Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye

by GRIN Publishing

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1 (A), Southern Connecticut State University (English Department), language: English, abstract: 'The Bluest Eye' is Toni Morrison’s first novel and was published in 1970. Toni Morrison uses modernist techniques of stream-of-consciousness, multiple perspectives, and deliberate fragmentation. Two different narrators tell the story. The first is Claudia MacTeer, who narrates in a mixture of a child’s and an adult’s perspectives, and the second is an omniscient narrator. Claudia’s and Pecola’s points of view are dominant, but the reader also sees things from other character’s points of view.
The subtext of the first part of the novel ('Autumn' and 'Winter') suggests various topics. In my presentation, I mainly focus on the “Dick and Jane narrative” by means of which the novel opens. Furthermore, I will explore the themes “whiteness as the standard of beauty” and “seeing versus being seen” which are sometimes closely connected.
'The Bluest Eye' provides an extended depiction of the ways in which internalized white beauty standards deform the lives of black girls and women. Implicit messages that whiteness is superior are everywhere, including the white baby doll given to Claudia, the idealization of Shirley Temple, the consensus that light-skinned Maureen is cuter than the other black girls, and the idealization of white beauty in the movies. Pecola eventually desires blue eyes in order to conform with these white beauty standards imposed on her.
However, by wishing for blue eyes, Pecola indicates that she wishes to see things differently as much as she wishes to be seen differently.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, American, Feminism

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Tanu Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty memorable book...

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on vacation by a pool and i cried by the pool at the resort. it's very good just don't read it while you're at vacation in a sunny place, not the vibe at all

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly told

[Lowell Wickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult read. After I finished I read the author’s Forward, and as she opined “My solution-break the narrative into parts…seemed to me a good idea, the execution of which does not satisfy me now. Besides it didn’t work: many readers remain touched but not moved.” Pretty much sums my feeling about the book. Touched but not incredibly moved. It might be an interesting study but for me mostly a difficult read.

[Maureen Colsquared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toni Morrison has an amazing way of painting character personality, including their vulnerabilities and insecurities.
The bluest eye is a story of Pecola, and her friends, their observations of everyday life, injustice, how they are treated, all this done from young girls’ eyes.
Preferential treatment, socioeconomic status, skin color do not escape these girls’ eyes.
Beautiful read

[Josephine Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading some of Toni Morrison's books. I like the way she writes. She writes about characters who do not like themselves, though they should be proud of who they are.

The book begins in the bleak, industrial midwestern city of Lorain, Ohio. Nine year old Claudia tells of her life around where she lives. She hates blue eyed, blond dolls, thinks they are so ugly. She and older sister, ten year old Freida, are good friends. She planted marigolds in 1941, the time the book is set. They didn't grow, planted too deep. No, the reason is that "Pecola is having her father's baby that her marigolds did not grow." Pecola is eleven years old. Claudia is a neat kid who comments on her mom's complaints about life, then bursting into song. Mom has a good voice, sings pretty songs.

The book takes place over one year. The book begins in Autumn, goes through the five seasons, Winter. Spring, the longest, Summer the shortest. It floats in time into the lives and minds of several characters, interesting characters, telling of their lives.

There is the Breedlove family, all are very ugly, especially Pecola, who has always wanted blue eyes. Big, pretty blue eyes. Her father, Cholly, is an alcoholic who beats his wife. This family is the poorest of the poor, live in a storefront. Upstairs live prostitutes, likable ladies who Pecola enjoys visiting. Mrs. Breedlove, everyone calls her Mrs. Breedlove, including her children. She works as a maid in a well-to-do house, loves the way the house is kept, she spends twelve to sixteen hours at the house where she works, hates to go home. Her son, Sammy, keeps running away. She wants to be a respectable church lady.

Pecola is not an attractive child. She has no friends, goes around by herself, everybody picks on her, calls her the ugliest person they know. We are not pretty, but we are prettier than you. Kids do pick on the weakest. She goes to a Soaphead Church, a strange church, tells the pastor she wants blue eyes, this is all she has ever wanted.

Claudia and Freida do not condemn Pecola for being pregnant as does everybody else. They feel sorry and sad.

I like the way words of the book Dick and Jane is placed at the beginning of each chapter. The way, in first grade, the book is taught. Good old Dick and Jane, back in time.

[Aditi D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an okay read, but definitely not one of the best books I've read. The beginning of the book was a little slow and I was constantly waiting for something to happen. Because of the slow beginning to the book, the end seemed fast paced and the book was jumping around, which was a bit confusing. This book is very depressing but I feel that this gives it more meaning. Pecola wants to escape from her awful life and she simply can't. The author focuses on the ideas of cleanliness, race, family relations, and trauma and presents them in a very real way. She doesn't sugarcoat and definitely doesn't leave out the discomforting parts. That's why I felt this sort of shock when I read the book because some of the things these characters face are so cruel and unimaginable. Thankfully the author foreshadows traumatizing events so you can somewhat mentally prepare yourself.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was beautifully told, even though it was not a beautiful story. I read the book because I wanted to read some of the books that have been banned. If I had a child in school, I think I would agree with a junior or senior reading it. Most kids that age have seen movies much more violent and graphic than this book. I can see there would be a lot to unpack in an educational setting. Also, students could benefit from the intricate and vivid writing style.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read by the author. So poignant. The most interesting part to me was the authors note at the end where she says she wanted to represent different families - and seemed to insinuate that the family of the two daughters that took in picola was of a different class - but all their lives seemed so hard scrabble. Def want to read more by her

[Virtuella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the preface, I am not sure I fully appreciate Morrison’s project, nor do I believe I am able or qualified to do so. All I can say is that I am left with profound sadness at the thought of these broken lives and the way the brokenness is passed on from one generation to the next. Morrison’s prose is flawless and striking.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading. Was a City of Canby Book Club book. I had read it before, and wanted to participate in the book club, so I read it again. A book of the times. Sad and moving. A book read while the power was off.

[Brittany Hastie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like reading poetry. Beautifully written. Sad commentary on humanity.

[S.G. Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Banned Book Club selection. Nobel Prize Winner, but I found it difficult to read.

[Helen Schatzlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't understand why this is a banned book.

[Alexis Lyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bluest Eye

By: Toni Morrison

Published and Copyrighted in 1970

Published by The Penguin Group

ISBN: 0-13-116628-X

Paperback: 216 Pages

Price: $14.00 U.S. ; $21.00 CAN.



"Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a freeman is never safe."

There are six main characters in the book. Claudia, the narrator. Frieda, Claudia's sister. Claudia's and Frieda's mom. Pecola is the brought in child and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Breedlove.

Toni Morrison's, The Bluest Eye, her first novel ever written became the Nobel Prize winner in Literature. The genre being classic, and historical fiction. Toni did exceptionally well in creating the story and picking out the characters. I enjoyed the whole book, staying up late, and taking the book on vacations . I often would stop reading the book at large paragraphs, because I'm not the type to read a big paragraph.

"All my strength in his hand. My brain curls up like wilted leaves. A funny, empty feeling is in my hands. I want to grab hold of something, so I hold his head. his mouth is under my chin. Then I don’t want his hand between my legs no more, because I think I am softening away. I stretch my legs open, and he is on top of me."

The book is a slow pace. Explaining every little thing. detail by detail. Realistic dialogue, and a narrative voice. I in my opinion reacted surprised since I've never read anything in such detail of my life. having questions such as, "Why Pecola lived with Frieda and Claudia and not with her parents?" or "Why the narrators mom was so mean about her being sick?".

Recommendation's on the book would be for 18-30 year old females. Why? More women on average like the book rather then men. It is not a good book for pregnant women or kids under the age of 16.

The Bluest Eye is such an astonishing book! I think more people should read the book.



Alexis Lyne

[Navneet Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very somber story, outlining the inner workings of how a human being's mind works, how he internalises things to justify his actions, how he makes do when he can't do what he wants to do. How humankind itself is the perpetrator of many of the prejudices being suffered by those who think they don't have a voice.

I didn't much feel any rise and fall of emotions (probably because I had read its summary before I read the book), but the writing was like sinking a knife into butter: so smooth, so flowy. At some moments, my stomach would clench because of the content, while at others, I would shake my head as to how so many things become clearer due to the way we can relate with them even though we are not living in that reality.

All in all, a book to remember always.

[Xavier Mcdougle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Pecola. All she wanted was to be beautiful, and crave the eyes that cannot be had. Unfortunately, when you're a black kid in the 1930s, beauty is the last thing anyone including relatives would describe you as. Toni Morrison has molded a disturbing, real masterpiece of the underlying damage of desire, beauty standards, and poor self image can and had reaped upon black communities. Through the eyes of Pecola, her messed up family, and the down to earth Claudia, we get a thorough glimpse of the disturbing thought process that comes from unattainable beauty standards.

[Nancy Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I added this book to my reading list after a recommendation from a talk radio I listen to. I found this book to bring out many emotions as the experiences of the main characters are introduce and their stories are told. I have never read a book like this before I found it brought me a different perspective of life in another time and how people experience it. Very well written, definitely recommend for people to read it!

[D Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical

[Stephanie Wills]

Toni Morrison is a wonderful writer, but the story was anything but up lifting.

[Ariel O'Suilleabhain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind

[Shane Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff.