Quest for Personal Identity in Toni Morrisons the Bluest Eye

Post World War I, many new opportunities were given to the growing and expanding group of African Americans living in the North. Almost 500,00 African Americans moved to the northern states between 1910 and 1920. This was the beginning of a continuing migration northward. More than 1,500,000 blacks went north in the 1930s and 2,500,00 in the 1940s. Life in the North was very hard for African Americans. Race riots, limited housing resulting in slum housing, and restricted job opportunities were only a few of the many hardships that the African American people had to face at this time. Families often had to separate, social agencies were overcrowded with people that all needed help, crime rates increased and many other†¦show more content†¦`Crazy foo...my floor, mess ...look what you...get on out...crazy...crazy...my floor , my floor.... Her words were hotter and darker than the smoking berries. The little [white] girl in pink started to cry. Mrs. Breedlove turned to her. `Hush, baby, hush. Dont cry no more (Morrison 109). Her mother viewed Pecola as an obstacle that had the potential to get in the way of her white charges happiness and consequently her happiness. Her mother refused to show any love to Pecola because it might interfere with more important things. For a little girl, the love of her mother is the most important love she can receive. Without that, how can she think that she is worth anything at all? Finally the rape by her father is the last evidence Pecola needs to believe completely that she is an ugly unlovable girl. While in most cases a father figure is one who little girls look to for guidance and approval, Cholly is the exact opposite. He hurts Pecola in a physical way that in one attempt measures up to the years of hurtful mockery. He took away from her the one thing that was utterly and completely hers. After the rape, Pecola was never even remotely the same: She was so sad to see. Grown people looked away; children, those who were not frightened by her, laughed outright. The damage done was total. She spent her days, walking up and down her head jerking to the beat of a drummer so distant only she could hear.Show MoreRelatedBeauty Is Pain And Its Effect On Society1401 Words   |  6 Pages1970’s disco, the definition of â€Å"attractiveness† continues to evolve. Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Bluest Eye, explores themes of beauty and the power of appearance. During the 1940’s, amidst World War II conflict, the â€Å"Aryan race† was praised/idolized for fair skin, light eyes, and blonde hair. Pecola, a young, low-class black girl strives to achieve this standard of beauty in hopes of discovering happiness/personal fulfillment in a world full/plagued with of moral unease. But to whatRead MoreThe Bluest Eye, And Marilynne Robinson s Housekeeping2047 Words   |  9 Pagessociety have a consistent, unavoidable impact on the individual and our own sense of identity. Whether it is the home we grow up in, the societal standards we face, or the relationships we lose and make, self-identification is significantly inf luenced by our surroundings. This journey to find oneself is a central theme within both Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, and Marilynne Robinson’s, Housekeeping. The Bluest Eye tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young African American girl who yearns