The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison’s’ “The Bluest Eye” is written about black families living in poverty. The two main characters, Pecola and Claudia are preteens who share different views of their African American culture. Claudia is more secure and satisfied with being African American. Pecola, however, wants nothing more than to look like her idol, Shirley Temple.
The girls struggle through life with completely different families. Claudia comes from a loving home whereas Pecola comes from a family that is rather dysfunctional. Her father is an alcoholic that is unreliable and forceful; her mother is hard working but shows more love for her boss’s white child. Pecola never received love, she only got the repeated message that she was ugly. Claudia hated that black people, like Pecola, wanted to be white. She refused to play with a white baby doll and she ripped it apart to find out why everyone loves it. She doesn’t find anything different on the inside.
Claudia and Pecola represent more than just two children living hard lives. The message is showing the hardships of these African American families and also how obsessing over something you cant have can drive a person mad. People need to be secure with themselves and understand that differences in people make them unique. Pecola drives herself mad because she wants to have the ‘bluest eyes’.
Toni Morrison does a thorough job explaining the difficulties these characters faced, but the narration got to be a bit confusing. At times it is not clear of who is speaking or even what they are trying to say. The book is geared more towards African American women and their understanding of the happenings in the girls’ lives. The book can teach a lesson to all people who are willing to keep an open mind.