Abstract:
This work is a study of the merger of theme and style in Chimamada Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Zaynab Alkali’s The Virtuous Woman. It is an analysis of how special configuration of language has been used in the realisation of a particular subject matter/theme in the two novels to achieve a specific aesthetic purpose. The linguistic means as applied in the two novels include how, through characterization, the authors were able to bring out themes and stylistically developed them to capture the interest of readers. These linguistic means include linguistic parallelism, syntactic devices, lexical equivalent, violation ofselection restriction rule, and literary devices. These features have combined to produce the aesthetics of the novels under study. In undertaking this study, we have relied on primary and secondary sources. An intensive research in related published works and internet material helped to provide adequate theoretical framework. Adichie’s and Alkali’s lexical selections delivered the message of the novels in spite of the presence of indigenous words. Thus, Adichie and Alkali have established themselves as prolific writers with great aptitude for presenting their socio-cultural themes with amazing flexibility and dexterity.
