Taufiq Yves's Reviews > The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison centers around Pecola, an 11-year-old black girl living in a black neighborhood in Ohio. Pecola's mother works as a maid for a middle-class white family, where she dotes on the white children but is harsh towards her own daughter. Pecola's father is an alcoholic who frequently abuses his wife and Pecola's older brother. Unable to bear the constant family strife, Pecola's brother runs away from home. At school, Pecola faces bullying and ridicule from her classmates. A white girl pretends to be friends with her but only does so to impress the boys in their class. Pecola's final days at school end with humiliation from this white girl.

Pecola often prays to God, wishing for a pair of blue eyes. She believes that if she had the most beautiful blue eyes like the white girls, people would stop bullying her, stop mocking her ugliness, and her family would be perfect. Her father would no longer drink or be abusive, her mother would be more loving, her brother would return home, and she would have many friends to play with.

One quiet afternoon, while washing dishes at home, Pecola is raped by her drunken father. From that point forward, she develops schizophrenia. In her delusional state, she imagines an imaginary self with a pair of blue eyes she's always desired. Ultimately, she dies in childbirth.

What truly pains me is not the book itself, but the subconscious images of white characters that formed in my mind while reading. It was only when I realized this that I understood how deeply we are bound by societal norms. Just as the black girl receives a Barbie doll for her birthday, a symbol universally associated with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, reflecting the dominance of white beauty standards. This is why she desires blue eyes so much. In her young mind, everything associated with white is beautiful, and she, as someone on the opposite end of the spectrum, is inherently ugly. The novel repeatedly uses the word 'ugly' to describe the girl. This made me wonder: who decides what is beautiful or ugly? Can someone else's opinion of our appearance be a reason for us to feel inadequate?

A particularly poignant aspect of the novel is the prejudice Black people experience from other people of color: Junior only played with white kids because his mother wouldn't let him play with Black kids. This is how she explained the difference between colored people and black people to him: They were easy to tell apart, colored people were neat and quiet; Black people were dirty and noisy... The distinction between people of color and Black people was not always obvious. Subtle cues could reveal the truth and blur the lines, making constant vigilance necessary. This self-delusion is actually a reflection of their own self-loathing and inability to accept who they are. Consequently, they are destined to fall short and they could never become what they wanted to be.

Despite being a frequently discussed topic, racial discrimination continues to exist. The dominant society often holds the view that marginalized groups should be content with their circumstances. This attitude mirrors the struggles faced by women, emphasizing the interconnectedness of social justice movements. Addressing discrimination is crucial for the betterment of society as a whole.

3.9 / 5 stars