The bluest eye pecola analysis. Analysis of Pecola in The Bluest Eye: [Essay Example], 1082 words GradesFixer 2022-10-18
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The Bluest Eye, written by Toni Morrison, tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl growing up in Ohio during the 1940s. The novel explores themes of race, class, and beauty, and ultimately portrays the devastating effects of internalized racism and the search for self-worth.
At the beginning of the novel, Pecola is an innocent and naive child who is constantly belittled and mistreated by her family and community. She longs for the blue eyes that are considered a symbol of beauty and worth in white society, believing that if she had them, she would be loved and accepted. This desire for blue eyes is a manifestation of Pecola's internalized racism, as she has been taught to believe that white features are superior to her own.
As the novel progresses, Pecola's longing for blue eyes becomes more intense and desperate, leading her to a tragic end. She is sexually assaulted by her own father and becomes pregnant with his child, further perpetuating the cycle of abuse and trauma within her family. The novel ultimately portrays the devastating consequences of internalized racism, as Pecola's search for self-worth and acceptance leads her to a life of suffering and despair.
One of the most poignant aspects of The Bluest Eye is Morrison's exploration of the theme of beauty. Throughout the novel, the characters are constantly bombarded with societal messages about what is considered beautiful and desirable, and Pecola's longing for blue eyes is a clear example of this. However, Morrison also challenges these societal norms, portraying characters who are not conventionally beautiful, such as the crippled Pauline Breedlove, as strong and resilient. This serves to deconstruct the harmful and narrow standards of beauty that are imposed on individuals, and highlights the importance of embracing one's own unique features and identity.
In conclusion, The Bluest Eye is a powerful and poignant novel that explores the devastating effects of internalized racism and the search for self-worth. Through the character of Pecola Breedlove, Morrison exposes the harmful societal messages about beauty and worth,
The Bluest Eye Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis
Before being subjected to his mother's racial bigotry, Junior desires to play with black children and to physically connect with people in a way his mother does not touch him , but that changes as he adopts his mother's racist views. She cannot act to end the domestic violence of her household, she cannot speak up to stop it, she can only try to disappear by an effort of the imagination. By asking this, Claudia knows that Rosemary will be offering her something sacred, which she must decline to assert her own pride. Cholly is first presented as a drunken and lazy father and husband whose wife hates him intensely and who engages in continuous low intensity warfare with him. In a moment of sincere self-revelation, Soaphead Church writes a letter to God saying that it is difficult for him to keep his mouth and hands off girl children. His father's violence and strict discipline force him to develop rigid habits and a hatred of disorder and decay. This lack of compassion prompts Claudia and Frieda to act in the only way they know and that is accessible to them.
These women will spend time during the day with the cat, until their husbands, "the intruder", comes home expecting dinner. They provide Pecola a strength that is not otherwise inside her, that is not her own, and so she is dependent on white culture to soothe the pain that it instills in herâa vicious cycle. Rosemary inexplicably responds by offering to pull down her pants. The boys surround Pecola and taunt her with jibes about her family and the darkness of her skin color. Immediately after the altercation, Geraldine arrives home and Junior accuses Pecola of killing the cat. In a possible allusion to the film Imitation of Life, Mr.
Pecola Breedlove Character Analysis in The Bluest Eye Essay Sample
Others continually remind her of how she is an ugly girl and it ignites a desire in her to have blue eyes. An unnamed narrator describes a particular type of black woman. He is last seen running in sock feet down the street in the wake of Mr. He buys poison to kill the dog, but is unable to go through with killing it because he can't bear the thought of going near the dirty animal. Henry tricks Claudia and Frieda into touching his body.
The overt presence of violence in this scene foreshadows the violence the black female characters encounter upon passing into womanhood. She is happy to marry Cholly and fights, for a time, to keep his interest. MacTeer, Poland sings all of the time. As a child, Cholly is shown as sensitive and caring, tender in his desire to explore sexual pleasure with a girl named Darlene. In fact, Cholly loves Blue.
The text mainly focuses on a black girl, Pecola Breedlove, who feels she in inferior to others due to her eye and skin color. The distinction between Pecola's external appearance and her inward emotional reality suggests that even though Mr. This conception of romantic love establishes her expectations for the relationship she eventually develops with Cholly. In the wake of the Coke bottle the Maginot Line throws at them, Claudia and Frieda meet Pecola at the house on the lake and are surprised to find her smiling. The lonely person passively accepts this leading; no active virtues are inculcated. Claudia also rebels against the mandatory cleanliness of her nightly bath. She and her sister do not always understand the words of the women, but they learn from the sounds, the intonations of their conversations, valuable information about becoming an adult woman.
She comes in and out of voice. Upset by Junior, Pecola holds her face with her hands as she cries. Watching Bob die is yet another trauma Pecola endures. The salesman refuses to replace the damaged goods and therefore the Breedloves receive the defective furniture rather than a new, inviting sofa. The sofa, when delivered, is slit in the back.
MacTeer Mama and Mr. The lessons of The Bluest Eye reveal the complexities of coming-of-age in a culture that does not value your existence. Her early adolescence was spent fantasizing about a vaguely kind man who would take her by the hand and lead her to happiness. Henry's attraction to young girls, which is revealed later when he assaults Frieda. As an eleven year old girl, she is the weakest member of her family and her society. Dewey Prince is the only man that Miss Marie likes.
He blames God for not answering the prayers of little girls, and forcing them to come to him for help. Then the women begin talking about Mr. Breedlove has a disabled leg that causes her to limp, making her good leg thump against the floor as she walks. Because of the dog's uncleanliness, Soaphead Church wishes Bob would hurry up and die. Pecola agrees and they walk to Junior's house.
Alone, with no one to turn to, Pecola creates her own imaginary friend, someone who will listen while she talks about her new blue eyes. The girls find Pecola at the lake in front of the house where Pauline works as a maid and they decide to walk home together. The focus on eyes is thus subtly introduced. Pecola's schizophrenia has created an imaginary friend for her because she has no real friends â Claudia and Frieda now avoid her. The sight of the blood scares Pecola, but Frieda eases her worry by telling her not to worry, she is only "ministratin", which is how she pronounces menstruating. While pregnant with her son Sammy, Pauline loses a tooth as she eats candy during a Gable and Harlow film. The beauty that is emphasized in American culture is that of white women, and Pecola must either deny this and find a way to form her own identity based on her beliefs, or conform to the white ideals being constantly thrust at her.
Her conformity to these societal ideals does not lead to her true satisfaction, however, because the blue eyes that she believes she has do not actually exist. They are still innocent girlsâthey think love is required in the making of a baby. MacTeer a gun to shoot Henry Washington. Often Claudia, in her innocence, finds conflict between the values articulated by adults and their actions. Henry pulls out a penny and asks the girls if they'd like it. The women tell Pecola stories of their lives and her conversations with them feed her curiosity to discover what love is and how one becomes lovable.
