It truly is difficult to know where to begin with Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye because it was certainly not an easy read. So perhaps Ill have to begin with a narcissistic approach and reveal that the book caught my attention because it was on a banned book list somewhere. Maybe it reached that futile list for what some might deem strong sexual content as the first two lines of the introduction will reveal to you: Quiet as its kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941. We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her fathers baby that the marigolds did not grow. YesI would not put it in an elementary school childs hand as assigned reading; however, I would never keep it out of the hands of high school or even junior high school students either because it is a good learning tool.
Additionally, the afterward (written in 1993) helped since Toni Morrison explained that rape is (or once was) routinely given. (215) Im still not entirely sure if the character, Soaphead Church, needed to be a pedophile in order to deliver the message that Pecola wanted blue eyes and that shed be the only one able to see it. In the afterward, Toni Morrison also noted how the phrase, Quiet as its kept, had a dual purpose. 1) To introduce the scenario that the facts are being seen through children; and 2) it was supposed to invite the reader into a sort of secret. Again, narcissistic, but the latter didnt work for me since my first thought with the explanation of being put outdoors was of one entering a new world.
I suppose the gist of the story could be seen through the word: Love. In autumn, Claudia expresses how her mother was tough on her and her sister but it was love nonetheless. There was a mistaken love that both Pecolas mother and father accepted and displayed. Then there was the complete lack of love, which Pecola experienced.
Additionally, the afterward (written in 1993) helped since Toni Morrison explained that rape is (or once was) routinely given. (215) Im still not entirely sure if the character, Soaphead Church, needed to be a pedophile in order to deliver the message that Pecola wanted blue eyes and that shed be the only one able to see it. In the afterward, Toni Morrison also noted how the phrase, Quiet as its kept, had a dual purpose. 1) To introduce the scenario that the facts are being seen through children; and 2) it was supposed to invite the reader into a sort of secret. Again, narcissistic, but the latter didnt work for me since my first thought with the explanation of being put outdoors was of one entering a new world.
I suppose the gist of the story could be seen through the word: Love. In autumn, Claudia expresses how her mother was tough on her and her sister but it was love nonetheless. There was a mistaken love that both Pecolas mother and father accepted and displayed. Then there was the complete lack of love, which Pecola experienced.
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