THE BLUEST
EYES: THEMESOne of the most well known African –American novelists, Toni Morrison, has always addressed
black Americans and their problems in almost all her novels. In The Bluest Eyes’ she deals with the life of a poor black girl and her tragic search for blue eyes.Written in 1970, at a time when the world was facing one of its horrifying times because of racism, the
novel questions and explores to find an answer to this very inhuman practice. Toni Morrison gets across a very powerful
THEME that is found in every
society today,although the novel was written in the era of the 40’s and most of the incidents that occur mirror that time period, the main theme transcends to this day and age . With a persuasive argument in mind and an innocent voice to appeal to the reader’s pathos, Morrison craftily writes a story. The Bluest Eyes is a story of racism and discrimination. The story is set in Ohio. Morrison wrote her novels on a number of themes, but the theme of the place is
important in this context because it was one of major stations of Underground Railroad. Most of her novels have themes that are inter- connected and inter dependent.The story being that of the desires and dreams—that of rich and beauty which is fair skin and blue eyes, contrasted by the dreamer who is a girl—poor young and black. Pecola, the protagonist, lived in a society that deprived her of her childhood even before she was out of it, and which gave her no opportunities in life or any chance to grow because she lived in an essentially racists society.The triple indemnity, which is Race, Gender Class, is the most important theme that runs through the length of the entire novel. Beauty or rather the lack of it, is another theme which is highlighted in the novel. Pecola’s rejection and subsequent isolation at the hands of her own mother and her family, are one of the key points in the novel. It clearly reflects the shortcomings of an American society that existed in the 40’s.Besides these important issues which Morrison has used as her themes in the novel,she has also raised the issues of child abuse, incest and commercial sex. The fact that a child is insecure in the confines of her own home and the plightof the commercial sex workers who become a support to Pecola, are brought out in the open.The themes are symbolized by the seasons to signify the chaos and climate of life. Toni Morrison has very aptly used the calm and the disturbance of the seasons to highlight the calmand the disturbance of life,especially Pecola's life.
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