In 1970, Toni Morrison published her first novel, The Bluest Eye. Set towards the conclusion of the Great Depression, The Bluest Eye follows a year in the life of 11-year old Pecola Breedlove, seen through the eyes of 9-year old Claudia MacTeer, Pecola’s peer, and an omniscient third party. Pecola longs for love and acceptance that she believes her black ethnicity deprives her of, and believes that “beauty” (blond hair and the “bluest” eyes) will abolish her invisibility in white society. Harboring dark themes such as incest, rape, racism, physical abuse, harassment, and neglect, Morrison’s narrative deviates from typical novels of its day. As the characters of The Bluest Eye, particularly Pecola, experience these listed horrors, one may
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Parental abuse, in particular, causes deep psychological distress for children. According to Berk, author of Infants and Children, four forms of child maltreatment exist: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse (402). Between Cholly and Pauline Breedlove, Pecola experiences all four types. Various factors associated with child maltreatment resonate with the family and feed into the abuse: poverty, partner abuse, disorganized household, social isolation, and cultural acceptance. The consequences of child maltreatment prove extensive, often resulting in depression, aggressive behavior, delinquency, peer difficulties, etc. Some children, states Berk, experience “low self-esteem, high anxiety, self-blame, and efforts to escape extreme psychological pain” (404). These outcomes, in particular, show themselves strongly through Pecola. In relation to her rapes, Arnett (Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood) states that “the effects of sexual abuse tend to be even more profound and pervasive than the effects of physical abuse” (205). Victims of sexual abuse also develop a higher risk for a variety of psychological disorders. Furthermore, according to Arnett, “Support from the mother after a father’s sexual abuse has been disclosed is especially important to girls’ recovery from sexual abuse; daughters cope far better if their mothers believe them, rather than rejecting or blaming them” (Arnett 205). By expressing her disbelief and further abusing Pecola by beating her, Mrs. Breedlove deprives Pecola of the support to cope and heal from her rape. This is, perhaps, her daughter’s final undoing that triggers the disintegration of her
Parental abuse, in particular, causes deep psychological distress for children. According to Berk, author of Infants and Children, four forms of child maltreatment exist: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse (402). Between Cholly and Pauline Breedlove, Pecola experiences all four types. Various factors associated with child maltreatment resonate with the family and feed into the abuse: poverty, partner abuse, disorganized household, social isolation, and cultural acceptance. The consequences of child maltreatment prove extensive, often resulting in depression, aggressive behavior, delinquency, peer difficulties, etc. Some children, states Berk, experience “low self-esteem, high anxiety, self-blame, and efforts to escape extreme psychological pain” (404). These outcomes, in particular, show themselves strongly through Pecola. In relation to her rapes, Arnett (Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood) states that “the effects of sexual abuse tend to be even more profound and pervasive than the effects of physical abuse” (205). Victims of sexual abuse also develop a higher risk for a variety of psychological disorders. Furthermore, according to Arnett, “Support from the mother after a father’s sexual abuse has been disclosed is especially important to girls’ recovery from sexual abuse; daughters cope far better if their mothers believe them, rather than rejecting or blaming them” (Arnett 205). By expressing her disbelief and further abusing Pecola by beating her, Mrs. Breedlove deprives Pecola of the support to cope and heal from her rape. This is, perhaps, her daughter’s final undoing that triggers the disintegration of her