“The Bluest Eye” is a novel by Toni Morrison that was first published in 1970. The story follows the life of an 11 year old African American girl, Pecola Breedlove, and her daily struggle in being black. The audience is introduced to Pecola’s friends, Frieda and Claudia MacTeer. Beauty is a main theme through out the novel, and Shirley Temple was a beauty icon for little girls during the time period. Claudia despised the idea that white skin and blue eyes equals beauty, but Pecola feel into the trap. She desired blue eyes because she felt that they would make her less ugly. Because Pecola knew she was unable to change her skin color, blue eyes was the next best alternative to fitting in.
The author, Toni Morrison, clearly wrote the book for black women in the United States. Because I am a white woman, it was hard for me to follow the story and put myself in Pecola’s shoes. However, “The Bluest Eye” was very well written because we were able to see the effect that standardized beauty has, specifically on a young girl who was always said to be ugly because of her skin color. What I did not like about the book was the fact that there was not one narrator and that the point of view kept switching from the girls time period to 40 years before their time. Morrison did a good job at explaining why Pecola was the way that she was, but it was hard to follow.
For an individual who is of a minority race, the book may have been more valuable. For myself, it was enlightening to read, but was not that powerful because I could not relate to the main characters. The novel is a sad, depressive read but very well written. I would recommend that everyone read the book, but it will most likely be more powerful to those who can relate.
The author, Toni Morrison, clearly wrote the book for black women in the United States. Because I am a white woman, it was hard for me to follow the story and put myself in Pecola’s shoes. However, “The Bluest Eye” was very well written because we were able to see the effect that standardized beauty has, specifically on a young girl who was always said to be ugly because of her skin color. What I did not like about the book was the fact that there was not one narrator and that the point of view kept switching from the girls time period to 40 years before their time. Morrison did a good job at explaining why Pecola was the way that she was, but it was hard to follow.
For an individual who is of a minority race, the book may have been more valuable. For myself, it was enlightening to read, but was not that powerful because I could not relate to the main characters. The novel is a sad, depressive read but very well written. I would recommend that everyone read the book, but it will most likely be more powerful to those who can relate.
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