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The Bluest Eye

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Toni Morrison expresses ideas of intersectionality, discrimination, and self-hatred/acceptance through multiple perspectives in her book, “The Bluest Eye”. The book follows a young girl, Pecola Breedlove throughout her journey of self-hatred and longing for the cultural beauty of having blue eyes. Pecola believes that having blue eyes would allow her to lead a better life, as blue eyes match society’s definition of beautiful because of its connection with “whiteness”. This yearning for acceptance and physical beauty isolates Pecola, as she begins to believe that the inferiority and hate that is being reflected back at her, is who she is. Coupled with the background of her parents, this leaves Pecola with a great deal of shame and self-loathing, …show more content…

One of the first introductions we get of Pecola is when she has just begun to stay at the MacTeer’s house and Frieda brings her a cup of milk in a Shirley Temple cup. It is stated that, “She was a long time with the milk, and gazed fondly at the silhouette of Shirley Temple’s dimpled face. Frieda and she had a loving conversation about how cu-ute Shirley Temple was” (19). As the chapter goes on we see that Pecola has an obsession with Shirley Temple, as she develops a love for the Shirley Temple cup at the MacTeer’s house. “We knew she was fond of the Shirley Temple cup and took every opportunity to drink milk out of it just to handle and see sweet Shirley’s face” (23). It can already be seen that Pecola is infatuated with the physical beauty that Shirley Temple held- the curly light brown hair, bright eyes, and dimpled …show more content…

It is seen that both Pauline and Cholly Breedlove experience their own shares of misfortune that eventually do translate to the ways they treat Pecola. Pauline Breedlove is described as harsh and cold, as she is dissatisfied with her life. She herself struggles with the preconceived notions of beauty, as she believes her disabilities and features make her ugly. This affects the way she’s sees her life and her family, as she is disappointed that she does not have the “perfect” family because this will not win her favorable glances from other women. Pauline sees everything as a goal to be perfect and beautiful, as explained with the line, “Along with the idea of romantic love, she was introduced to another--physical beauty. Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought. Both originated in envy, thrived in insecurity, and ended in disillusion. In equating physical beauty with virtue, she stripped her mind, bound it, and collected self-contempt by the heap” (122). Pauline believes Pecola is ugly, seeing the ugliness which she believed was in herself, in Pecola. This translates to the way she treats Pecola and in some ways, to the image that Pecola sees herself. In addition, Cholly Breedlove has his own violent backstory that leads to his anger and frustration with his life. Cholly’s own unfortunate experiences, such as being left in the trash by his

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INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH KEY CONCEPTS TO BE DEVELOPED Students develop a deeper understanding of how authors use juxtaposition to develop a theme or idea within a text. Students complete this work by examining The Bluest Eye, writing an essay, and finally by selecting an image to illustrate the type of juxtaposition they have identified within the text. Students practice providing feedback to peers by participating in a gallery walk at the end of the Cornerstone.

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They constantly encounter the problem of not living up to society’s beauty standards, which results in feelings of self-hatred based on race. These feelings perpetuate racism, as society, and even black people, tend to favor white beauty since it is held up as superior. The problems that Pecola, Pauline, and Claudia face in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye are not just figments of the past. Today, millions of women across the country feel some sort of self-loathing stemming from dissatisfaction over how they look. It is important that society tries to free itself from these nonsensical standards and celebrate the unique beauty of each individual

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Although it doesn’t forestall the adversities she needs to endure, it does keep her alive in her torment. As seen through the eyes of Frieda Frieda, who is often protective of her own sister and vice versa, has a special role model reaction to many situations presented in the novel; situations that Pecola cannot only learn from but stand beside as well. Although she is “all authority and zest”, Frieda does manage to help Pecola when she is frightened by her first menstruation: assertively, she assumes the role of the eldest

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