The Bluest Eye, By Toni Morrison

The bluest eye is a novel written by Toni Morrison. The novel took place majorly in the 1940s Lorain, Ohio when racism was still predominant and after the great depression. The Bluest Eye centers around Pecola Breedlove a young black girl who believes that whiteness is beauty and inherently denies the beauty of her own blackness. The novel intricately and blatantly narrates the lives of African-Americans during the 40s leading well into the 70s and even till now. Pecola’s dream of having this standard of beauty eventually deteriorates her mental state leading to her psychological devastation. The novel is narrated through three different perspectives the first one being in Claudia Mcteer’s Pecola’s childhood friend second is omniscient and
the last is Pecola. Thus, giving readers an unbiased view of different outtakes of beauty. The Goodfellas is an award-winning film focused on the true life story of Henry Hill. Henry Hill is a young man who desires the lifestyle of being a gangster he desires the lavish persona and the unrestricted “ freedom” accompanied with being a mobster. He soon learns that the glamorized is not all it is made out to be. A couple of murders, heists, and drug addictions land him in jail as he comes to a realization of the harsh realities he faces. He sells out his friends breaking his vow of silence and goes into hiding under the witness protection program.

The Bluest Eye is a poetic journey of broken spirits.
Toni Morrison challenges the western standards of beauty in which society has constructed Morrison also illustrates the difficulties associated with being black in a society where whiteness is the preferred standard of beauty. Morrison uses the seasons as a way of anticipating what comes along with each. The seasons give off the illusion of the typical aspects that come along with each. Spring insinuates the season of growth and hope, but, spring in Lorain brings about the beating of Claudia Macteer, the molestation of Claudia’s sister Frieda by tenant Mr. Henry and Pecola’s sexual abuse by her father Cholly Breedlove. Springs new growth being Pecola’s baby but the baby is destined to die. Winter is the season where things die and return but, no stones are turned over for Pecola. For example, when Maureen Peal the new girl in school made friends with Pecola “Frieda and I walked behind them, surprised at Maureen’s friendliness to Pecola, but pleased” (pg 68). Maureen disrespected Pecola and her friends after taking them out for ice cream “ I am cute! And you ugly! Black and ugly e mos. I am cute!” (pg 71) all this strengthened by the cold of the weather. Summer is maturity and knowledge Pecola loses knowledge in madness and finds comfort in an imaginary friend. Autumn rings in harvest. Pecola’s baby dies and marigolds don’t appear “ Quiet as it’s kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941. We thought, at the time,
that it was because Pecola was having her father’s baby that the marigolds did not grow” ( pg 5). “ Quiet as it’s kept” signifying that it is a secret that is not talked about. This opens the novel hence adding meaning and value to the quote.