Search for Perfection in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

1182 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: how culture influences identity

Search for a Perfection in The Bluest Eye

The concept of physical beauty and desire to conform to a prescribed definition of what is considered beautiful can destroy a person's life. In Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, many characters are obsessed with attaining the idealist definition of what is considered beautiful. The characters of Geraldine, Pauline, and Pecola all believe that physical perfection leads to acceptance; however, it is the same belief that causes their personal downfalls and prevents them from recognizing their own inner beauty.

Geraldine's anxieties over wanting to comply with what others think is beautiful, damage her existence. For example, the character of Geraldine is so consumed with physical perfection that she prevents herself from accepting her black heritage. When the author illustrates how woman like Geraldine act, she asserts, "They hold their behind in for fear of sway too free; when they wear lipstick they never cover the entire mouth for fear of lips to thick, and they worry, worry, worry about the edges of their hair" (Morrison 83). Geraldine is so ashamed of her black characteristics that she tries to hide them. She thinks black people are ugly, and she wants to appear white because she equates having lighter skin with being a better person. Geraldine thinks she will be discriminated for being black, therefore, she refuses to accept and own any physical features of her culture. In addition, when the author illustrates how Geraldine is more concerned with her baby's physical appearance than with his emotional needs, she writes, "He was always brushed, bathed, oiled, and shod. Geraldine did not talk to him,coo to him, or indulge him in kissing bouts, but she saw that every o...

... middle of paper ...

...ining an ideal appearance in order to accommodate what others view as beautiful can ruin one's existence. The characters of Geraldine, Pauline, and Pecola all erroneously believe that obtaining a certain look will enhance their lives. However, as a result of their search for a perfect outward image they are never able to value their inner selves.

Works Cited

Bayles, Martha. "Special Effects, Special Pleading." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Michigan: Gale Research Inc., 194-213.

Davis, Cynthia. "Self, Society, and Myth in Toni Morrison's Fiction." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Draper, James P., ed. Michigan: Gale Research Inc., 1994. 215-273.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York, New York: Plume, 1994.

Steiner, Wendy. "The Clearest Eye." Contemporary Authors. Trosky, Susan, M., ed. Michigan: Gale Research Inc., 1994. 239.

Show More
Related

  • Algonquin Park

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the first aspects of canoeing that must be addressed when finding one's way through the wild is called orienteering. Orienteering is definitely essential when exploring Algonquin Park. The most important aids used in orienteering are a compass and map. "Compasses are useful for taking bearings and for orienting the map so that it is aligned ...

    Read More

  • A Criticism of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

    1782 Words  | 4 Pages

    Smith, Nicole. "Literary Analysis of “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison : History and Slavery." Article Myriad. N.p., 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 June 2014.

    Read More

  • The American Revolution and the Formation of Bolivia

    1883 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Revolution did much more than any of our founding fathers had ever imagined, it started a movement that would threaten the very roots of colonialism across the globe. Setting an example of how a David could overcome a Goliath, the United States inspired regions such as Latin America to fight for their rights and liberties as well. One such region that embraced the message was Upper Peru, which would later be known as Bolivia. With some key tipping points that caused the war, the leaders of the soon to be formed nation rallied its troops and won several major battles, but even they couldn’t prevent the tough times that lay in the early years of the nation. From the year 1809, Upper Peru was engaged in a revolution against Spanish Colonial rule that would span over 16 years, ultimately yielding freedoms for several Latin nations, including the formation of Bolivia.

    Read More

  • Bolivia – Privatization or Nationalization?

    3363 Words  | 7 Pages

    Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America. It borders many countries including Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil. Bolivia is part of the Andean region and has been inhabited for almost 20,000 years. The Tiwanakan people inhabited the area until about 1200 A.D. In which the Incas to over and ruled the area until the Spanish conquest showed its power throughout all of South America. Both cultures have greatly influenced the life of a Bolivian citizen. The Spanish held their power of Bolivia until it claimed its independence in 1809. Bolivia went to war with Spain for many years and final won on August 6, 1825. Bolivia, although independent, could never regain its steps. The governments from here on out were all very weak and only hurt the country as a whole. Many countries saw this weakness including Chile who went to war with Bolivia in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). Up until this point Chile had a coast but the loss of this war also was the loss of the coastline and Bolivia then became a landlocked country. After this Bolivia found its...

    Read More

  • Peru

    4524 Words  | 10 Pages

    In the northeast the sierra slopes downward to a vast, flat tropical jungle, the selvas, extending to the Brazilian border and forming part of the Amazon Basin. The mountain attains a maximum width of about 965 km (about 600 mi) in the north and constitutes some 60 percent of the Peruvian land area; it is covered with thick tropical forests in the west and with dense tropical vegetation in the center and east.

    Read More

  • Essay On Conflict In Northern Ireland

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most closely watched and widely debated conflict of our time is the one occurring In Northern Ireland. It has been a hot debate for over a century now, yet the root of the conflict is still unclear. There have been many theories over time, yet none have been able to adequately describe what is really happening on the matter. This conflict is divided by many lines; ethnically between the Irish and the British, and religiously by the Catholics and Protestant denominations.

    Read More

  • Racial Beauty Standards In The Bluest Eye

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the character Claudia struggles with a beauty standard that harms her sense of self-esteem. Claudia tries to make sense of why the beauty standard does not include black girls. The beauty standard determines that blonde-haired blue-eyed white girls are the image of beauty and therefore they are worthy of not only attention, but are considered valuable to American culture of the 1940s. Thus, learning she has no value or beauty as a black girl, Claudia destroys her white doll in an attempt to understand why white girls are beautiful and subsequently worthy, socially superior members of society. In destroying the doll, Claudia attempts to destroy the beauty standard that works to make her feel socially inferior and ugly because of her skin color. Consequently, Claudia's destruction of the doll works to show how the beauty standard was created to keep black females from feeling valuable by producing a sense of self-hate in black females. The racial loathing created within black women keeps them as passive objects and, ultimately, leads black women, specifically Pecola, to destroy themselves because they cannot attain the blue eyes of the white beauty standard.

    Read More

  • Self-Hatred and the Aesthetics of Beauty in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    Topic: Discuss the issues of self-hatred and the aesthetics of beauty in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. What role do they play in the novel and how do they relate to its theme?

    Read More

  • Argentina

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile, and on the west by Chile. The

    Read More

  • Venezuela

    2388 Words  | 5 Pages

    Terrain: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast

    Read More

  • Bolivia

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    of the continent having an area about twice the size of Spain. Bolivia is landlocked

    Read More

  • Water Persuasive Speech

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    People have certain days and time they can use the water for their needs but after that time the city people may show up to your location and either give you a warning or a ticket.The county has arranged emergency deliveries of 15,552 gallons of water.They also have ground water measures that have been approved and that are aimed on limiting the overuse of people's water.

    Read More

  • Brazil

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brazil is located in Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is slightly smaller than the U.S., with bordering countries Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, French Guyana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It has many natural resources, including bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, and timber. The climate is tropical in the north, but temperate in the south. The terrain consists of mostly flat to rolling lowlands, with some plains, hills, mountains, and a narrow coastal belt. In recent years, environmentalists have become increasingly concerned over the future of the Amazon region, where human life has threatened the world's largest intact rain forest. Brasilia is the capital and main source of modern industry.

    Read More

  • Social Issues in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    With The Bluest Eye, Morrison has not only created a story, but also a series of painfully accurate impressions. As Dee puts it "to read the book...is to ache for remedy" (20). But Morrison raises painful issues while at the same time managing to reveal the hope and encouragement beneath the surface.

    Read More

  • Climate Change and The Rise in Sea Level

    2057 Words  | 5 Pages

    "On a recent afternoon, Scott McKenzie watched torrential rains and a murky tide swallow the street outside his dog-grooming salon. Within minutes, much of this stretch of chic South Beach was flooded ankle-deep in a fetid mix of rain and sea.

    Read More

More about Search for Perfection in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

Open Document