Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison

Question 3

Which is a greater threat to the children in ‘The Bluest Eye”: racism or

sexism?

“The Bluest Eye” is told from the perspectives of many characters, most

notably the younger sister, Claudia. From the points of view of other characters,

Pecola’s desperate pursuit of “blue eye” is narrated. Set in Lorain, Ohio before the

dawn of World War I, the novel begins with the introduction to MacTeers family

which includes Mr. MacTeer, Mrs. MacTeer, Frieda and Claudia. They are later

joined by their new tenant, Mr. Henry Washington and then Pecola whose father

splinters their own house. Having her first menstruation at the MacTeers’ place,

she belongs to the shattered Breedlove family in which quarrels and fights are

never-ending. Amid the bitter yet heart-wrenching tension fueled by racism and

sexism between Cholly Breedlove and Pauline Breedlove, Pecola is ironically well

received by the three prostitutes living over her house. Together with Frieda and

Claudia, Pecola faces constant troubles due to her blackness which is often

equated with ugliness. Despite their young age and relative naivety, they have to

confront the inequality of treatment based on skin tone. Maureen Peal, despite her

dog tooth and the bump on where her removed sixth fingers were, is perceived as

pretty because of her light complexion. Pecola, on the other hand, is humiliated

repeatedly for her blackness. The environment as a whole is unfavorable for

children’s growth. Frieda is molested by Mr. Henry who is later chased away.

Pecola has been raped twice and even impregnated by his own father. Growing up

in such environment and conforming to the skewed concept of white beauty,

Pecola yearns for blue eye as an escape from her traumatic life. Her wish is finally

granted after meeting Soaphead Church, only at the cost of her sanity. The novel is

supported with several subplots detailing the wounded past of Cholly Breedlove,

Pauline Williams and the Soaphead Church (Micah Elihue Whitcomb). Basically, the

novel can be seen as interplay between two prevalent types of

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

discrimination in the black community, one that bases on racial hierarchy

and the other that bases on gender inequality. At some instances, one

compounds the other in terms of the impact towards the black community,

especially the children. Children are born without predetermined sets of belief and

concept. It is the experience and the exposure they gain as they grow up that

shapes their identity. The impact of racism and sexism is across the community.

Even children, as pure as they are, cannot escape. The prevalent skewed

perception as in the case of racism and sexism shape an integral part of their

psyche as they stand in the earlier stage of psychological development. Although

these two types of discrimination seem inseparable at times, a deeper look at

these would have revealed that, in the novel, racism is a greater threat to the

children. Moreover, several instances in the novel have implied that

sexism has its root in racism.

Late childhood, from age of six till age of twelve, is the period in which

abstract aspects of identity such as feelings and relationships. For Frieda and

Pecola who have been through that period, certain concepts are already

entrenched in their mind and have become part of their self-identity. While

sexism does confine the stereotyped roles of male and female, racism has an

impact of much more multitude on children’s sense of identity. One example would

be the skewed concept of beauty, as is constantly propagated by the media. The

prevalent images of “cu-ute Shirley Temple” (Morrison, 1970, p. 13), “Lovely Mary

Jane, for whom a candy is named” (Morrison, 1970, p. 38) and so on have

reinforced the concept of “White is beauty” in the head of Frieda and Pecola.

However, Claudia who has “not yet arrived at the turning point in the development

of [her] psyche” (Morrison, 1970, p. 13) still retains her “pristine sadism”

(Morrison, 1970, p. 16) as shown in her dismembering of white baby dolls.

Confusion strikes as her as she wonders “What make people look at them and say,

“Awwwww,” but not for me?” (Morrison, 1970, p. 15) Even when that is the case,

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

her notion eventually shifts to the one concurring with her sister’s and Pecola’s,

the “fabricated hatred” (Morrison, 1970, p. 16) and “fraudulent love” (Morrison,

1970, p. 16). Geraldine’s son, Junior also goes through similar transformation.

From a kid who wants to “play with the black boys” (Morrison, 1970, p. 68) to

“smell their wild blackness, and say “Fuck you” with that lovely casualness”

(Morrison, 1970, p. 68), he gradually accepts the concept of “Black equals

ugliness” which cannot be portrayed any better by Mrs. Breedlove, Sammy

Breedlove, and Pecola Breedlove who “wore their ugliness, put it on…although it

did not belong to them.” (Morrison, 1970, p. 28) Constant immersion in degrading

messages has instilled in them self-hatred which then transforms into other forms

of social vices and confines the black community in the vicious cycle of lack of self-

esteem and misdirection of negative emotions. Self-hatred becomes even more

lethal when it translates into the loss of self-identity accompanied by the insecurity

among the blacks, especially the “colored people” (Morrison, 1970, p. 67) in

contrast with the “niggers” (Morrison, 1970, p. 67). The association of blackness

with ugliness has resulted in the stratification among the black community

based on the tone of their blackness. Those with lighter black hues stand atop

the hierarchy and depreciate those whose blackness is less diluted as how

Geraldine yells at Pecola, “You nasty little black bitch.” (Morrison, 1970, p. 72)

Despite their superficial superiority and orderliness in life, they are filled with

insecurity because “it was possible to ash” (Morrison, 1970, p. 68) since the “line

between colored and nigger was not always clear” (Morrison, 1970, p. 68) The

permissiveness of such insecurity can also be seen from the way the “colored” try

to preserve their relative “whiteness” by straightening their hair, softening their

skin, going for education and evading the “Funk” (Morrison, 1970, p. 64). More

often than not, this insecurity of one’s fabricated identity is misdirected. Junior has

to grow up in Geraldine’s misdirected indifference and uncaringness. Realizing “the

difference in her mother’s behavior to himself and the cat” (Morrison, 1970, p. 67),

Junior misdirects his hatred towards his mother to the cat he always abuses. To the

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

writer, this misdirection of negative feelings is essentially born out of Geraldine’s

insecurity. Throughout the novel, the most inflicted victim of diminishing of

self-esteem is Pecola who cannot escape from her family tragedy allegedly due

to her self-imagined ugliness. Her obsessive pursuit of “the bluest eyes” has

landed her in insanity, the only place where her wish can be granted. In her mind,

she has equated blue eyes (an identity of white people) to her escape out of the

mistreatments in her life. Her black eyes are the container of all her bad memories

of being discriminated and humiliated at school and being frightened by the fights

in her family. She thinks that by having blue eyes, as how all white people

portrayed in media do, her life would be less miserable as her parents might say,

“Why, look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn’t do bad things in front of those pretty

eyes.” (Morrison, 1970, p. 34) Thus, the skewed concept of beauty which roots in

racism is the destroyer of children’s otherwise intact self-esteem.

Another aspect of children’s self and life where racism causes more infliction

than sexism does is the psychological and social influences that come with

marginalization and discrimination of adults and children alike. Although sexism

also inflicts children’s psyche as seen from how Pecola suffers the unpardonable

incest and ends up in insanity, the wounding effect is only limited to extreme cases

like that of Pecola. The impact of racism is far more universal as it also applies to

children born in a relatively more stable family like MacTeers’. Children are

impressionable and therefore, extremely vulnerable to any kind of negative

emotion which supposedly belong to the adults’ world. Children in the novel

especially Pecola has been constantly inflicted by groundless discrimination.

Racism, in the novel, spares no innocent child. After the event in Yacobowski’s

Fresh Veg. Meat and Sundries Store, she is preoccupied by anger which “opens its

mouth, and like a hot-mouth puppy, laps up the dredges of her shame.” (Morrison,

1970, p. 37) Mr. Yacobowski, just like other white people, shows no signs of human

recognition in their “glazed separateness” (Morrison, 1970, p. 36) when he looks at

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

her. Distaste for her blackness is the only thing lurking in his eyes. His glance and

his hesitation in touching her hand bring her shame. To let a child so young to

experience such intense feeling is to shatter his or her childhood. What is more

pathetic of Pecola is that her anger, “an awareness of worth” (Morrison, 1970, p.

38) does not last long. To the writer, each of Pecola’s encounter like this has

gradually erodes her self-esteem and hence leads her to the pursuit of blue

eyes that “are looking out of a world of clean comfort” (Morrison, 1970, p. 38)

Ever since young, the whole of Pecola’s family has been labeled as ugly people.

The writer thinks that the author is implying that their ugliness is just what “the

master” (Morrison, 1970, p. 28) – the white people – assigns. However, the

ugliness becomes true as Pecola’s family chooses to believe it since they find

“nothing to contradict the statement” (Morrison, 1970, p. 28) from the movies and

billboards. Being labeled as ugly, Pecola often breaks down. She was heartbroken

as she seemingly fold into herself when the half-white yet “six-finger-dog-toot-

meringue-pie” (Morrison, 1970, p. 56) Maureen Peal screams, “I am cute! And you

ugly! Black and ugly black e mos. I am cute!” (Morrison, 1970, p. 56) Sadness as

such should not have existed in a child’s heart at all. Yet, the prevalent racism at

that time has caused it. Confusion arises among Claudia and Frieda, as well. They

wonder what makes Maureen eligible to enjoy the “honey voices of parents and

aunts” (Morrison, 1970, p. 57) and “the slippery light in the eyes of our teachers”

(Morrison, 1970, p. 57) and what they are lacking. As they age, envy starts to

haunt them as they realize what “the Thing” (Morrison, 1970, p. 58) that makes

Maureen beautiful is. The writer is full of empathy as he sees such young minds

have to comprehend the cruelty of life, of racism. As seen from the Maureen’s

remarks, racism can be exerted even by children who have not finished school.

What hardens their heart to inflict their own peers is the negative influence from

the adults. Sadly, this includes their blood parents. Pecola is hurt yet again by the

grave difference between Pauline’s treatment towards the daughter of Fishers’

family and her. When Pecola spills over the deep-dish berry cobbler, Pauline is

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

more concerned of the stained floor than of her own daughter who is crying.

Instead, she hushes Fishers’ daughter and does not admit to her that Pecola is her

own flesh daughter. Claudia cannot have described this uncaringness of a mother

more aptly than “her words were hotter and darker than the smoking berries.”

(Morrison, 1970, p. 85)The writer thinks that this uncaringness has its root in

racism which Pauline adapts from the movies she indulges herself in. When Pecola

is born, she even comments “Head full of pretty hair, but Lord she was ugly.”

(Morrison, 1970, p. 98) The establishment of racist thoughts, even among the

victims themselves, is simply dreadful.

A close look at the novel would reveal that sexism as expressed by the

author has its root in racism. Sexism in this context includes family violence

and sexual violence. To the writer, Cholly’s eventual tendency towards domestic

violence is caused by his emasculated manhood before his marriage. Due to

Cholly’s age of 14 and his financial and marital status, the writer still deems him as

a boy in his late childhood. As described by the plot, originally a pleasant young

man with the capacity to love and to care, Cholly steps on the road to his eventual

“dangerous freedom” after being humiliated by the two armed white men who

interrupt his love-making with the country girl he loves, Darlene. The two white

men instruct him to continue his first love-making in front of their eyes as if they

are appreciating a pornography piece. Racist remarks they make such as their

repeated references to Cholly as “nigger” and “coon” are barely tolerable. Under

such pressure, Cholly “could do no more than make-believe” and invites the white

men’s humiliating remark, “You ain’t doing nothing for her” (Morrison, 1970, p.

116) This unpleasant experience has caused his eventual tendency to misdirect his

anger, grief, guilt and even love to the weaker parties, women and children. Deep

in his mind, he knows that directing his hatred to the whites, though logical,

“would have consumed him, burned him up like a piece of soft coal, leaving only

flakes of ash and a question mark of smoke” (Morrison, 1970, p. 118) So, he learns

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

to blame the next closest target, “the one who bore witness to his failure, his

impotence.” (Morrison, 1970, p. 118) This misdirection of blame gains its

concrete shape after Cholly meets his father and becomes “dangerously free”

(Morrison, 1970, p. 125). To the writer, irresponsible misdirection of blame towards

those who witness his weakness is the root cause of Cholly’s commitment of

domestic violence. His dissatisfactions in career and life are his weaknesses lying

naked in front of Pauline. It is because that he cannot bear Pauline to bear witness

to his incompetence in the world of discrimination that he chooses to quarrel and

even fight with Pauline. It is also the misdirection of guilt and love that causes him

to rape his own daughter with a mix of “tenderness” (Morrison, 1970, p. 128)

towards Pauline and “a bolt of desire rand down his genitals” (Morrison, 1970, p.

128). The rape, as the writer deduces, is the most direct contributor to Pecola’s

madness. The chain that ties together all the events that lead to Pecola’s

mental illness is clear: racism corrodes Cholly’s self-worth and leads him to

wrongfully direct his discontent, anger and guilt towards Pauline, the mother.

Pauline also faces a similar fate. Their misdirection of negative emotions that root

in racism results in the havoc in the family. Confined by her self-fulfilling “ugliness”

and family instability, Pecola’s young soul is wounded and finally split into two, her

imaginary friend and herself, after the incest.

All in all, racism is more threatening than sexism for children in “The Bluest

Eye”. On the surface, both types of discrimination might appear to hold similar

weightage in the suffering of the children in the novel. However, a closer look

would reveal the gravity of the impact of racism. First of all, the skewed concept of

beauty and skin color which bombards the society back then has resulted in the

diminishing of self-esteem among the black community. The loss of self-esteem

that happens at the early stage of childhood is destructive as seen from what

happens to Pecola’s pursuit of “the bluest eye”. The insecurity that accompanies

low self-esteem even among the “colored” people is contagious. This can be seen

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USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11

from Geraldine’s misdirection of her insecurity that results in Junior’s misconduct.

Besides, due to racism, children are exposed to psychological tensions such as

shame, confusion, anger and envy that are too intense for their young souls. Most

importantly, sexism among the black community as displayed in the novel has its

root in racism. This is illustrated most clearly in the emasculated manhood of

Cholly that leads him into indolence and violence. To the writer, “The Bluest Eye”

is a must-read for everyone to understand the plight of the black community and

the difficulty in fitting into a society. The author’s implicit illustration of

discrimination experienced by the African American mostly from children’s

perspective hits right on the note of the illogicality of the racial discrimination. Her

language is that of poems. The rhythm of the novel appears to soothe down the

ongoing suffering. In short, the novel is highly recommended by the writer for its

message and language. It is, indeed, an important literary work exploring the

plight of those discriminated.

Bibliography

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. London: Vintage Books, 1999.

Zhi Yu Lee

USEL 35 (Delaware)

Assignment 3-04/14/11