Influence of African-American folklore on Toni:
There is a great influence of African-American folklore in Toni. African-American folklore is the basis of Morrison’s fiction, as of most African-American literature. Themes such as the search for identity, freedom, the nature of evil, and the powerful verses of the powerless became themes of African-American literature. This folklore encapsulates the history of black-white interaction in the United States and also epitomizes the sentiments expressed in protest literature. In his novels, he delves much deeper into the very roots of racism, sexism, and classism and exposes the ideological basis for these pernicious social ills.
Introduction to ‘The Bluest Eye’:
The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison’s debut novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author’s childhood hometown of Lorain Ohio, it tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old black girl. Pecola praised that her eyes turned blue so that she was as beautiful and loved as all the blonde, blue-eyed children in America. The main theme in this is the ‘search for individual identity and the influence of family and society on that search’. This theme is present throughout the novel and is evident in many of the characters. Thus, Pecola Breedlove, Cholly Breedlove, and Pauline Breedlove and all are embodiments of this search for identity, as well as symbols of the search for many of the black newcomers to the North of that time. To understand the aforementioned theme of the novel, one must take into account the condition of blacks in America.
Pecola’s search for his own identity:
The Breedlove family is a group of people under one roof, a family in name only. Cholly, the head of the family, is always drunk and an abusive man. His abusiveness is evident towards his wife and daughter. He physically abuses his wife Pauline and sexually abuses his daughter Pecola. Pauline works as a “mommy” in a white family and prefers to favor them over her birth family. Pecola is a black girl with low self-esteem. The world had forced her to believe that she is ugly and that she must have blue eyes if she wants to look beautiful. That’s why she prays every night before going to sleep to wake up with blue eyes. She was raised as an unwanted poor child in the society. But Pecola always wanted 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 in Pecola her entire life.
Pecola always thinks, “If she saw me differently, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe they’d say, ‘Why are you looking at Pecola with pretty eyes? We shouldn’t do bad things in front of those pretty blue eyes.” Therefore, she was crazy about blue eyes. Many factors helped imprint this ideal of beauty on her. She was always treated badly by many people around her. Mr. Yacowbski avoids seeing her and treats her as if she were invisible. “He doesn’t see her, because for him there is nothing to see.” Her peers also have an effect on her. They seem to think that because she is not beautiful, there is nothing worthy about her, she is a useless. In this way, she becomes the focus of their teasing. They shouted at her saying “Black e mo, black e mo”. Not only children, but also adults had to make fun of her. Geraldine, a white woman always she refused to put up with “niggers.” Once upon seeing Pecola at her house, Geraldine began yelling at her, “You disgusting little black bitch. Get out of my house.” Therefore, Pecola could never escape this kind of ridicule. At home, she also had to face the same thing. One day Pecola was visiting her mother at the house where she is working. She accidentally dropped a blueberry pie and burned herself on the hot cake. But Pecola’s mother completely ignored her hurt feelings, instead continuing to comfort her white “daughter.” For a girl, her mother’s love is the most important that she feels. she can receive. But this hunger for love was never satisfied by her mother. Finally, her father’s rape is the last piece of evidence Pecola needs to fully believe that she is an ugly and unpleasant girl.
In general, a father figure is one that little girls look to for guidance and approval, but Cholly, Pecola’s father, is the exact opposite. Cholly severely hurts Pecola instead of loving her and takes away the one thing that was completely hers. After the rape, Pecola was very sad to see and went crazy. Pecola’s search for identity was defined by her undying desire to be loved. Her purpose in her life was to be beautiful and to be loved, but her family and her community made it impossible for her. Therefore, Ella Pecola failed to establish her own identity in society.
Cholly Breedlove’s Search for Identity:
Cholly Breedlove, Pecola’s father also lacked her individual identity and self-esteem. He was born to a single mother. His father ran away the day he was born. This horrible beginning of his life is reflected in his everyday actions and his views. His mother also left him alone in the world. Another major cause of Cholly’s downfall was the way he was treated by the community. They never respected him and talked about him behind his back. In this way, the community mocked his name. However, Cholly’s latest downfall occurs simultaneously with Pecola’s rape. Thus, with that act, Cholly lost all conceivable humanity and his search for himself ended in destruction.
Pauline Breedlove’s Search for Identity:
Pauline Breedlove, Pecola’s mother is another example of ‘the search for identity’ incarnate. She is truly happy when she works for the white family. It is there and only there that she feels like she is part of something valuable. In the search for her identity and her happiness, she learned the difference between herself and the rest of society. At the same time, the cinema helped her realize the clear difference between herself and other women. So she Pauline learned about physical beauty and she also learned what she represented. In those days, physical beauty was Shirely Temple’s ideal of beauty, the blond-haired, blue-eyed equation of beauty. Shirely Temple’s beauty signified happiness, equality, dignity, and general comfort. When Pauline learned these qualities, she got a job as a black “mom” in a white family. She then felt as if she was a part of all these qualities, when she was in the company of her white family. On the contrary, the more she lived with her own black family, the more she realized how ugly, poor and unworthy they were. After that, she Pauline mentally left her family instead of her “perfect life”. However, she does not realize that by committing to the life of a servant, she will remain just a black servant in a white world.
Conclusion:
Have all the characters found their identity? Pecola Breedlove longed for blue eyes; and he, too, longed for society’s acceptance and love seen through his eyes. But she is not accepted by society; rather, society influences her identity. They shape her into who she becomes by not giving her the guidance and approval that she needs from her. Similarly, Cholly found himself cut off from the community. He becomes demoralized and commits an act of inhumanity, realizing the community’s perception of him. Thus, Pecola and Cholly ended up with different results. Pecola was detached but content and Cholly was detached but dissatisfied.
Pauline, on the other hand, was searching for an identity she could be content with; so she somehow she was satisfied with her identity. Her twisted view of reality made her believe that she was accepted as an equal in society. Thus, the Breedlove family is representative of the growing black community in the North. They have to deal with the same identity issues, situations, and dilemmas as the rest of the growing black community in the north.