by WB Intern, Deborah Darden
Summary:
The Bluest Eye is a very powerful novel by acclaimed author Toni Morrison. It dives deep into the life of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, a black girl with one simple wish—to have blue eyes. The story highlights both the backstory and the outcome of this desire.
Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do. — Toni Morrison
The setting for this story takes place in the 1930s, a time when racial tension was still very much at an all-time high. The primary focus is on the life of Pecola Breedlove, a little girl whose life is more on the tragic side. Her elder brother is a consistent runaway and her parents quarrel to the point of throwing punches at each other. It doesn’t help that her father is a drunk.
To make matters even more depressing, Pecola is an African American girl constantly berated and shunned due to the color of her skin. Toni highlights this discrimination by showing that almost everyone views Pecola as physically unattractive. However, we believe that this merely proved to further emphasize the racial beauty practically thrown into the faces of every young girl during those years. Although the standard for beauty has changed dramatically over recent years, in those times the bar was firmly set and unyielding, which worked against Pecola.
If we’re being honest, this was a particularly difficult story to get through. Even though Pecola’s story is certainly a unique one, there are parts that all black girls and women can identify with. This is part of what makes the novel so profound. Making an effort to stand tall in the midst of social stereotypes is one thing, but throwing racial prejudices into the mix makes it almost unbearable.
Furthermore, our main character’s hardships stack with opposing wealth statuses added in. Pecola’s family is one of many that are not exactly well-off. They have just enough income to survive and it provides another layer to the story. Toni showed us a fascinating perspective of a character who was broken by all of these pressures at such a young age and didn’t even realize it. She plants a peculiar wish inside our dear Pecola in response to these pressures–to have highly-praised blue eyes.
After seeing a shady doctor, Pecola is convinced that her wish finally came true and that people avoided making eye contact with her because of it. The ugly truth, unfortunately, is that Pecola became pregnant as a result of horrible circumstances, but she was unaware the entire town knew of those circumstances. Instead of people coming together to offer support and strength, she is met with distance and side glances, causing damage to her state of mind.
The Bluest Eye emphasizes the phrase “be careful what you wish for.” Perhaps the author also wants to stress the importance of how one perceives themselves and loving the way they are. It’s a lesson we all have to put into practice daily.
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About the Author
Deborah Darden is a writer born and raised in Texas. She currently resides in Round Rock, just outside of Austin. She is a graduate of Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing. Deborah has a passion for telling stories across different platforms and is currently working on a book series as well as a YouTube web series. She also enjoys writing short stories and even hopes to one day create her own anime television show. Apart from writing, Deborah loves reading and watching her favorite films.