The Bluest Eye
By Toni Morrison
Written in:
New York: 1962–1965
First published in 1970
Setting:
Set in 1941 in Lorain, Ohio, Toni
Morrison's novel centers on a
particularly difficult year in the
life of eleven year old Pecola
Breedlove. Pecola comes from
a poor and poorly adjusted
black family.
Pecola feels ugly and
unaccepted by the
world around her, and
longs for blue eyes—
Shirley Temple eyes—
which she believes will
make her beautiful,
happy and finally
accepted.
Exigency:
In the Afterword to The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison writes that the
novel came out of a childhood conversation she could never
forget.
She remembers a young black girl she knew who wanted blue
eyes, and how, like Claudia MacTeer in the novel, this
confession made her really angry.
Surrounded by the Black Is Beautiful movement of late 1960s
African-American culture, Morrison decided to write a novel
about how internalized racism affects young black girls in a
range of ways – some petty and minute, some tragic and
overwhelming.
Historical Context:
Yet Pecola's story encompasses
much more:
 the effects of poverty felt by
so many families, especially
poor black families during the
Depression
 the effects of racism and
segregation
 distortion of self-image
encouraged by media
depictions of beauty and
happiness
 the struggles of rural families
who moved north to find work
in industrial areas.
Themes: Whiteness as the Standard of Beauty
The Bluest Eye provides an
extended depiction of the
ways in which internalized
white beauty standards
deform the lives of black girls
and women.
Consider the effects this has
on the characters in novel,
and the overall societal result
of such a standard.
Critical Reception:
Due to its unflinching portrayal of incest,
prostitution, domestic violence, child
molestation, and racism, there have been
numerous attempts to ban the book from
libraries and schools across the United
States, some of them successful.
Themes: Seeing vs. Being Seen
Pecola’s desire for blue eyes,
while highly unrealistic, is
based on one correct insight
into her world: she believes
that the cruelty she witnesses
and experiences is connected
to how she is seen. If she had
beautiful blue eyes, Pecola
imagines, people would not
want to do ugly things in front
of her or to her.
What do black women in the novel
ultimately have to sacrifice in order
to see themselves as beautiful?
The Power of Stories
The Bluest Eye is not one story, but multiple, sometimes
contradictory, interlocking stories. Characters tell stories to make
sense of their lives, and these stories have tremendous power for
both good and evil.
Consider each
character’s motives
for telling their
individual stories,
what it reveals about
them and what they
get out of telling the
story.
Themes: Sexual Initiation and Abuse
To a large degree, The Bluest Eye is about both the pleasures and
the perils of sexual initiation. In the novel, parents carry much of
the blame for their children’s often traumatic sexual coming-ofage. The prevalence of sexual violence in the novel suggests
that racism is not the only thing that distorts black girlhoods.
Consider the
connection between
racism and sexism in
the novel as well as the
role that parents play in
perpetuating
views about race and
gender.
Themes: Satisfying Appetites vs.
Suppressing Them
A number of characters in The
Bluest Eye define their lives
through a denial of their
bodily needs. In contrast,
when characters experience
happiness, it is generally in
viscerally physical terms.
Consider what the novel
suggests about human
desire: How does one
achieve true happiness and
redemption?
Motifs: The Dick-and-Jane Narrative
The novel opens with a distorted narrative from a Dickand-Jane reading primer. The chapter headings
throughout the novel are excerpted from this primer.
What is the significance of this reference? What
inferences are embedded in the alteration of the
primer? What is the inherent irony of this motif?
Motifs: The Seasons and Nature
The novel is divided into the four
seasons. As you read each
section, consider both societal
associations and your individual
associations with each season.
Does the plot match societal
expectations for each season?
Do Pecola’s associations match
your own? Why or why not?
Motifs: Whiteness and Color
Consider the duality of what whiteness
represents in the novel. What do various
colors represent? Are these soft or vibrant
colors? What do these symbolic motifs
suggest about race and happiness?
Motifs: Eyes and Vision
Eyes and vision (or lack thereof), both externally and
internally, literally and metaphorically, are another
important, recurring motif in this novel. What
messages are conveyed to the characters, and in
turn to the reader, by this motif?
Motifs: Dirtiness and Cleanliness
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What are the cultural
implications of each?
What is judged as dirty or
clean?
What are the characters’
relationships with
cleanliness and dirtiness?
What does this reveal about
them, what they value and
what they are seeking?
Symbols:
These symbols are embedded with layers of
meaning, some which contain an intentional
duality. Consider their developing meanings
as we progress throughout the text.
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The House
The Bluest Eye(s)
Marigolds