood influence, impact of the mother figure etc are visible in the process of the metamorphosis through which self actualization of the womanhood is attained. This paper aims at portraying the patriarchal treatment of women and how these inhuman approaches stem a sense of emancipation in the women characters Keywords: Third Generation African Women, Second Generation Female Writers, Stereotyped Gender, Purple Hibiscus, Sky- High Flames, Development of Female Characters, Traumatic Incidents, Sisterhood Influence, Patriarchal Treatment.