Influence of Afro-American Folklore on Toni:
There is a great influence of Afro-American Folklore on Toni. The Afro-American Folklore is the basis for Morrison's fiction, as for most Black American Literature. Themes like the quest for identity, freedom, the nature of evil and the powerful verses of the powerless became themes of Afro-American literature. This folklore encapsulates the history of Black and White interaction in the United States and also epitomizes the sentiments expressed in the Protest Literature. In her novels, she goes much deeper into the very roots of racism, sexism, and classism and exposes the ideological basis of these pernicious social evils.
Introduction to 'The Bluest Eye':
The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison's first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author's girlhood hometown of Lorain Ohio, it tells the story of black eleven year old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola praised for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. The main theme in this is the 'quest for individual identity and the influence of the family and society in that quest.' This theme is present throughout the novel and evident in many of the characters. Thus, Pecola Breedlove, Cholly Breedlove, and Pauline Breedlove and all are embodiments of this quest for identity, as well as symbols of the quest of many of the Black Northern newcomers of that time. In order to understand the above stated theme of the novel the condition of Blacks in America has to be taken into consideration.
Pecola's Quest for Her Own Identity:
The Breedlove family is a group of people under the same roof, a family by name only. Cholly the head person of the family is always drunk and an abusive man. His abusive is apparent towards his wife and daughter. He abuses his wife Pauline physically and his daughter Pecola sexually. Pauline works as a "mammy" in a white family and prefers to favor them over her biological family. Pecola is a little black girl with low self-esteem. The world had forced her to believe that she is ugly and she must have blue eyes, if she wants to look beautiful. Therefore, every night she prays before sleeping that she will wake up with blue eyes. She was brought up as a poor unwanted girl in the society. But Pecola always desired the acceptance and love of society. The image of 'Shirely Temple Beauty' surrounds her. The idea that she must have blue eyes, if she wants to look beautiful has been imprinted on Pecola her whole life.
Pecola always thinks, "if I looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe they would say, "Why look at pretty eyed Pecola. We must not do bad things in front of those pretty blue eyes". Thus, she was mad after blue eyes. Many factors have helped imprint this ideal of beauty on her. She was always treated badly by many people in her surroundings. Mr. Yacowbski avoids seeing her and treats her as if she were invisible. "He does not see her, because for him there is nothing to see". Her classmates also have an effect on her. They seem to think that because she is not beautiful, there is nothing worthy in her, she is useless. In this way, she becomes the focal point of their mockery. They used to shout at her saying "Black e mo, black e mo". Not only children, but adults also had to mock at her. Geraldine, a white woman always refused to tolerate "niggers". Once, seeing Pecola in her house Geraldine started shouting at her, "You nastily little black bitch. Get out of my house". Thus, Pecola was never able to get away from this kind of ridicule. At home also she had to face the same thing. One day Pecola was visiting her mother at the home where she is working. Accidently there she knocked over a blueberry pie and burned by the hot pastry. But Pecola's mother completely ignored her feelings of pain and instead continued the comforting of her white "daughter". For a little girl, the love of her mother is the most important love she can receive. But this hunger of love was never fulfilled by her mother. Finally, the rape by her father is the last evidence Pecola needs to believe completely that she is an ugly unlovable girl.
There is a great influence of Afro-American Folklore on Toni. The Afro-American Folklore is the basis for Morrison's fiction, as for most Black American Literature. Themes like the quest for identity, freedom, the nature of evil and the powerful verses of the powerless became themes of Afro-American literature. This folklore encapsulates the history of Black and White interaction in the United States and also epitomizes the sentiments expressed in the Protest Literature. In her novels, she goes much deeper into the very roots of racism, sexism, and classism and exposes the ideological basis of these pernicious social evils.
Introduction to 'The Bluest Eye':
The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison's first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author's girlhood hometown of Lorain Ohio, it tells the story of black eleven year old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola praised for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. The main theme in this is the 'quest for individual identity and the influence of the family and society in that quest.' This theme is present throughout the novel and evident in many of the characters. Thus, Pecola Breedlove, Cholly Breedlove, and Pauline Breedlove and all are embodiments of this quest for identity, as well as symbols of the quest of many of the Black Northern newcomers of that time. In order to understand the above stated theme of the novel the condition of Blacks in America has to be taken into consideration.
Pecola's Quest for Her Own Identity:
The Breedlove family is a group of people under the same roof, a family by name only. Cholly the head person of the family is always drunk and an abusive man. His abusive is apparent towards his wife and daughter. He abuses his wife Pauline physically and his daughter Pecola sexually. Pauline works as a "mammy" in a white family and prefers to favor them over her biological family. Pecola is a little black girl with low self-esteem. The world had forced her to believe that she is ugly and she must have blue eyes, if she wants to look beautiful. Therefore, every night she prays before sleeping that she will wake up with blue eyes. She was brought up as a poor unwanted girl in the society. But Pecola always desired the acceptance and love of society. The image of 'Shirely Temple Beauty' surrounds her. The idea that she must have blue eyes, if she wants to look beautiful has been imprinted on Pecola her whole life.
Pecola always thinks, "if I looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe they would say, "Why look at pretty eyed Pecola. We must not do bad things in front of those pretty blue eyes". Thus, she was mad after blue eyes. Many factors have helped imprint this ideal of beauty on her. She was always treated badly by many people in her surroundings. Mr. Yacowbski avoids seeing her and treats her as if she were invisible. "He does not see her, because for him there is nothing to see". Her classmates also have an effect on her. They seem to think that because she is not beautiful, there is nothing worthy in her, she is useless. In this way, she becomes the focal point of their mockery. They used to shout at her saying "Black e mo, black e mo". Not only children, but adults also had to mock at her. Geraldine, a white woman always refused to tolerate "niggers". Once, seeing Pecola in her house Geraldine started shouting at her, "You nastily little black bitch. Get out of my house". Thus, Pecola was never able to get away from this kind of ridicule. At home also she had to face the same thing. One day Pecola was visiting her mother at the home where she is working. Accidently there she knocked over a blueberry pie and burned by the hot pastry. But Pecola's mother completely ignored her feelings of pain and instead continued the comforting of her white "daughter". For a little girl, the love of her mother is the most important love she can receive. But this hunger of love was never fulfilled by her mother. Finally, the rape by her father is the last evidence Pecola needs to believe completely that she is an ugly unlovable girl.
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