Stereotypes In The Bluest Eye

In The Bluest Eye By: Toni Morrison, beauty standards ruined the lives of black girls and women and created a negative impact on Pecola and the other characters throughout the book. The Great Migration from the south included more than 6 million African Americans moving from the South to the cities of the North from 1916 to 1970. “The migration process is likely to have varied markedly by both race and sex. (Katherine J. Curtis White et al.. “Race, Gender, and Marriage: Destination Selection During the Great Migration”. Demography 42.2 (2005): 215–241. Web…) When Pecola’s family up rooted and found themselves moving from a largely black community to a white community up north, this affects Pecola’s family because they would be confronted

Having all the normal features of what is considered to be beautiful instead of society’s forced appearance beliefs, will be able to make Pecola more lovable.“The identity of Black people was racialised in the sense that they were objectified, and many of them internalized the negative stereotypes imposed on them. On the other hand, some tried to conform to the ideals of the dominating white race and forged their identities on them.” (Miniotaitė, 2) If she was beautiful and able to get someone to love her then her life would be completely different. “Pecola asked a question that had never entered my mind.. How do you do that? I mean how do you get somebody to love you? (Morrison 32) Growing up, Pecola never witnessed or received the feeling of being loved. Although there was a point where Cholly and Pauline were loving towards each other, as time went on it changed. Cholly was dangerous and took his frustrations out on the women in his life. Cholly was abandoned in a as a baby and had been humiliated by white men. They forced him to engage in sexual activity in front of them as entertainment. Cholly had been put through a lot in his life that causes him to not be free to love or be loved but at the same time he is able to have his pleasures though they are not always the right decisions considering that he raped his own daughter. Pauline also causes pain to her daughter. She also experienced humiliation in her life. She feels

People and her family were isolated from the south. Cholly and Pauline did not have the resources to fortify their child. Throughout the book beauty and racism play an important role on the behavior of people. While the whites were very respected and had the easy life, the blacks had to deal with always having to compare themselves and question why they aren't as good as the whites. Whether it is symbolized with the marigolds growing outside or the innocence presented by the characters, one important feeling that stands out is love. Loving who you are and knowing how to accept and give the feeling of love to others not in a hurtful