The “Bluest Eye” setting is in the period of great depression (1941) and partially it is an autobiography, as it is set in the town where Morrison grew up. What moved her towards writing the book was a conversation she had with a little girl who wanted to have blue eyes. She began writing it in 1962, when the Black is Beautiful movement was working to reclaim African-American beauty. (SparkNotes)
Morrison’s goal when writing the “Bluest Eye” was to share something with us, something that is not spoken about, something kept secret. The first sentence we see already starts as a mystery – “Quiet as it’s kept”. In that period of time black community was going through many crucial moments, such as the presence of inner racism, trying not to act …show more content…
Through the poorest class Morrison shows us the misery that black people have experienced and the malevolence towards each other caused by it. On the contrary we see the positive effect of white society, when Pauline feels better when given work in the kitchen. Families of Breedloves and MacTeers are shown in contrast to each other. However the real social representation is seen when looking at Pauline Breedlove and Pecola. In case of Pecola we can see the disgust of the Polish candy shop keeper, when he is described “unwilling” to touch her hand and is annoyed and irritated by her presence. The way he looked at her is “The total absence of human recognition- the glazed separateness” and “he hesitates, not wanting to touch her hand”. We can see the relationship towards the low class, perhaps because she is ugly, perhaps because she is black – he is disgusted, showing “interest, disgust, even anger”. However not only white people are disgusted by them, the inner racism is present as well. In the case of Pauline Breedlove we can see a truly crucial scene when she blames beats and rages on her daughter for getting raped, for spilling the kettle, however, she is nice and kind to the little white girl, even allowing her to call her by the nickname Polly that the white family gave her. “Mrs. Breedlove’s skin glowed like taffeta in the reflection of white …show more content…
“The novel tried to hit the raw nerve of racial self-contempt….” Even though at first it was not accepted, nevertheless, twenty five years later the book gained the respect it deserved and Morrison compares it to Pocola’s life : “dismissed, trivialized, misread”. The social groups were represented the way they were to “transfigure the complexity and wealth of Black-American culture into a language worthy of the culture”. (p 212, Afterward). Morrison has shown all what the black society had to go through to become what it is now, to reach the equality and through demonization and the crucial and disgusting scenes she has shown that the society is never perfect and never is purely
Morrison’s goal when writing the “Bluest Eye” was to share something with us, something that is not spoken about, something kept secret. The first sentence we see already starts as a mystery – “Quiet as it’s kept”. In that period of time black community was going through many crucial moments, such as the presence of inner racism, trying not to act …show more content…
Through the poorest class Morrison shows us the misery that black people have experienced and the malevolence towards each other caused by it. On the contrary we see the positive effect of white society, when Pauline feels better when given work in the kitchen. Families of Breedloves and MacTeers are shown in contrast to each other. However the real social representation is seen when looking at Pauline Breedlove and Pecola. In case of Pecola we can see the disgust of the Polish candy shop keeper, when he is described “unwilling” to touch her hand and is annoyed and irritated by her presence. The way he looked at her is “The total absence of human recognition- the glazed separateness” and “he hesitates, not wanting to touch her hand”. We can see the relationship towards the low class, perhaps because she is ugly, perhaps because she is black – he is disgusted, showing “interest, disgust, even anger”. However not only white people are disgusted by them, the inner racism is present as well. In the case of Pauline Breedlove we can see a truly crucial scene when she blames beats and rages on her daughter for getting raped, for spilling the kettle, however, she is nice and kind to the little white girl, even allowing her to call her by the nickname Polly that the white family gave her. “Mrs. Breedlove’s skin glowed like taffeta in the reflection of white …show more content…
“The novel tried to hit the raw nerve of racial self-contempt….” Even though at first it was not accepted, nevertheless, twenty five years later the book gained the respect it deserved and Morrison compares it to Pocola’s life : “dismissed, trivialized, misread”. The social groups were represented the way they were to “transfigure the complexity and wealth of Black-American culture into a language worthy of the culture”. (p 212, Afterward). Morrison has shown all what the black society had to go through to become what it is now, to reach the equality and through demonization and the crucial and disgusting scenes she has shown that the society is never perfect and never is purely