The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison takes place in Ohio in the 1940s. The novel is
written from the perspective of African Americans and how they view
themselves. Focusing on identity, Morrison uses rhetorical devices
such as imagery, dictation, and symbolism to help stress her point
of view on identity. In the
novelthe author
argues that society influences an individual's perception on
beauty, which she supports through characters like Pecola and Mrs.
Breedlove. Furthermore, the novel explains how society shapes an
individual's character by instilling beauty expectations. Morrison
is effective in relaying her message about the various impacts that
society has on an individual's character through imagery, diction,
and symbolism by showing that
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However,
Morrison then writes "you looked at them and wondered why they were
so ugly
closely and could not find the source" (39). Suggesting
that people automatically called them ugly based on their looks;
however, they were beautiful on the inside. This line highlights
how people can judge a
personbased on
their looks. Additionally, imagery is also used in the
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For instance,
symbolism is represented through the blue eyes that is repeatedly
mentioned in the novel. The blue eyes represent the idealistic
white middle class life that Pecola dreams of having since white
people commonly have blue eyes. The reader can infer this
suggestion because whenever Pecola is experiencing bad things she
wishes to have blue eyes. Morrison writes, "If she looked
different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different and Mrs.
Breedlove too
Each night, without fail, she prayed for the blue
eyes
To have something as wonderful as that happen would take a
long, long time"(46) This line from the text indicates that to
Pecola this white feature represents beauty and the end of her
problems. Furthermore, symbolism can also be found in the homes of
the characters. In the novel, homes are a symbol of economic
status. The reader can infer that the nicer the home is, the richer
the character. Take the example of Mrs. Breedlove's employers house
compared to her own home. Mrs. Breedlove's employer's home is
described asx "the large
white
housewith the wheelbarrow full of flowers
We circled the proud
house and went to the back"(Morrison 105,106). Based on this
description of the house the reader can assume that Mrs.
Breedlove's employer is wealthy. However, the Breedloves' living
situation is described
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