The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. What one may consider beautiful, the next person may not. Everyone has their own perception of beauty and most of the times, one may look towards the media to figure out what is actually considered to be beautiful. In the novel, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, one of the main themes was the concept of beauty. The characters are living in a segregated world where being white was deemed beautiful. Unfortunately, what seems to be the face of beauty is usually a white person, or sometimes in this time period, it would be someone of a much lighter complexion if they are of another race. This essay will discuss how black women’s self-esteem are affected through the white standards in America. But what does the term “beauty” really mean? It is one of the most complex words to identify because in human standards, beauty can be anything and in any aspect. One of the basic ways one could describe it would be as a combination of qualities that is pleasing to a person. This is one of the most desired and envied traits in the world. There has even been a certain proportion to determine someone as being beautiful, as the ancient Greeks did. However, different cultures have different perceptions of what beauty means. They each have a certain aesthetic they tend
Taking place in the 1940s, African American girls were made to aspire to be white, which meant beauty and privilege. There is a young girl named Pecola Breedlove who does not feel beautiful in any way. She believes that if she only had blue eyes, she would be the most beautiful girl and all her problems in her life, as well as others, would go away. She believes the blue eyes will give her the respect and love that she has always been longing for, so she is constantly praying for blue eyes so the world will see her differently and so she will be able to see the world