Bluest

In the book, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Morrison examines white verses black racism. She made it obvious that most people were unaware of racism within their culture, and themselves. For example, the lower class black society and the middle class black society are enemies. They dislike and criticize one another. Many of the characters are exposed to racism, and are powerless. Therefore, I decided to discuss the story using a lens of racism, and beauty.

Racism is a major theme in The Bluest Eye. There are few characters in the story that are white. The plot contains mostly an explanation of racism, which occurs between blacks. Race is not only defined by color, but by class as well. Middle class blacks felt as if they were better than lower class black people. The racism affected both Pecola, and her father.

The character that is most affected by racism is Pecola Breedlove. Pecola searches for love and acceptance in a time period that denies people of her race. She was abused, neglected, and hated by her father, and others people. Everything that happened to her leads back to racism. People made her feel ugly by how they talked, and treated her. She thinks she is ugly, and that is why others mistreat her. The white girls were all beautiful. Therefore, Pecola wanted to own white beauty. She saw white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes as beauty. Her obsession to white became a mental problem. White meant cleanliness, beauty, and happiness. On the other hand, black is ugly. Children in the neighborhood called Pecola, “Black e mo”, which was an insult on her skin. Pecola, like the other girls, are too young to be at fault for their misinterpretation of beauty. “Adult, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, wind...

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... Claudia received cared and her family is normal. She is also aware of her hatred, and changes it overtime.

While reading this novel, I began to think of the awful effects of racism. I know racism still exists today, and could have the same effects on people in my society. Therefore, this novel is very significant to me. I know that adults are not the only ones who experience racism. In addition I question myself on how I viewed beauty. The way others dress does have an effect on me. We wear makeup, bleach skin, and other things to look attractive. The novel discusses that we may cooperate with beauty standards. Reading this novel also informs me of how African Americans were during the Great Depression. I know how many of them judged themselves based on race, beauty, and opinions.

Works Cited

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. 1970. New York: Vintage, 2007. Print.