The Bluest Eye By Tori Morrison

The Bluest Eye

There is a common association between skin color and cleanliness, where white is often associated with being clean, while black or brown is associated with being dirty. Tori Morrison uses this conceptual connection in The Bluest Eye, a novel exploring the life of Pecola and her search for social acceptance through the eyes of Claudia, to convey a hidden issue rooted in the black community. Throughout the book, numerous adults in Pecola's life search for "cleanliness." Their concept of cleanliness and dirtiness in The Bluest Eye intertwine with Pecola's self-perception and quest for acceptance. Pecola's character emphasizes the internalized belief in some African American girls that their identity is inherently dirty, which leads

Breedlove, failed to raise or love her. Mrs. Breedlove, a servant and a social outcast like her husband, does not show love toward her children. She even forbids them from calling her "mother" or "mom" and only fulfills their basic needs. On the contrary, Mrs. Breedlove treats the children of the family she works for with affection. For instance, when Pecola drops the blueberry cobbler on the floor, Mrs. Breedlove responds by yanking her up by the arm, "...slapped her again, and in a voice thin with anger, abused Pecola directly and Frieda and me by implication" (3.109). Yet she coddles the white girl saying, "Hush, baby, hush. Come here. Oh, Lord, look at your dress. Don't cry no more. Polly will change it." (3.109) A mother's instinct is to check if their kid is all right; for Mrs.Breedlove to discipline Pecola without worrying about her displays her neglect towards her children and favoritism towards the white family. She allows the white family kids to call her Polly, a nickname, but her kids refer to her as Mrs. Breedlove, also displaying her dissociation and underlining hatred towards Pecola. Her hatred towards Pecola comes from her reminding Mrs.Breedlove of the dirtiness in her life, something she tries to clean but fails to do. Fortunately, she finds a haven that distracts her from the filthiness; as the author states, "Pauline kept this order, this beauty, for herself, a private world, and never introduced it into her storefront, or to her children." Pauline finds this haven in the white family, as white is considered clean; she can clean knowing that they are cleansed due to their color, while in her real life, due to her being surrounded by black or brown, she will never obtain the sense of cleanliness as those colors are associated with dirtiness. Mrs. Breedlove's understanding of cleanliness and dirtiness connects back to Pecola