A Life of Worth

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the decision of Claudia MacTeer from "The Bluest Eye" to become a better person after she recognized her part in destroying another human being's life. The paper contrasts this choice to that of Lester Burnham who is dissatisfied with life and slips into apathy. The paper emphasizes how Claudia represents how we can derive something good out of a negative experience or a bad choice while Lester shows how one can simply give up and live a worthless life.

From the Paper:

"Toni Morrison maintains that a life of worth is something for which we must work, noting that a life of worth is filled with intricate, interesting work. She suggests that a life of worth is up to the individual and every choice along the way takes one in a positive or negative direction. Two characters that illustrate opposite extremes of this gamut are Claudia MacTeer from Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, and Lester Burnham in the film, American Beauty. Both characters experience challenges and both face crossroads but they handle them differently and we discover that how challenges are handled makes more difference than the challenges themselves."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning. 1999. Videocassette. Dreamworks.
• Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Plume Books. 1970.

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