The Bluest Eye

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.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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-

A Great Novel With A Great Meaning

The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison emphasizes on how too many harsh aspects have affected the way people get to live their life. The Breedlove family shouldn't be considered a family. Instead, they should be considered as individuals trapped in a house, unhappy, because of what the world viewed each of them as. Mrs. Breedlove, a mother of two children who treated her family like hell. Instead of acknowledging them, she simply over looked them and waited until she could go back to her days of working for her white family. Mr. Breedlove, an overworking drunk who showed his love with violence and sexuality. To him, raping his daughter was not such a big deal and beating his wife came natural to him. Precola Breedlove, a daughter who felt like she was only loved by a few people, her friends. She considered herself ugly and could only feel pretty if God gave her blue eyes. Sam Breedlove, a son who's hardly mentioned, but obviously unhappy with his life. Running away became a key necessity to him, it became his escape route from every family situation. Each member of this family is different and not one of them could find a way to intertwine each other so they could be a real family who actually felt love. Each one of these characters are faced with dramatic situations that are life changing. I think that this book stood out to me in a very special way and I recommend it to any teenager with the right level of maturity. This novel could easily open the eyes to several individuals and make them realize a few important details of life.

This book will make the reader view some of society's most vulnerable people in a very different light and will feel a crushing grief for the main character.

Toni Morrison makes us take a realistic and hard view at the struggles that some of our most vulnerable members of society endure. She brilliantly weaves together the issues of race, gender and lack of physical beauty and comes out with a heartwrenching story about a young girl in a very hopeless situation. The reader will continue to wonder how it will all turn out "in the end" for the main character and will ceratinly come away from the book with more compassion and empathy for the "invisible" people in our society.

Hauntingly Familar Emotions

Tone Morrison is the only writer who has ever made me feel empathy for people responsible for the most despicable acts. The fact that as children we take on the emotional responsibilities for the problems existing in homes, schools, and communities is a perspective still prevalent today. The fussing mother creates an endless echo which lingers for years. Not fussing about anything or to anyone just fussing for the sake of fussing. Letting steam out regadless of whom it may scald. The levels of freedom which do and do not exist are explored in this web of individuals. The reponses to each other and our intentions and results explode or just melt away. Control becomes an illusion.

Absolutely heart wrenching

If you ever decide to read this novel, you will never forget the characters Pecola Breedlove, Pauline Breedlove and Cholly Breedlove. Morrison creates characters that exist in our lives every day- everyone has a Pecola in their life, and in some way, we're meant not just to have pity on Pecola but we are also supposed to feel complicit in Pecola's treatment and her eventual crack at the end of the novel. I am enrolled in a senior seminar class that involves studying the Toni Morrison canon, and The Bluest Eye was our first work. My professor told me something quite interesting that Morrison admits to: Morrison felt she had failed as a writer with this novel because the vast majority of the readers of this book "felt bad or sorry" for Pecola, when Morrison's aim was to make the reader feel complicit. I think all readers should know Morrison's authorial intent- it may completely alter your understanding of this powerfully heart wrenching read.

A Somewhat Downer

The thing is, it's pretty sad. But the dialogue, the characters, their motivations, the problems that they struggle with, both personal and other... all those things shine. Knowing the end from the beginning makes the whole story a sort of lesson, or series of lessons, though there is no preachy feel. Lesson is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps the stories are just examples of just how wrong life can go.

A really good read

Toni Morrison is a magnificent writer. When I read The Bluest Eye, it made me think about alot of crazy things that are going on in the world. I request that every woman should read this novel.