Bigotry In The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison

There are plenty of American literature that deal with the legacy of slavery and the embedded racism that followed. Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” however takes a different approach from the traditional white versus black racism. The novel was written during the 60s and 70s; however it is set during the 1940s. In it Morrison depicts the lingering effects of constantly imposed white beauty being standardized in American society. By using characterization, she exposes a black community subscribed to the idea of a master narrative that light skin and blue eyes are beautiful. Thus, Morrison poignantly unlocks the door to the secrecy of the inevitable bigotry that can manifest within a culture. Geraldine’s character is the epitome of a bigotry …show more content…
The young narrator Claudia, serves as an alternative model of development for young black women. Similar to the civil rights movements of the 1960s. For instance, when Claudia blatantly expresses her hatred for white baby dolls and Shirley Temple, admired symbols for an ideal child. She is different from the other girls in that, she did not see the point of being a mother to a white doll or finds it comforting to sleep with. Instead she wished to “examine it to see what it was that all the world said was lovable” (21) about the doll. Subconsciously in doing so, Claudia could then find what was so different and special about being whiter skinned. Instead Claudia discovers “gauze,” “metal,” and “disks,” nothing of substantial beauty. Theoretically, the black society is therefore unsuccessful in defining the beauty that separates them from white beauty. Despite the circumstance, it should be noted that Claudia’s resistance to the mass narrative is a reflection of the civil rights movement occurring during this time. Like Claudia McTeer, The Freedom Rides illuminated courage and they inspired “rural southern blacks embrace civil disobedience as a strategy for regaining their civil rights.” This inspiration would be seen in movements such as Mississippi’s Freedom Summer in 1964 and the Selma Movement in 1965. Claudia’s character parallel to the civil rights movements, …show more content…
In which Morrison provocatively creates an uncomfortable read making the novel take a much greater meaning than the reader anticipated. Pecola’s character is truly the most pathetic. However, she is a representation of the entire African American culture who even after slavery are mislead by the notion of white superiority and as a result are left with the plague of self