The Bluest Eye Conformity Essay

John F. Kennedy preaches that “conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” Conformity and fitting society’s so-called “correct” mold does exactly that. It limits individuality, and in the case that someone is unable to fit such a narrow mold, causes agony and self-loathing, It’s easy to believe in the ideal of individuality, but the truth of the matter lies in the fact that knowing is not the same as truly carrying out the ideal. Being rejected due to appearance can often cause agony, especially in a school setting. But, in a society where beauty is restricted to fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes and anyone else is subjected to the harassment of society, the effects can be tremendously even more detrimental. In The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, the standards of

After years and years of isolation at school and racial contempt, Pecola “pray[s] for blue eyes” each night for a year, without fail (61). For Pecola to be driven to such extreme measures and to the point where she is praying to look different, shows how far her self-hatred has gone and how detrimental the effects of conformity are. Not only that, but when her wish is not granted, she goes to a miracle worker for help, who responds with “a surge of love and understanding” because “an ugly little girl was asking for beauty” (189). Rather than preaching to the child that beauty is more than white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, Church feels sympathy and agrees with her, demonstrating how devoured that society has become by society’s notion of beauty. That devoured society has misbegotten and impressed upon Pecola the idea that beauty is restricted to white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, all of which Pecola does not have. Combined with her isolation and experiences of discrimination, Pecola concludes that she herself was ugly, and because of that, hates