Comparing Bluest Eye And Song Of Myself

Haddaway addressed one, if not the most, contemplated questions: what is love? The ultimate dream for people in our world today is to fall in love and live happily ever after. From culture to cinema to literature, love is what people strive to have. Although love is a common theme in literature, the ideas and conceptualizations are different, which can be seen by comparing “The Bluest Eye” and “Song of Myself”. In “The Bluest Eye” Toni Morrison uses false ideals and ambiguity in order to portray that love is damaging, while “Song of Myself”, by Walt Whitman, uses loving oneself and others to show the positive relationships built through love.

Morrison conceptualizes romantic love as a false ideal. As Pecola strives to be accepted, the idealized image of love created by society leads her to believe that she must be physically beautiful in order to be loved. Pecola was not only introduced to romantic love, but was also introduced to physical beauty which was described as “...the most destructive idea in the history of human thought. Both originated in envy, thrived in insecurity, and ended in disillusion” (Morrison 122). Pecola’s envy towards Pauline, the white baby dolls, and Shirley Temple resulted in an idealized perception of

“The Bluest Eye” is told through a first person point-of-view and third person point-of-view. This allows the reader to see different characters ideas about love. The beautiful language that Morrison uses in the novel allows the reader to see the ugliness of love that is depicted throughout the novel. The use of fiction helps the reader develop a deeper relationship with the characters and events of the novel. The beginning, middle and end provide a structured piece of literature where the reader can watch the characters develop and overcome conflict, whereas as poetry generally focuses more on specific