inside the most delicate member of society: a child; the most vulnerable member: a female.” (xi) The novel is set in Lorain, Ohio after the Great Depression, and tells the tragic story of a young black girl named Pecola Breedlove who loves Shirley Temple and believes that whiteness is beautiful and that her blackness is inherently ugly. Pecola encounters racism on a daily basis, not only from white people, but her own race as well. Her home life is hard, her father, Cholly is an alcoholic, fights with her mom Pauline and in one drunken moment rapes her. She never fights back against her tormentors, instead she imagines that if she were prettier people would treat her better and dreams of having blue eyes. “It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes,
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She also did not allow him to play with “niggers” “She explained to him the difference between colored people and niggers. They were easily identifiable. Colored people were neat and quiet; niggers were dirty and loud.” (87) Junior took his hatred for his mother out on their cat and then started to enjoy bullying girls because he felt they were easy to scare. When, Junior spotted Pecola walking with her head down through the playground he invited her to his house to show her some kittens. She was hesitant at first but naive to the dangers involved in trusting herself to a male guide. “She was deep in admiration of the flowers when Junior said, “Here!” Pecola turned. “Here is your kitten!” he screeched. And he threw a big black cat right in her face.” (89) Pecola takes a breath, surprised at the unexpected cat clawing at her face and heads for the door. “Junior leaped in front of her. “You can’t get out. You’re my prisoner.” (90) He locks her in a room by holding a door shut, but when Pecola becomes distracted by the cat and stops crying, he opens the door and grabs the cat from her and swings it around by one of its hind
She also did not allow him to play with “niggers” “She explained to him the difference between colored people and niggers. They were easily identifiable. Colored people were neat and quiet; niggers were dirty and loud.” (87) Junior took his hatred for his mother out on their cat and then started to enjoy bullying girls because he felt they were easy to scare. When, Junior spotted Pecola walking with her head down through the playground he invited her to his house to show her some kittens. She was hesitant at first but naive to the dangers involved in trusting herself to a male guide. “She was deep in admiration of the flowers when Junior said, “Here!” Pecola turned. “Here is your kitten!” he screeched. And he threw a big black cat right in her face.” (89) Pecola takes a breath, surprised at the unexpected cat clawing at her face and heads for the door. “Junior leaped in front of her. “You can’t get out. You’re my prisoner.” (90) He locks her in a room by holding a door shut, but when Pecola becomes distracted by the cat and stops crying, he opens the door and grabs the cat from her and swings it around by one of its hind