Everyone goes through struggles in their life. Some people’s experiences are more life changing than others. No two people go through the exact same experiences which makes those people who they are. People go through similar experiences but they are still different for everyone. In Toni Morrison’s first published book, Bluest Eye, the characters all go through difficult experiences. The things that they go through take away their childhood. The traumatizing experiences that they go through make them mature at an earlier age. Toni Morrison’s book is another example of a bildungsroman. Through rape and denial, each character had their own journey to go through.
An example of someone who goes through these experiences is Pecola. Pecola is not the main character who tells the story but the story is revolved around her. She is a really young shy black girl who wants to be what like the blonde dolls that are sold at the stores. “Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window sign – all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. ‘Here,’ they said, ‘this is beautiful, and if you are on this day “worthy” you may have it.'” (20-21) She struggles with body image issues, and wants blue eyes. She really wanted to be exactly like the dolls and really wanted their blue eyes. Toni Morrison’s choice of words makes every reader understand what Pecola goes through and understand what she feels. Everyone at one point in their childhood wants to be like the “perfect barbie dolls” at the store. This quote shows what Pecola wanted to be like, but it didn’t show how much she wanted to have blue eyes.
Her family is messed up, and she is raped by her own father. “It never occured to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola’s father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair.” This quote showed that even with the girl’s age, they still have some innocence, but they hint out that Pecola’s innocence is gone because her father raped her. Pecola is still a little girl.
Toni Morrison’s language is really advanced and one has to think about things in the book to figure out what they mean. They have to have deep thoughts about passages in the book and really think about things to figure out the deep meaning. When things are thought about clearly, there are so many more things that are found out about what is happening in the book and everything starts making more sense. Morrison is a great writer with an extraordinary choice and use of words.
nohemi2015 