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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

 

             Beauty is something that many people strive for in life because they want to fulfill their ideal image of what beauty is, however, some people think it's actually an essential part of life. The word beauty has many different definitions to different people. What may seem beautiful to one person may not necessarily seem beautiful to another. .
             The Bluest Eye, written by Toni Morrison, is about a fictional tragedy of a young black girl named Pecola Breedlove. Pecola was brought up as a poor and unwanted girl, which has made her desire the acceptance and love of society. The world has made her believe that she is ugly and unworthy of love and respect, and these things can only be achieved through the possession of blue eyes. She believes that if she possessed blue eyes, everyone would then love her. This is the reason why Shirley Temple plays such a big part of Pecola's life. Shirley Temple plays the ideal girl with features such as, blond hair and blue eyes. .
             Racial self-hatred is a big theme in the novel. Many characters such as, Pecola, Cholly ( Pecola's father), and Pauline (Pecola's mother) experience racial self- hatred. These characters have different ways of showing it and racial self-hatred has different effects on these characters as well. .
             Many people have contributed to Pecola's experience towards racial self-hatred. Her classmates also have an effect on her. They seem to think that because she is not beautiful, she is not worth anything except the focus of mockery. As if it were not bad enough being made fun of by children her own age, adults also had to mock her. Geraldine, a colored woman, who refused to tolerate "niggers", happened to walk in while Pecola was in her house. By having an adult point out to her that she really was a "nasty" little girl, it seems all the more true. At home her family put her through the same thing. Maybe even worse because her family members were the ones who were supposed to love her, but instead showed Pecola the complete opposite.


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