The Bluest Eye Racism Essay
The Effects of Racism and Family Instability in The Bluest Eye Black people have faced the unimaginable throughout their history. Without justifiable reasoning, black people have faced a great deal of racism and unstable family lives. In Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, characters experience racism from many different people and in many different ways. Most characters also come from broken homes where family stability is not prioritized. Throughout the novel, the effects of racism and poor family life become apparent. Toni Morrison uses the recurring themes of black self-hatred to demonstrate the effects of racism and unstable family life in the Rural South of the Early 20th Century. Self-hatred is the feeling of extreme personal dislike and
…show more content…
At a very young age, young girls like Pecola and Frieda are concerned with their appearance and are indirectly taught that black is not beautiful. When writing about the topic of racism presented throughout the novel, literary critic Imelda Martin-Junquera states, “The litany repeated throughout the narrative refers to the inner wishes of black girls to be like Shirley Temple and live in a house with a white fence” (Martin-Junquera 1). A common theme throughout the novel is the young girls’ desires to appear like their idol, Shirley Temple. They admire her lifestyle, beauty, and the fame she receives from it, and thereby want to resemble her. The insecurity the girls face from idolizing a white girl is proven evident with their obsession over Shirley Temple. Pecola’s obsession with white beauty became so intense that “each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes” (Morrison 61). Blue eyes are a common beauty deal for white people so the fact that Pecola prayed for blue eyes every night demonstrated how badly she wanted a white physical characteristic and was not secure with the eyes she had. White worship is prevalent through the character, Maureen. Maureen was a half black, half white young girl who lived a “white” lifestyle and was praised in her school for it. Claudia wanted to be hostile towards her, however, none of the girls went along with it because “they adored
At a very young age, young girls like Pecola and Frieda are concerned with their appearance and are indirectly taught that black is not beautiful. When writing about the topic of racism presented throughout the novel, literary critic Imelda Martin-Junquera states, “The litany repeated throughout the narrative refers to the inner wishes of black girls to be like Shirley Temple and live in a house with a white fence” (Martin-Junquera 1). A common theme throughout the novel is the young girls’ desires to appear like their idol, Shirley Temple. They admire her lifestyle, beauty, and the fame she receives from it, and thereby want to resemble her. The insecurity the girls face from idolizing a white girl is proven evident with their obsession over Shirley Temple. Pecola’s obsession with white beauty became so intense that “each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes” (Morrison 61). Blue eyes are a common beauty deal for white people so the fact that Pecola prayed for blue eyes every night demonstrated how badly she wanted a white physical characteristic and was not secure with the eyes she had. White worship is prevalent through the character, Maureen. Maureen was a half black, half white young girl who lived a “white” lifestyle and was praised in her school for it. Claudia wanted to be hostile towards her, however, none of the girls went along with it because “they adored