The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison’s debut novel, though she has already foot printed as a writer in the field of essay and journalism, writing a novel was an adventurous effort as a female and as an African American woman since it was the period which concentrated more on thrillers, adventures, expeditions, explorations and other science fictions. In spite of all, she ventured her talent as a novelist through The Bluest Eye. Morrison uses different tools to present her novel in an attractive manner. In this effort, she begins The Bluest Eye with a prelude in which she foretells the story in nutshell so as to give her readers a quicker view of the novel.
Morrison chooses very sensitive, sometimes very dirty subjects as the theme of her novels. She, besides giving importance for familial, social, parental and friendly relationship, also gives equal importance for sexual relationship. The aim of the author to be more descriptive while portraying the sexual relationship is not to give a glamorous effect, but it is with a purpose to expose the black human follies that affect their future generation.
The Story of Pecola Breedlove
The story evolves around the central character Pecola Breedlove, a 12 year old girl, who is portrayed as an ugly looking black girl who prays for Blue Eyes, so that she will look beautiful and she will be paid attention and everybody will look up to her including her parents. The narrator Claudia and her sister Frieda, Pecola, Sammy and Junior are exemplified characters to say that they are affected by the poor treatment of their parents.
Like Morrison’s other novels, The Bluest Eye also helps its readers to trace out many themes such as, identity crises, race, gender discrimination, ethnicity, sexual abuse and many others, of which, the portrayal of family setting is yet another significant theme.
Pecola’s Familial Relationships
The background information of Pecola’s parents answers the question why they are not responsible to take care of their children. First Pauline’s family background is taken: she is the ninth of eleven children and portrayed as a good dreamer. She got deformity in one of her legs by a deep punching of a rusty nail on her foot, it creates a flap sound while walking and also gives her the feeling of being unworthy to her family.
The Destructive Family Setting
The quarrels between Cholly and Pauline have become routine in their life. When they come back from work, there is a fearful expectation whether there will be any reason for fighting. The children find loneliness in day time, because of their parents’ absence at home, in the evening, they feel threatened by their fights. Pecola’s idea of longing for Blue Eyes is born out of such state of mind.
The Failure of Parenting
Like Geraldine ignores her son, Junior, and always dotes on her cat, Pauline is also ignorant of her role to play as a good mother to her children due to her concentration on Cholly’s misbehaviour. Morrison insists about the importance of conversation among the people, how it paves way for building up a good relationship and also how it enhances moral support to one another. Claudia, Frieda, Pecola and Junior are the victims of communication failure of their parents.
Conclusion
Pecola’s character reflects many black female children’s tormented life. Pecola’s search for blue eyes does not mean that she gives much importance for beauty consciousness, but it is a search for a true and meaningful relationship. She has been pushed into poor state of mind to think that if she looks beautiful, she will be paid attention, given importance, loved by her parents and liked by the society. This essay concludes by saying that Pecola always has a search for true and meaningful relationship which houses her emotions.
Works Cited
- Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1970. Print.
- Baum, Rosalie Murphy. “Alcoholism and Family Abuse in Maggie and The Bluest Eye.” Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretation: Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: InfoBase Publishing, 2007. Print.
- Harding, Wendy and Jacky Martin. A World of Difference: An Inter-Cultural Study of Toni Morrison’s Novels. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1994. Print.
- Heinert, Jennifer Lee Jordan. Narrative Conventions and Race in the Novels of Toni Morrison. Routledge. New York, 2009. Print.
- Wallace, Michele. “Variations on Negation and the Heresy of Black Feminist Creativity.” Reading Black, Reading Feminist: A Critical Anthology. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. New York: Meridian, 1990. Print.