"The Bluest Eye"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the character of Pecola Breedlove, an unloved and mistreated African-American girl in Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye". The paper describes how she becomes enthralled by the blue eyes and white skin of former child movie star Shirley Temple. The paper portrays the magical whiteness and social power of Maureen Peal, the image Morrison uses of feminine beauty. The paper looks at Pauline Breedlove, Pecola's mother and her unkind view of Pecola. The paper points out that the failure to show love to a child can have a negative effect on that person for the rest of his/her life.

Outline:
Introduction
Body of Paper
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Morrison's characters help tell her story through their actions and their words. For example, the character Pecola Breedlove is an African American girl that everyone says is very ugly, which is unfair and makes Pecola feel bad about herself. So Pecola tries to escape her difficult situation and in doing so she reaches out to symbols of something to look up to, something to aspire to. In the process of doing this she becomes mesmerized and even enthralled by the blue eyes and white skin of former child movie star Shirley Temple. Everywhere she looks, "white skin and blue eyes are taken as signs of beauty," writes Keith E. Byerman in the book Modern Critical Views: Toni Morrison."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Byerman, Keith E. "Beyond Realism: The Fictions of Toni Morrison" in Modern Critical Views: Toni Morrison, Ed. Harold Bloom, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990.
• Harris, Trudier. Fiction and Folklore: The Novels of Toni Morrison. Knoxville: The University Of Tennessee Press, 1991.
• Kuenz, Jane. "The Bluest Eye: Notes on History, Community, and Black Female Subjectivity."African American Review 27.3 (1993): 421-430.
• Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.
• Rosenberg, Ruth. "Seeds in Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye." Melus 21.4 (1987): 435-445.

More papers on "The Bluest Eye":

• Analytical Essay # 138419 : "Power and Impotence in "The Bluest Eye"
• Book Review # 95825 : "The Bluest Eye"--A Review"
• Book Review # 67487 : "The Bluest Eye" and Racism in America"
• Analytical Essay # 4028 : "Discrimination in "The Bluest Eye"

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