The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison
Published (my version): Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
Pages: 215
Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
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Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs - all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. 

Set right after the Great Depression, Pecole is a black preteen who faces horrible circumstances. She yearns to be beautiful like the blond, blue-eyed children; more specifically, she wants blue eyes. As the story unravels, Pecole's nightmare is revealed and her wish is horribly fulfilled.

So, wow. "The Bluest Eye" packs a lot of punch for a book so small. What really strikes me about the novel is how Morrison breaks up the novel by seasons and then the characters tell their stories. There's something about this that forces the reader to see the humanity in each character. We see Pecole living in squalid conditions and with abusive parents, but we also see how her parents had a rough childhood as well; her mother with her limp foot and her father who had parents who wanted nothing to do with him. It doesn't make what Pecole is going through OK, but it makes you see things in a different light.

"The Bluest Eye" also speaks strongly on beauty in America. Even in this day and age, light skin, thin, blue eyes and blond hair still appears to be the standard definition of beautiful. Pecole, along with the other characters, is constantly being told from every direction and in every possible way that she is ugly. Her mother feels the same way about herself as well; that no matter how well she does her hair or what clothing she wears, she will never be like the actresses in the movies. The fact that this novel is still relevant says a lot about what's wrong with our culture. It will only be through teaching our children that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes that we will finally be able to change society's standards of beauty.

RATING (out of five puppies):