Racism In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

“The Bluest Eye” is taking place around 1940 in Lorain, Ohio. During the year of 1940, discrimination, especially toward African Americans, was still a serious problem. People believe that whiteness is the standard of beauty. The main character, Pecola, who was a nine-years-old African-American, was influenced by how people view beauty. Pecola suffered and felt that she is inferior to others. Pecola believed that having a pair of blue eyes would made people think she is pretty, and would be the key resolving all the problems.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison takes place in Ohio in the 1940s. The novel is written from the perspective of African Americans and how they view themselves. Focusing on identity, Morrison uses rhetorical devices such as imagery, dictation, and symbolism to help stress her point of view on identity. In the novel the author argues that society influences an individual's perception on beauty, which she supports through characters like Pecola and Mrs. Breedlove. Furthermore, the novel explains how society shapes an individual's character by instilling beauty expectations. Morrison is effective in relaying her message about the various impacts that society has on an individual's character through imagery, diction, and symbolism by showing that

Throughout Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, she captures, with vivid insight, the plight of a young African American girl and what she would be subjected to in a media contrived society that places its ideal of beauty on the e quintessential blue-eyed, blonde woman. The idea of what is beautiful has been stereotyped in the mass media since the beginning and creates a mental and emotional damage to self and soul. This oppression to the soul creates a socio-economic displacement causing a cycle of dysfunction and abuses. Morrison takes us through the agonizing story of just such a young girl, Pecola Breedlove, and her aching desire to have what is considered beautiful - blue eyes. Racial stereotypes of beauty contrived and nourished by

In the third chapter of The Bluest Eye, entitled "Autumn", Toni Morrison focuses on Pecola's family, the Breedloves. Morrison goes in depth about the family dynamic of the Breedloves and how it affects Pecola and her self-image. The passage starts after one of many arguments between Cholly and Mrs. Breedlove, Pecola's parents, turns violent. Mrs. Breedlove wants Cholly to fetch some coal from the outside shed. Cholly spent the last night drinking and does not want to get out of bed. The passage begins with the children becoming aware of the argument. Mrs. Breedlove starts to hit him with cooking pans while Cholly mostly used his feet and teeth. After the fight is over Mrs. Breedlove just lets Cholly lie on the ground and she goes about her

The Bluest Eye tells a tragic story of a young girl named Pecola who desperately wishes for beautiful blue eyes. Pecola believes that the only way she will ever be beautiful is if she has blue eyes. This story takes place in the 1970’s, a time where African Americans were second class citizens in society. They were often exploited and dehumanized because of the way they looked, and this will leave a long lasting effect. Americans would often think that the only way to be beautiful is to have white characteristics like pale skin, blue eyes, and to be very feminine. Racism in the 1970 and in the setting of the Bluest Eye caused self hatred in the black community. The effects of self hatred and racism in the

Self-hatred is something that can thoroughly destroy an individual. As it was fictitiously evidenced in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, it can lead an individual to insanity. Toni Morrison raises the idea that racism and class can detrimentally influence people’s outlook on themselves.

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, is a story about the life of a young black girl, Pecola Breedlove, who is growing up during post World War I. She prays for the bluest eyes, which will “make her beautiful” and in turn make her accepted by her family and peers. The major issue in the book, the idea of ugliness, was the belief that “blackness” was not valuable or beautiful. This view, handed down to them at birth, was a cultural hindrance to the black race.

Racial identities are ideological, social construct and phenomenon adopted by various literature. Many literature authors select the subject of race to identify the existing stereotypes of race in the modern and ancient societies. Toni Morrison reveals her beliefs about racisms through a graphic description of the Recitatif plot. The style allows the reader to experience the true nature of racism and revelation of personal traits without the use of race. In the short story, Recitatif, she deliberately denies her characters their racial identity contributing to the ambiguity fluctuating between the dominant races, white and black. The author reviews the historical events of the 1960s and 70s that promote the racial identities of White and African-Americans. Changing the expectations of her readers on the solutions based on stereotypes further spreading the awareness of the racial stereotypes that are controversial topics oh human existence (Löchle 4). The ironical nature, literature tricks, the plot of the story embrace the racial stereotypes unfolding in the narrative. The author engages her readers through closer reading through the adoption of literary elements, allowing the readers to fill in the gaps of the story. Through their participation, the readers develop an emotional attachment to the characters and the story generating deeper understanding and reversal responses. In particular, the ambiguity of racial identities of the characters shapes the racial indifferences and uncertainties. Morrison intention is for the readers to face their racial assumptions, which are over and over again contradictory. Proving the social and historical portrayals of two girls, she allows the reader to questions their stereotypes and understanding of the characters. Employing a variety of literary skills, and choosing not to disclose the racial identities of her characters Toni pre-occupies the reader with the idea of confronting their own racial stereotypes and prejudices.

In The Bluest Eye, characters experience a variety of oppressive , that give rise to the never ending cycle of victimization in both the families and neighborhood. Throughout the novel, the black community accepts white beauty ideals, for example, judging Maureen’s light skin to be highly attractive in comparison to Pecola’s darker features. Racism is also apparent in other indirect ways. There is a general sense of worthlessness that certain colored characters subconsciously integrate into their daily lives, even without the constant reminder of their apparent “ugliness”. For example, “the Breedloves did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting to the cutbacks at the plant. They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly.

How does classism within a community affect how people see themselves and their situation? The use of classism in The Bluest Eye, is a great way that Morrison shows her readers the separation of her characters and how the importance of class influences characters. Toni Morrison shows the issues of classism through the children, the adults, and the concepts of beauty within the story.

The Bluest Eye is a novel about an unwanted, unloved, and unappreciated little girl. Pecola is preyed upon by white shop owners, black mothers, and children in her own social class. Additionally, Pecola is not able to turn to her parents for support, as they have emotionally abandoned her long ago. Instead of loving his daughter, Cholly killed his ability to think about his own oppression with copious amounts of alcohol. Similarly, Pauline retreated to a world in which people appreciated her, something she had never experienced herself, and something she neglected to bestow upon her children. Pecola has a lot in common with both of her parents, mostly due to the fact that the oppression her parents faced was also a regular and ritual part of

They were constantly reminded that who they are was seen as ugly. In The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, that is exactly what happens with each character. They began to believe those lies and eventually saw themselves the same way the white people did. Each character, though black, shows a different form of “Negrophobia”, a dislike or fear of black people. There is a constant theme of negrophobia and powerlessness, in each season of The Bluest Eye.

Susmita Roye, for example, believes that through her novels Morrison tries to bring light to the invisible members of the black community in a world where black girls have to suffer the perils of racism (212). The author describes how the parental attitudes of the black parents can shape the outlook of their children (Roye 212). Ayda Rahmani describes the effects of racism on women and the challenges of being raised in such a community as described by Morrison in The Bluest Eye (61). Since these women might one day be mothers it is important to consider the effects of racism on their womanhood. It is has been presented earlier that in Morrison’s view the relationships are greatly affected by racism. This implies that the behavioral patterns are also affected by racism. Amanda Putnam describes the violent behaviors of black females stemming from racism as described by Morrison in her novels (5.2). Such violent choices may affect children thus having multigenerational consequences. Natália Fontes de Oliveira describes motherhood as depicted by Toni Morrison in Sula and AMercy. The author makes an attempt to describe what experiences the black mothers had during slavery and afterwards (68). Many people argue that racism has been a thing of the past and is no longer a strong

Throughout the novel, we as the reader feel empathy towards someone who is so young and hates herself because of the color of her skin. Morrison conveys to us that even if the black community isn’t being directly targeted by racist remarks, that they are having a sort of second-hand reaction because of internalized racism. The strongly relatable characters, give a different perspective on internalized racism that I couldn’t comprehend as a white reader.

Since childhood, we all have been taught that “racism is bad” and should be avoided at all costs. We have been told that “everyone is a child of God and we are all created equal.” In fact, Americans are praised for the so-called equality they possess. However, renowned author Toni Morrison sheds light on the sheltered and unspoken truth that everyone—to some extent—is racist. “Home” is a reflective essay in which Morrison explains that her triumphs against racist ideologies are evident throughout her various novels (“Home” 3). In Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, instead of establishing a home where race does not matter—a home which she dreams of in her essay—she creates just the opposite (3). In this novel, by using direct