Throughout history, American beauty standards have continued to give an unfair advantage to those with light skin. These ideals consequently leave a lasting and painful impression on those that do not fit this criteria. Toni Morrison, an African American female novelist who experienced these hindrances firsthand, brings to light the struggle African Americans face daily to overcome these systematic barriers in her works. Through symbolism and contrasting perspectives that follow eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove’s desperate pursuit of blue eyes, Morrison’s The Bluest Eye analyzes the way in which race affects social status and calls for action against white superiority in society. By demonstrating the decline in Pecola’s mental state, Morrison
…show more content…
After several atrocities, finalized by rape by her father, the marigolds in the garden fail to bloom: “…a September, an autumn, without marigolds. Bright, common, strong and sturdy marigolds” (Morrison 213). Pecola’s mental state no longer mirrors this durable symbol of normality and familiarity. Environmental elements devastate Pecola as they do the marigolds, leaving them both ruined and unable to thrive in their condition (“The Bluest Eye”). Pecola does not reach her dream of perfection or even the self-assurance she needs; she is consequently consumed by uncertainty and fear, rendered unable to blossom. “…The horror at the heart of her yearning is exceeded only by the evil of fulfilment” (Morrison 204). Pecola’s unhappiness quickly renders her insane, trapped by institutionalized barriers she believed she could overcome. Instead she is overcome with bizarre birdlike motions of her arms and atypical silence, living as “a winged but grounded bird, intent on the blue void it could not reach…” (204). The Breedloves, as if marked by a scarlet letter, vacate to the edge of town, where Pecola lives “silent, isolated, insane” (Miner). Through ostracism one can Morrison gives noteworthy insight on institutionalized racism throughout The Bluest Eye by utilizing her characters’ encounters with marginalization. Using symbolism to compose a world that drives her point home, Morrison’s novel makes for an effective and compelling call against destructive racist ideals. From this novel, one can take away the anguish, mortification, and lunacy that results from said issues. Therefore, the illustration of Pecola Breedlove’s descent into madness is one to be scrutinized and
After several atrocities, finalized by rape by her father, the marigolds in the garden fail to bloom: “…a September, an autumn, without marigolds. Bright, common, strong and sturdy marigolds” (Morrison 213). Pecola’s mental state no longer mirrors this durable symbol of normality and familiarity. Environmental elements devastate Pecola as they do the marigolds, leaving them both ruined and unable to thrive in their condition (“The Bluest Eye”). Pecola does not reach her dream of perfection or even the self-assurance she needs; she is consequently consumed by uncertainty and fear, rendered unable to blossom. “…The horror at the heart of her yearning is exceeded only by the evil of fulfilment” (Morrison 204). Pecola’s unhappiness quickly renders her insane, trapped by institutionalized barriers she believed she could overcome. Instead she is overcome with bizarre birdlike motions of her arms and atypical silence, living as “a winged but grounded bird, intent on the blue void it could not reach…” (204). The Breedloves, as if marked by a scarlet letter, vacate to the edge of town, where Pecola lives “silent, isolated, insane” (Miner). Through ostracism one can Morrison gives noteworthy insight on institutionalized racism throughout The Bluest Eye by utilizing her characters’ encounters with marginalization. Using symbolism to compose a world that drives her point home, Morrison’s novel makes for an effective and compelling call against destructive racist ideals. From this novel, one can take away the anguish, mortification, and lunacy that results from said issues. Therefore, the illustration of Pecola Breedlove’s descent into madness is one to be scrutinized and