Eugene, the father of Kambili and Jaja, is a man with two different personalities. One personality is avusive and horrible, while the other is generous and optimistic, however, the family never sees the generous Eugene. The Eugene that the kids and Mama see is a man who wants everything done correctly and timely, if a chore is not completed on time the consequence is beating. This rule goes for everyone in the family, including pregnant Mama, however, it does not just apply to chores. Its a lifestyle rule. For example, Mama felt too ill due to her pregnancy to go into Father Benedict's home, but Eugene does not care and forces her in. Upon returning home though, Eugene beats Mama, which Kambili notes is not irregular, and causes her to lose the baby; instead of taking the blame, Eugene blames Mama for the loss and makes her go pray for repentance. The kids feel this abusive behavior as well, if Kambili does not run to the car after school, Eugene will be enraged with her. Likewise, when Jaja refused to take Eucharist at mass for personal reasons, Papa threw a missile at him. This Eugene is not the one that the general public see on a daily basis, rather this side of Eugene is only seen by the family.
On the other hand, Eugene is a generous man to everyone else in the community. He runs a newspaper that discusses the wrong doings of the government because he wants to tell the truth and make a change in his community. This side of Eugene is completely opposite to what he is like in his family life, rather he helps out his neighbors and is an overall great person, despite minor flaws, when he is out in town. In a way Eugene is a character foil of himself because one side of him is the total opposite of the other, thus enhancing both sides of his personality. Eugene is a man of many sides; he has sides of good and evil.
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