Through the character of Pecola Breedlove, Toni Morrison illustrates that society has caused many black people to lose their self-esteem and feel inferior to white people. All her life, Pecola is vulnerable to the messages society carries about black people because of who she is: a black girl in her youth. The narrator, Claudia (as an adult) described Pecola as the person that everyone compared themselves to in order to feel better about themselves. “Her simplicity decorated us, her guilt sanctified us, her pain made us glow with health, her awkwardness made us think we had a sense of humor.” (p. 205) Society had made black people feel inferior than white people, and as a result, the people in Pecola’s life used Pecola as a scapegoat.
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Maureen is lighter skinned than Pecola, Claudia and Frieda, but is still African American. However, she acts more superior over the other black girls because of her skin color and the wealth of her family. “While Frieda and I clucked on about the near fight, Maureen, suddenly animated, put her velvet sleeved arm through Pecola’s, and began to behave as though they were the closest of friends.” (p. 67) Maureen tries to be friends with Pecola to make herself feel good that she is befriending someone that everyone hates. Later, Maureen insults the girls for being black, despite the fact that she was also black herself. “What do I care about her old black daddy?” asked Maureen. “Black? Who you calling black?” “You!”” (p. 73) This offends the three girls greatly, and causes Pecola much pain. Maureen being black looks down on other black girls because of their skin and this causes her to lose her racial …show more content…
Cholly was abandoned when he was only four days old, and was raised up by his great aunt Jimmy. When he was young, he had his first sexual encounter with a girl and was caught by two white men when he was in the middle of the sexual act. Instead of getting angry at him, the two men urged Cholly to keep going. Cholly felt powerless when the white men came and told him to keep going, so he took his anger out on the girl because she was more vulnerable than him. “Never did he once consider directing his hatred toward the hunters. Such an emotion would have destroyed him. They were big, white armed men. He was small, black, helpless.” (p. 150) Cholly had little control in his life because of the society he lives in, and he tries to take his anger out on anyone who is weaker than he. Cholly also never had actual parents because his father left before he was born and his mother abandoned him when he was only a baby. Society’s white standards of having a stable nuclear family never happened in Cholly’s family. “Having no idea of how to raise children, and having never watched any parent raise himself, he could not even comprehend what such a relationship should be.” (p. 160) Cholly never felt the affections of a parent so he did not know how to show affection to his children. As a
Maureen is lighter skinned than Pecola, Claudia and Frieda, but is still African American. However, she acts more superior over the other black girls because of her skin color and the wealth of her family. “While Frieda and I clucked on about the near fight, Maureen, suddenly animated, put her velvet sleeved arm through Pecola’s, and began to behave as though they were the closest of friends.” (p. 67) Maureen tries to be friends with Pecola to make herself feel good that she is befriending someone that everyone hates. Later, Maureen insults the girls for being black, despite the fact that she was also black herself. “What do I care about her old black daddy?” asked Maureen. “Black? Who you calling black?” “You!”” (p. 73) This offends the three girls greatly, and causes Pecola much pain. Maureen being black looks down on other black girls because of their skin and this causes her to lose her racial …show more content…
Cholly was abandoned when he was only four days old, and was raised up by his great aunt Jimmy. When he was young, he had his first sexual encounter with a girl and was caught by two white men when he was in the middle of the sexual act. Instead of getting angry at him, the two men urged Cholly to keep going. Cholly felt powerless when the white men came and told him to keep going, so he took his anger out on the girl because she was more vulnerable than him. “Never did he once consider directing his hatred toward the hunters. Such an emotion would have destroyed him. They were big, white armed men. He was small, black, helpless.” (p. 150) Cholly had little control in his life because of the society he lives in, and he tries to take his anger out on anyone who is weaker than he. Cholly also never had actual parents because his father left before he was born and his mother abandoned him when he was only a baby. Society’s white standards of having a stable nuclear family never happened in Cholly’s family. “Having no idea of how to raise children, and having never watched any parent raise himself, he could not even comprehend what such a relationship should be.” (p. 160) Cholly never felt the affections of a parent so he did not know how to show affection to his children. As a