The Bluest Eye

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Overview

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove - a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others - who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning ...
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1994 Trade paperback First edition. New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 216 p. Audience: General/trade. A Brand New Condition Copy, of this ... BESTSELLER by Toni Morrison. This copy we offer was printed in 1994 and sold @ that time. Note the Cover differences from those being sold today. It is a guaranteed First Edition Plume book...and a TRUE COLLECTOR'S ITEM. A True Collectible for those purchasing such material. Guaranteed to please you or a full refund made. Read more Show Less

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The Bluest Eye

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Overview

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove - a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others - who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

From the 1993 Nobel Prize-winner comes a novel "so charged with pain and wonder that it becomes poetry" (The New York Times). First published in 1965, The Bluest Eye is the story of a black girl who prays -- with unforeseen consequences--for her eyes to turn blue so she will be accepted.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
Toni Morrison's classic Nobel Prize-winning work about a young African-American girl's struggle for beauty and acceptance is narrated by the excellent Ruby Dee. Morrison's brilliant tale is beautifully brought to life by Dee's dramatic, powerful voice.
John Leonard
Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye is an inquiry into the reasons why beauty gets wasted in this country. The beauty in this case is black. [Ms. Morrison's prose is] so precise, so faithful to speech, and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry…I have said 'Poetry,' but The Bluest Eye is also history, sociology, folklore, nightmare, and music.
—John Leonard, New York Times
From the Publisher
“So precise, so faithful to speech and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry.” —The New York Times“A profoundly successful work of fiction. . . . Taut and understated, harsh in its detachment, sympathetic in its truth...it is an experience.” —The Detroit Free Press“This story commands attention, for it contains one black girl’s universe.” —Newsweek
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780452273054
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 9/15/1994
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 224
  • Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 7.98 (h) x 0.60 (d)

Meet the Author

Toni Morrison
TONI MORRISON has been the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the Robert F. Goheen Professor of Humanities Emeritus at Princeton University. She lives in Rockland County, New York, and Princeton, New Jersey.

Biography

Toni Morrison has been called "black America's best novelist," and her incredible string of imaginative contemporary classics would suggest that she is actually one of America's best novelists regardless of race. Be that as it may, it is indeed difficult to disconnect Morrison's work from racial issues, as they lie at the heart of her most enduring novels.

Growing up in Lorain, Ohio, a milieu Jet magazine described as "mixed and sometimes hostile," Morrison experienced racism firsthand. (When she was still a toddler, her home was set on fire with her family inside.) Yet, her father instilled in her a great sense of dignity, a cultural pride that would permeate her writing. She distinguished herself in school, graduating from Howard and Cornell Universities with bachelor's and master's degrees in English; in addition to her career as a writer, she has taught at several colleges and universities, lectured widely, and worked in publishing.

Morrison made her literary debut in 1970 with The Bluest Eye, the story of a lonely 11-year-old black girl who prays that God will turn her eyes blue, in the naïve belief that this transformation will change her miserable life. As the tale unfolds, her life does change, but in ways almost too tragic and devastating to contemplate. On its publication, the book received mixed reviews; but John Leonard of The New York Times recognized the brilliance of Morrison's writing, describing her prose as "...so precise, so faithful to speech and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry."

Over time, Morrison's talent became self-evident, and her reputation grew with each successive book. Her second novel, Sula, was nominated for a National Book Award; her third, 1977's Song of Solomon, established her as a true literary force. Shot through with the mythology and African-American folklore that informed Morrison's childhood in Ohio, this contemporary folktale is notable for its blending of supernatural and realistic elements. It was reviewed rapturously and went on win a National Book Critics Circle Award.

The culmination of Morrison's storytelling skills, and the book most often considered her masterpiece, is Beloved. Published in 1987 and inspired by an incident from history, this post-Civil War ghost story tells the story of Sethe, a former runaway slave who murdered her baby daughter rather than condemn her to a life of slavery. Now, 18 years later, Sethe and her family are haunted by the spirit of the dead child. Heartbreaking and harrowing, Beloved grapples with mythic themes of love and loss, family and freedom, grief and guilt, while excavating the tragic, shameful legacy of slavery. The novel so moved Morrison's literary peers that 48 of them signed an open letter published in The New York Times, demanding that she be recognized for this towering achievement. The book went on to win the Pulitzer Prize; and in 2006, it was selected by The New York Times as the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years.

In addition to her extraordinary novels, Morrison has also written a play, short stories, a children's book, and copious nonfiction, including essays, reviews, and literary and social criticism. While she has made her name by addressing important African-American themes, her narrative power and epic sweep have won her a wide and diverse audience. She cannot be dismissed as a "black writer" any more than we can shoehorn Faulkner's fiction into "southern literature." Fittingly, she received the Nobel Prize in 1993; perhaps the true power of her impressive body of work is best summed up in the Swedish Academy's citation, which reads: "To Toni Morrison, who, in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality."

Good To Know

Chloe Anthony Wofford chose to publish her first novel under the name Toni Morrison because she believed that Toni was easier to pronounce than Chloe. Morrison later regretted assuming the nom de plume.

In 1986, the first production of Morrison's sole play Dreaming Emmett was staged. The play was based on the story of Emmett Till, a black teen murdered by racists in 1955.

Morrison's prestigious status is not limited to her revered novels or her multitude of awards. She also holds a chair at Princeton University.

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    1. Also Known As:
      Chloe Anthony Wofford (real name)
      Toni Morrison
    2. Hometown:
      Princeton, New Jersey, and Manhattan
    1. Date of Birth:
      February 18, 1931
    2. Place of Birth:
      Lorain, Ohio
    1. Education:
      Howard University, B.A. in English, 1953; Cornell, M.A., 1955

Read an Excerpt

Nuns go by as quiet as lust, and drunken men and sober eyes sing in the lobby of the Greek hotel. Rosemary Villanucci, our next-door friend who lives above her father's cafe, sits in a 1939 Buick eating bread and butter. She rolls down the window to tell my sister Frieda and me that we can't come in. We stare at her, wanting her bread, but more than that wanting to poke the arrogance out of her eyes and smash the pride of ownership that curls her chewing mouth. When she comes out of the car we will beat her up, make red marks on her white skin, and she will cry and ask us do we want her to pull her pants down. We will say no. We don't know what we should feel or do if she does, but whenever she asks us, we know she is offering us something precious and that our own pride must be asserted by refusing to accept.
School has started, and Frieda and I get new brown stockings and cod-liver oil. Grown-ups talk in tired, edgy voices about Zick's Coal Company and take us along in the evening to the railroad tracks where we fill burlap sacks with the tiny pieces of coal lying about. Later we walk home, glancing back to see the great carloads of slag being dumped, red hot and smoking, into the ravine that skirts the steel mill. The dying fire lights the sky with a dull orange glow. Frieda and I lag behind, staring at the patch of color surrounded by black. It is impossible not to feel a shiver when our feet leave the gravel path and sink into the dead grass in the field.
Our house is old, cold, and green. At night a kerosene lamp lights one large room. The others are braced in darkness, peopled by roaches and mice. Adults do not talk to us—they give us directions. They issue orderswithout providing information. When we trip and fall down they glance at us; if we cut or bruise ourselves, they ask us are we crazy. When we catch colds, they shake their heads in disgust at our lack of consideration. How, they ask us, do you expect anybody to get anything done if you all are sick? We cannot answer them. Our illness is treated with contempt, foul Black Draught, and castor oil that blunts our minds.
When, on a day after a trip to collect coal, I cough once, loudly, through bronchial tubes already packed tight with phlegm, my mother frowns. "Great Jesus. Get on in that bed. How many times do I have to tell you to wear something on your head? You must be the biggest fool in this town. Frieda? Get some rags and stuff that window."
Frieda restuffs the window. I trudge off to bed, full of guilt and self-pity. I lie down in my underwear, the metal in the black garters hurts my legs, but I do not take them off, because it is too cold to lie stockingless. It takes a long time for my body to heat its place in the bed. Once I have generated a silhouette of warmth, I dare not move, for there is a cold place one-half inch in any direction. No one speaks to me or asks how I feel. In an hour or two my mother comes. Her hands are large and rough, and when she rubs the Vicks salve on my chest, I am rigid with pain. She takes two fingers' full of it at a time, and massages my chest until I am faint. Just when I think I will tip over into a scream, she scoops out a little of the salve on her forefinger and puts it in my mouth, telling me to swallow. A hot flannel is wrapped about my neck and chest. I am covered up with heavy quilts and ordered to sweat, which I do, promptly.
Later I throw up, and my mother says, "What did you puke on the bed clothes for? Don't you have sense enough to hold your head out the bed? Now, look what you did. You think I got time for nothing but washing up your puke?"
The puke swaddles down the pillow onto the sheet—green-gray, with flecks of orange. It moves like the insides of an uncooked egg. Stubbornly clinging to its own mass, refusing to break up and be removed. How, I wonder, can it be so neat and nasty at the same time?
My mother's voice drones on. She is not talking to me. She is talking to the puke, but she is calling it my name: Claudia. She wipes it up as best she can and puts a scratchy towel over the large wet place. I lie down again. The rags have fallen from the window crack, and the air is cold. I dare not call her back and am reluctant to leave my warmth. My mother's anger humiliates me; her words chafe my cheeks, and I am crying. I do not know that she is not angry at me, but at my sickness. I believe she despises my weakness for letting the sickness "take holt." By and by I will not get sick; I will refuse to. But for now I am crying. I know I am making more snot, but I can't stop.
My sister comes in. Her eyes are full of sorrow. She sings to me: "When the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls, someone thinks of me. . . ." I doze, thinking of plums, walls, and "someone."
But was it really like that? As painful as I remember? Only mildly. Or rather, it was a productive and fructifying pain. Love, thick and dark as Alaga syrup, eased up into that cracked window. I could smell it—taste it—sweet, musty, with an edge of wintergreen in its base—everywhere in that house. It stuck, along with my tongue, to the frosted windowpanes. It coated my chest, along with the salve, and when the flannel came undone in my sleep, the clear, sharp curves of air outlined its presence on my throat. And in the night, when my coughing was dry and tough, feet padded into the room, hands repinned the flannel, readjusted the quilt, and rested a moment on my forehead. So when I think of autumn, I think of somebody with hands who does not want me to die.


From the Audio CD edition.

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Table of Contents

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 333 )
Rating Distribution

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 333 Customer Reviews

  • Posted January 8, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Sula
    A Lesson before Dying
    Beloved

    A Book For Every Collection

    Toni Morrison's spectacular, mind blowing, phenomenal classic, is an eye opening realistic adventure about people who hoped and dreamed for something huge to change their life; something to make them bigger, better, stronger, more powerful, and above everybody else. This book was splendid. It was descriptive, and suspenseful. It tells the story of a young girl's inexhaustible journey to feel beautiful, her courage to want more than anybody else like her has ever had, and the will to do it at any cost.

    Little Pecola Breedlove's one and only marvel is to have blue eyes so she will be loved, not just any common blue eyes.the bluest. She comes from a broken family, her father is an alcoholic, her mother is distant, and her brother runs away often. Cholly, her father, never knew his mother or father, and was raised by an aunt until she died. He was found having sex for the first time by two white men and was greatly embarrassed. When he goes on a search for his father, he was frightened, for the man was greatly uncouth. Paulina, her mother, had an ugly foot due to stepping on a nail when she was younger, causing her to have a permanent limp. No person has every paid attention to her. Pecola's family is the talk of the town; people find their misery an entertaining story. Pecola believes she is ugly, and every one else thinks so to, and wants to be like Shirley Temple because she believes she is beautiful; beautiful because she has blue eyes. Pecola's father tried to burn their house down, so she temporarily visits her only friends Claudia and Frieda MacTeer. That is just the beginning for young Pecola, one day Cholly returns home and finds Pecola washing dishes and he rapes her; therefore Pecola becomes pregnant. Her mother does not believe that Cholly raped her and almost beats her to death. Nobody wants and/or expects her baby to live, nobody except Claudia and Frieda. Claudia and Frieda plant Marigolds, and if they grow Pecola will have her baby. During that time Pecola goes to see a man name Soaphead Church, he is known to work miracles; her only request is the bluest eyes. His only response is "'I am not a magician.' 'If He wants your wish is granted, He will do it.'".

    Toni Morrison has an interesting way of bringing out Pecola's role; she is very opinionated for instance she says "They fight this battle all the way to the grave. The laugh that is a little too loud; the enunciation a little too round; the gesture a little too serious." She was speaking of her neighbors, and she doesn't think they are the best looking and/or the best behaved people in the world. Which is surprisingly ironic, because neither is Pecola. Morrison is also very descriptive, even when simply describing a dog "The dog was mangy; his exhausted eyes ran with a sea-green matter around which gnats and flies clustered." And "The dog gagged, his mouth chomping the air, and promptly fell down. He tried to raise himself, could not, tried again and half-fell down the steps. Choking, stumbling, he moved like a broken toy around the yard."

    I highly recommend this book for anyone, not only does it touch basis with a lot of issues that occur to this very day, it tells a story; a story of how a young girl even yearns to be treasured, cared for, and to incorporate. A story of how anybody will passionately go after what they desire.

    11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 9, 2008

    Frustrating to read other reviews

    This is a great piece in American literature. What I'm having a difficult time with is why there are so many young 'adults' complaining about the violent/graphic nature of the book. It amazes me that a fantastic, socially concious piece of literature, is considered to be offensive for being sexually graphic, especially when our culture is saturated with sex and violence. What bothers me, even more than critically unjustifiable opinions, is that teens are completely caught off guard by sexual and violent material that doesnt contain slap-stick humor and apple pies. This book may be 'graphic', but it isnt gratuitous. If you're focusing so much on the 'graphic' content, you've completely missed the point that Morrison was trying to make.

    10 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 2, 2010

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

    The book, the Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison tells the story of a African American girl named Pecola. Pecola is a special person, she is described as ugly. Her family is poor and her skin color is black. She warships the blue eyed girls of the world. Thinking that they are the true meaning of beauty. She believes that if she had blue eyes people would call her pretty, people would like her, and she would be accepted. Her home life is very tragic. With a mother who shows no affection towards her and a child molesting father, she is forced to keep to herself and has no friends. Even before the raping by her father she is an outcast, unaccepted and unliked by all of the school children. Even the parents, they believe she is a disgrace. Unable to walk around her house with the fear that her father will pounce on her yet again. After being raped by her father she becomes pregnant but the baby dies within a few weeks. Pecola finds herself sitting inside of her room all by herself, her friend is her mirror. Which is the only person who believes she has blue eyes. The only person to compliment her, the only person to give her a new feeling of happiness and acceptance. But this person is herself, and is gone each time she blinks her eye.

    3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 16, 2012

    Beautifully sad story

    I read this book a long time ago when i was younger and i couldnt put it down. The story is so deep and it really pulls at your heart strings. The main little girl is such a sad character and you find yourself wondering why yet understanding why she wants things to be different so badly. Toni Morrison is a wonderful author and this book was not only well written but also a sad, touching and beautiful novel that should be bought, read, and shared

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 24, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Heart wrenching

    This is a short book but is very heavy. You cannot read through it in one sitting because the content of each chapter just hits you in the gut. It is defiantly not a light read but is very touching. Great for book clubs because there is so much to talk about.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 28, 2008

    Summer Assignment: I Give it an A++!

    I was required to read this novel and write an essay about it, and at first, I thought, 'What a drag! Anything on a summer reading list should really stink.' I was quickly proved incorrect! As Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye delves into some of the most serious topics surrounding our society. At first it was a little hard to understand, but I read it a second time in 5 days because it was so good! It does have some graphic scenes, so I do not recommend reading it for anyone under my age, unless it is a required read. Don't give this book a second thought: READ IT!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 2, 2012

    Disturbing

    The varying perspectives were interesting; although, reading from the point of view of a child molester was disturbing. I am not sure why this frequently appears on high school reading lists, for it is a mature read. If a reader enjoys this novel, I suggest the powerful Beloved: reading it haunted me for a long time.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 25, 2012

    Phenomenal

    An extrraordinary work of fiction!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 22, 2012

    Okay

    This was a tough read. It was my first book to read on the nook. I wanted to read this book because of the author's status, but was not what I expected. I wonder if it was difficult to read because it was on the nook and I could not flip back the pages to re read as easily as a regular book.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 3, 2011

    Amazing and enlightening story...a must read for all!

    The Bluest Eye was a fantastic portrayal of what life was like for black children growing up, as well as families in poverty, and how abuse can affect so many people. It used multiple characters to explain the differences in lifestyle and personalities, and it used different seasons to describe the changes the family as well as the world around them begins to change. Although this is a controversial book because of the incest, rape, and child molestation, I think the author chose to include these as important aspects of the story as a representation of the pain and horrific suffering of Pecola as she grows up in a rough homelife. In addition, I think Ms. Morrison chose to write this book to symbolize the common lifestyle during the Great Depression, and the poverty and struggled features that accompanied the tragic times. She also wanted to prove that segregation was wrong and no race should dominate, and she showed this in a unique way by explaining through Pecola that "blue eyes and white faces" would make one pure and superior to all others. In this sense, I think "The Bluest Eye" is an excellent title choice, because this is basically what the novel is all about. (Race, Sacrifice, Dreams) I think the ending was very interesting, because Claudia and Freida use the marigolds in hopes that Pecola's baby will survive. This, like many other factors, contribute to the theme of beauty in the story, such as the "Dick and Jane" excerpts, (a white, happy family in a perfect world) the white porcelain doll and the Shirley Temple cup for Pecola, and the obvious favoritism that follows the light-skinned in the community. It was a good way to sum up the themes and main ideas found in the novel, as well as the characters' lives after one full year. The most exciting part of the book for me was definitely the part where Freida and Claudia stand up for Pecola while Maureen Peal is tormenting her for seeing her father naked. Before this point in the story, the two girls did not have too much to do with Pecola, she was just another child her parents took in kindheartedly. However, they really felt bad for Pecola, as well as hate and jealously towards Maureen, so they stand united and proceed to put up a fight. This was also probably the most interesting part of the book, because of the MacTeer girls' change in attitude. The style of Toni Morrison as seen in the novel is quite engaging, because she does not just give the reader answers, she rather leads the reader to make his or her own conclusions. I loved the way she used literary elements, mostly comparisons and themes, as well as the relationships and changes found in the characters. "The Bluest Eye" was an excellent way to see into the lives of a typical family during the Great Depression, and I would love to read more of her works.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 16, 2010

    the bluest eye

    great book, very moving, pecola is a character you don't have to feel sorry for, but one everyone can relate to.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 7, 2010

    well done

    perhaps one of the best authors of all time. This book gives a great introspective look on how African American viewed themselves after slavery.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 22, 2010

    If you enjoy a very sad and depressing pictorial novel, you will enjoy this book.

    I must say I did not enjoy this book at all. Hard to follow at times, very depressing, and a very sad ending- I kept hoping that somehow, and, in some way, this little girl would come away a success- (I was "rooting" for her through-out the entire novel)- Perhaps, with the aid of a mentor, an education, a miracle, or, better yet, all three! Poor little girl-A life worth living in return for all that she had to go through, was what I was hoping for- Unfortunately, this novel never gave her a chance- In addition, this novel is filled with verbal pictorials and jumps from one character development or background to another- definitely, not straight forward- the story goes on and on and does not get to the point- Saddest part of it all, it is a copulation of various and varying vignettes depict yet another depressing episode of this little girl's life and family- If this is the type of books you may enjoy, by all means read on- I walked away after reading this novel asking myself what on earth did I get from reading such a bleak and dark account? Deep sadness! I leave it up to you to make this choice for yourself- This was a book club selection, which I will think twice before returning-

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 1, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Beloved (SparkNotes Literature Guide Series)

    The Bluest Eye Review from CSF

    The Bluest Eye is a book about a girl named Pecola who is mocked by other children because she feels that she is ugly. She prays everyday for blue eyes because she believes that it will make her beautiful. The reason why she believes so is because when she was young for Christmas she, Claudia, and Frieda were given white toy dolls with curly hair and blue eyes. She always drank out of a Shirley Temple cup. Hearing everyone talk about Shirley and how cute she is made her believe that its the bIue eyes that makes her cute. Since she doesn't have this, she concludes that she is ugly which makes her pray for this. I think that this book is very well written. Toni Morrison makes the story in a way that you can make connections to your own life. The story makes you really think about what we think about race and class even if you don't want to admit it. While this story sounds like a very beautiful story, the violent rape of Pecola is the climax of the story. In the story, the characters seem to believe that white skin is beauty and purity. The themes in the story are innocence, madness, stereotypes and unconventional families.
    Toni Morrison writes this book with so much truthfulness and emotions that the book becomes poetry. Morrison also makes you realize the way you think about/of stereotypes even if you don't want to. I believe that Toni Morrison has written this book from some of her own history and background. What she believes herself or experienced, I think, were tied into The Bluest Eye.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 13, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    The Bluest Eye; Summer Reading Review

    Nine-year-old Claudia and ten-year-old Frieda MacTeer live in Ohio with their hard working parents. Like most families during the time of the Great Depression, the girls' parents are struggling making ends meet. A young girl named Pecola is taken in by the MacTeer family because her father tried to burn down her house and he is sexually abusive. The more Claudia and Frieda spend time with Pecola, the more they begin to realize that she is obsessed with what society thinks of her, and deeply wishes that she had blue eyes like Shirley Temple. Pecola moves back in with her family, only to face mistreatment not only by her parents, but by children at school and adults in her neighborhood. Pecola's obsession with whiteness worsens, causing her to go insane and actually believe that she has the bluest eyes in the world.
    Claudia MacTeer is the narrator during certain parts of the novel. She does not care about judgment made about her because of her skin color. Claudia is a stubborn girl and rarely follows rules set in place by adults because she doesn't believe that adults should have control of children. Her sister Frieda is the opposite and is concerned about what other people think about her race. Frieda is aware of the realities of the society. Pecola Breedlove has low self-esteem and a lot of self-hatred built up inside her. Pecola is always thinking about being someone else, showing clearly that she wishes she could change who she was. Pecola's father, Cholly Breedlove, is obviously an awful person for the things he did to his daughter. He is completely self-absorbed and inflicts a lot of heartache on people he's close to constantly. Cholly is vulnerable because of his childhood. We ultimately learn that he has been through a lot of suffering himself.
    "It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights-if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different." This quote is said by Claudia MacTeer, in chapter three of the "Autumn" section in the novel.
    I chose these lines because they express what the novel is mainly about. Claudia explains Pecola's struggle with self confidence. This quote shows Pecola's obsession with blue eyes, and how much she hates being herself. When Claudia says "those eyes that held the pictures and knew the sights", it really emphasizes that Pecola wishes her eyes, the parts of her that allow her to see the world around her, were different.
    I do not agree that people should feel less about themselves just because of the color of their skin or the color of their eyes. I like the way Tori Morrison wrote the book because she put the characters through strenuous situations, but made them all learn from them. Some people in the world can relate to the struggles, but thankfully I personally cannot. People have to deal with the hardships on a daily basis, making Morrison's novel come to life.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 24, 2009

    The Bluest Eye

    MMiller

    While reading Toni Morrison's novel, THE BLUEST EYE, I was puzzled by the simple statement: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty has become something that seems everyone strives for. Beauty should not be characterized by what people are told it is, beauty is different for everyone, what is beautiful for you may be ugly to someone else.

    On an autumn morning in 1939, school has just started. While walking to school Claudia and Frieda MacTeer are harassed by their white neighbor. The little white girl is in her dad's car and shows the sisters the delicious food she is eating. Taunting is something the girls are used to so they keep walking.

    The MacTeers are getting a new boarder, Henry Washington. They will also be joined by Pecola Breedlove. She is temporarily in county custody because her father burned down the family's house. She is pitied because her father put his family on the streets.

    Claudia is confused on why everyone is in love with blue-eyed blonde baby dolls. She hates the one she received for Christmas. As the title indicates, this is a major issue in this novel. Claudia even goes as far as to take the baby doll apart to find where the beauty is located. Throughout the book, Morrison's characters pull themselves apart to try to find the beauty in their dark skin.

    The chapters in the story are broken up by seasons. Because the book is only about a year long, Morrison's work is really audience friendly. There is always something that one can relate to. There are friend issues, family issues, and image issues. Because there are characters of all ages and colors, the variety compliments each one of them.

    There are many twists in the novel. For example, in chapter 5 the girls meet Junior. He comes from a middle-class black family. The girls were in shock because it wasn't everyday they saw a well-off black family. We come to find out that Junior's mom only cares for the cat and he strikes out. He bullies kids on the playground and tricks Pecola into his home and killed the cat to make it look like Pecola did it.

    Ultimately, THE BLUEST EYE is a story of great power and courage. The beginning of the novel is really able to draw the reader's attengion. Some parts in the middle, some might say, are a little more on the "dry" side. I believe the readers who read the whole book will be very glad they did. Morrison makes her audience feel as though they are all powerful human beings. Morrison's words and characters give hope to anyone who winds up reading the novel-despite the troubles that her character's find throughout the whole book.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 4, 2007

    Not for the faint at heart.

    I am merely a 14 year old. I had to read this for an English assignment, and I admit I was shocked to say the least. The material was written well, but the scenes in which Morrison described were absolutely disturbing. I had a hard time sleeping after I read this book. For the sake of every young person who does not want to have thier mind polluted, please don't read this. Adults might like this book, because of its power and maybe content, but I hated it. My school made a horrible decision in making us read this, and I hope that no other Middle or High school has to read it. I don't doubt that Tony Morrison isn't a talented writer, but a teenager reading this is not right. I couldn't barely stand to read this, and I can't imagine what it would be like to actually write it.

    1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 7, 2006

    The Bluest Eye

    Pecola Breedlove prays for blue eyes. As the main character and hapless victim in The Bluest Eye, Pecola is the heart, soul, and tragedy of the novel. Set during the early 1940's, The Bluest Eye is rich in language and has deep roots in symbolism. Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, creates a powerful portrayal of a young African American girl who's desires often end in tragedy. Living in a society that sets the white culture on a pedestal only to leave the rest of society feeling forgotten, Pecola feels that she is very unattractive, and wishes to look like the towheaded, blue-eyed, porcelain skin babydolls she receives for Christmas. Obviously however, no matter how hard she prays, she doesn't get the blue eyes she so hopefully wishes for. Although Pecola's story is intricately weaved among other characters, each character gives their own meaning to Morrison's main message, which is that internalized racism destroys the spirit of the most vulnerable of victims, because when one internalizes external racism rather than rising above it, they lose their sense of self. The message also revolves around the pressure that society places on girls to be beautiful. Many of the events of this novel are often almost too hard to face head on the countless misfortunes Pecola must endure seem too harsh at times. Although not a light read, The Bluest Eye is a deeply significant and touching story of a young girl who takes too long to realize her true beauty, which ultimately results in her downfall.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 8, 2013

    Wonderful Author!

    Everything she writes is a must read.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 7, 2013

    I have read this book several times. I will read it many more ti

    I have read this book several times. I will read it many more times.

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