Description
If you were in first or second grade in the 1950s or 1960s, you probably remember the reading primer Fun with Dick and Jane an idealized family in an idealized neighborhood: two parents, two children, the dog Spot, and a house with a white picket fence. The first of three beginnings in this first of Toni Morrison’s novels, The Bluest Eye illustrates just how dangerous this idealized image could be in one Lorain, Ohio neighborhood, and what can happen to a black child who cannot stop measuring herself against standards of whiteness. The Bluest Eye is the story of three African American girls, Pecola Breedlove and two sisters, Claudia and Frieda McTeer, whose lives are thrust together by circumstances that would be peculiar if not so common in the late 1940s. The real-life experience that led Morrison to write the novel was a conversation with a peer from her childhood who said that she had lost faith in God because, after two years of praying for blue eyes, her wish had not been granted. In writing the book, Morrison hoped to fill a void in Western literature: to reflect the strong, proud world from which she and other African Americans emerged. In so doing, she gave voice to black girls whose self-images are negatively influenced by the larger society.

By the time of the book’s publication, a research study by psychologist Kenneth Clark had already been conducted. In this now-famous study, African American girls were presented with a choice of two dolls -- one with pale skin, one with darker skin -- and asked which they preferred. Invariably, more girls chose the doll with pale skin. At eleven years old, Pecola Breedlove is similarly inclined, with a deeply embedded belief that her life would be better -- even perfect -- if she could have not only blue, but the bluest eyes. But the consequence of her mindset is far more significant than the Clark study; it was not a mere toy, but her identity and her very being that are at risk. This view is contrasted through the voice of Claudia (one of the story’s two narrators), who despises blue eyes and all that this Shirley Temple image represents. When Claudia is presented with a blonde blue-eyed doll for Christmas, with indignation, she asks: "What [am] I supposed to do with that? Pretend I am its mother?"

Sooner or later, most African American females must wrestle with the standard of beauty established by mainstream culture -- which often lies in stark contrast to who and what they are and can be. Not to confront this dilemma can lead to maddening, if not deadly, consequences, as in Pecola Breedlove’s case.

Though not without its literary foibles (e.g., Pecola is raped by her drunken father, Cholly Breedlove, which some consider to be a distraction from an already powerful message), Morrison has crafted a critical work that, even after thirty years, is of great significance in American life. The Bluest Eye is a must-read for all who wish to understand the complexities of racial identity formation for people of color, and it is particularly important in coming to terms with the spiritual and emotional crippling that often result from internalized oppression.

About the author
Toni Morrison, born and raised in Lorain, Ohio, is the only African American woman to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature (1993). She is author of six other novels (Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Beloved, Jazz and Paradise); author of a non-fiction book, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination; and editor of Race[ing] Justice, [En]Gender[ing] Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of Social Reality. Morrison teaches creative writing, women’s studies, and American studies at Princeton University. Critic John Leonard said of Morrison that she is simply "the best writer working in America today."

Reflection and Discussion Questions

1. How do you relate to the character Pecola Breedlove?
2. Why does Pecola idolize Shirley Temple, and why does Claudia so hate this idealized image of the female? Contrast the two views.
3. Have you ever experienced an identity crisis, or have you known anyone who has faced this dilemma? Was it creative or destructive?
4. Who or what is responsible for Pecola’s tragic life?
5. What did you learn about yourself or your family through this book?
6. To what extent has your understanding of cultural racism been expanded?
7. Who are the victims and who are the perpetrators of violence and inhumanity in The Bluest Eye? How do we minister to both the victims and perpetrators of violence?
8. Is racial self-loathing any better today than thirty years ago?
9. When self-hatred gnaws at a people’s understanding of themselves, how do we address the need to help them feel honored and affirmed in the fullness of creation, in spite of social norms and standards?
10. How do we hold a person responsible for violent acts while at the same time acknowledging an insidious causation (e.g., being locked into a cycle of social violence)?
11. Who can tell this story?