Short Story Analysis: The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison
Sage Young
Mr. Rooks
18 September 2015
English 1B
Short Fiction Paper
The theme of the story, “The Bluest Eye” written by Toni Morrison, demonstrates the connection between the self-esteem of African-American people (beauty and ugliness), racism and hate. The reason why this theme is discussed was because, we can go back to the origins of African-Americans, it relates to the African diaspora, Jim Crow era, and how people negatively look at blacks today in society, and white supremacy destroyed black imaginary. But before this goes on furthermore, the audience needs to understand the importance of the dominant society which strongly removed the identity of African-American. Claudia and Maureen play perfect roles during the story. They show …show more content…
Implicit messages that being white (meaning trying to fit with whites), is everywhere, leaning that white supremacy is good. First, the way it is demonstrated is that when Claudia got a white baby as a gift, she was comparing it to herself. She didn’t like it because, she looked down at her skin color. She was taught that white is better than black skin. Now with the idealization of Shirley Temple, the consensus that light-skinned Maureen is better looking than other black girls, the ideal of white beauty in movies that she’s sees, ands Pauline Breedlove’s preference for the little white girl she works for her daughter. Adult women have learned to not like their own bodies, and teach this hatred to their children. Mrs. Breedlove shares that the conviction that Pecola is ugly, and lighter-skinned Geraldine curses Pecola’s dark skin tome. So Claudia remains free from this worship of whiteness, and she imagines Pecola’s unborn baby as in its blackness. The hint is that once Claudia reaches adolescence, she will learn to hate herself …show more content…
The characters are repeatedly being subjected to images of whiteness offered through movies, books, magazines, toys, and of course advertisements. Early into the story, Pecola gushes over Shirley Temple’s beauty, and later on Mrs. Breedlove spends her days at the movies admiring the white actresses, wishing she could be in their place. The association between beauty and whiteness pushes the idea of beauty beyond the body’s exterior, making it a signifier of one’s value and worth. Many characters in the book believe their beauty means who they are in society, community, and
Mr. Rooks
18 September 2015
English 1B
Short Fiction Paper
The theme of the story, “The Bluest Eye” written by Toni Morrison, demonstrates the connection between the self-esteem of African-American people (beauty and ugliness), racism and hate. The reason why this theme is discussed was because, we can go back to the origins of African-Americans, it relates to the African diaspora, Jim Crow era, and how people negatively look at blacks today in society, and white supremacy destroyed black imaginary. But before this goes on furthermore, the audience needs to understand the importance of the dominant society which strongly removed the identity of African-American. Claudia and Maureen play perfect roles during the story. They show …show more content…
Implicit messages that being white (meaning trying to fit with whites), is everywhere, leaning that white supremacy is good. First, the way it is demonstrated is that when Claudia got a white baby as a gift, she was comparing it to herself. She didn’t like it because, she looked down at her skin color. She was taught that white is better than black skin. Now with the idealization of Shirley Temple, the consensus that light-skinned Maureen is better looking than other black girls, the ideal of white beauty in movies that she’s sees, ands Pauline Breedlove’s preference for the little white girl she works for her daughter. Adult women have learned to not like their own bodies, and teach this hatred to their children. Mrs. Breedlove shares that the conviction that Pecola is ugly, and lighter-skinned Geraldine curses Pecola’s dark skin tome. So Claudia remains free from this worship of whiteness, and she imagines Pecola’s unborn baby as in its blackness. The hint is that once Claudia reaches adolescence, she will learn to hate herself …show more content…
The characters are repeatedly being subjected to images of whiteness offered through movies, books, magazines, toys, and of course advertisements. Early into the story, Pecola gushes over Shirley Temple’s beauty, and later on Mrs. Breedlove spends her days at the movies admiring the white actresses, wishing she could be in their place. The association between beauty and whiteness pushes the idea of beauty beyond the body’s exterior, making it a signifier of one’s value and worth. Many characters in the book believe their beauty means who they are in society, community, and