The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye is written by Toni Morrison, the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Morrison presents this novel in a very authentic and compelling way to her audience. This book was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and has a powerful lesson that is taught to the reader. Issues of white supremacy and race are the most prevalent throughout the story. The Bluest Eye is set in Lorain, Ohio in 1941 where the main character is that of an 11 year-old black girl named Pecola Breedlove. The Breedlove family is portrayed as ugly and Pecola receives the most disgust because of her ugliness.
Pecola is a young girl who fantasizes of having blue eyes because to her they are symbolic of American white beauty. She is captivated by the child star, Shirley Temple whom is the definition of this American beauty that is talked about throughout the book. Pecola is convinced that if she were to have these blue eyes that people would ultimately love her and not consider her to be “ugly”.
Claudia, Pecola’s best friend, is the opposite to that of Pecola’s beliefs. She despises the idea of this American white beauty. Claudia cannot seem to understand why Pecola longs to have these blue eyes. Everyone tells Claudia of this beauty, but she can’t find or understand this novelty of beauty. Throughout the book Claudia searches for these answers.
Pecola throughout the book is shown as yearning to be the opposite of what she is. This is only because she is continually spat upon, ridiculed, and ultimately raped and impregnated by her own father. Pecola is subjected to several aspects of ugliness and in the end becomes the scapegoat of not only her family but also the community, in order to make them feel beautiful.
The entire book is a real tragedy that was very difficult to read at times. Morrison writes this book in a captivating way that it was also hard to put down. The point of view all throughout the story is passed along from character to character with Morrison being the unifying voice throughout. Morrison ends the book not like most traditional stories are concluded. It was refreshing to read something that seemed to be very close to Morrison and left me, the reader, thinking about the several issues that are presented in the book.