Prejudice And Racism In Claudia Walker's The Bluest Eye

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Summary of the Novel: The novel, The Bluest Eye, is set in Lorain, Ohio, after The Great Depression. Written from multiple points of view, the story begins with Claudia MacTeer, a young girl who lives with both parents and an older sister. From the outset, it is evident that Claudia, her family, and friends are different because they are black. Claudia feels powerless due to her skin color and being a child in a household where adults do not acknowledge children. As the novel progresses, Claudia describes the lives and hardships faced by those in her and her sister's lives, with the primary focus on Pecola Breedlove, a fragile young girl fascinated with love.
The story is set in the 1940s and reveals that there are no black baby dolls, only white ones. This lack of representation exposed countless young black girls to yet another example of white superiority from an early age. Girls were taught to care for and respect their baby dolls, and with the dolls being white, they subconsciously learned to respect white people. When Claudia received her doll, she did not want to care for it; instead, she took it apart. Claudia's desire to dismantle her doll depicts her simple understanding of racism, as well as her resistance towards embracing white culture. blood. The novel, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, portrays the end of The Great Depression and the economic struggles and poverty faced by families, particularly those in black communities. Despite these pressing economic concerns, prejudice is the underlying theme throughout the novel. Vivid and descriptive imagery reveals how social classes were distinguished within Pecola's community. Segregation and prejudice were displayed between Pecola, her family, community members, and children in her social circles. One prominent example of prejudice is seen when Pecola's mother displays a preference for her white employer's children over her own, which further exacerbates Pecola's feelings of insignificance, even with her own mother. Pecola was even beaten by her mother in front of the "little white girl." Pecola's mother understood the supremacy of the white family, and the enjoyment and comfort she received motivated her to jeopardize and damage her relationship with her own flesh and blood.

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