The neighbors’ reaction to Pecola’s rape illustrates the community’s alarming lack of empathy. Instead of sympathizing with Pecola, the ladies speculate whether she was partially to blame for what happened to her, which in itself is unsettling considering Pecola is only 10 years old. However, it is significant because it exemplifies how prejudice can make people blind to the pain and struggling of others.
Pecola’s baby is the product of hatred, violence, and incest. The neighbors wish for its death because the baby’s life would serve as a constant and disturbing reminder of the evils that exist in their society. They are disgusted by the idea of the baby’s physical appearance, stating, “She be lucky if it don’t live. Bound to be the ugliest thing walking” (189).
On the other side of the spectrum, …show more content…
The barren soil does not allow the marigolds to blossom just as the cruel, unforgiving society does not provide the resources necessary for Pecola’s growth. Although Claudia and Frieda believe they’ve failed Pecola because their seeds never sprout, it is clear that the soil is ultimately to blame. In the last paragraph of the novel, Claudia states, “I talk about how I did not plant the seeds too deeply, how it was the fault of the earth, the land, of our town” (206), signifying the realization that she and Frieda could not have saved Pecola nor her baby, despite how hard they tried, for society is too large and too powerful to change, just as the laws of nature are impossible to alter. Through ignoring Pecola’s suffering and refusing to acknowledge her rape, as well as the multitude of racial problems that destroy the hopes and dreams all black citizens, Pecola’s community has failed her. Morrison uses Pecola as an example the detrimental effects racism and hatred have on the most defenseless of victims: a young, poor black
Pecola’s baby is the product of hatred, violence, and incest. The neighbors wish for its death because the baby’s life would serve as a constant and disturbing reminder of the evils that exist in their society. They are disgusted by the idea of the baby’s physical appearance, stating, “She be lucky if it don’t live. Bound to be the ugliest thing walking” (189).
On the other side of the spectrum, …show more content…
The barren soil does not allow the marigolds to blossom just as the cruel, unforgiving society does not provide the resources necessary for Pecola’s growth. Although Claudia and Frieda believe they’ve failed Pecola because their seeds never sprout, it is clear that the soil is ultimately to blame. In the last paragraph of the novel, Claudia states, “I talk about how I did not plant the seeds too deeply, how it was the fault of the earth, the land, of our town” (206), signifying the realization that she and Frieda could not have saved Pecola nor her baby, despite how hard they tried, for society is too large and too powerful to change, just as the laws of nature are impossible to alter. Through ignoring Pecola’s suffering and refusing to acknowledge her rape, as well as the multitude of racial problems that destroy the hopes and dreams all black citizens, Pecola’s community has failed her. Morrison uses Pecola as an example the detrimental effects racism and hatred have on the most defenseless of victims: a young, poor black