The Bluest Eye Research Paper

To Divide

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970), takes place in Lorain, Ohio after the Great Depression. The Great Depression occurred in 1929 to the late 1930s, and it is the largest economic depression in the twentieth-century which gravely affected citizen’s ability to find jobs, and sustain a proper living. However, not only does The Bluest Eye feature the perils of economic depression, it also deals with the perils of war born trauma due to the past history white men have with black men. Racial discrimination is one of the biggest themes in this novel, and it is what the protagonists Claudia MacTeer, Frieda MacTeer, and Pecola Breedlove, experience some psychological trauma from.

Toni Morrison introduces readers to the notion of difference in color from the very beginning of the novel. The protagonist Claudia MacTeer receives a white baby doll for Christmas; however, instead of happily playing with it she dismembers it. It is clear to see that Claudia does not like the doll, and has ill intentions towards it due to its white skin, and blue eyes. We are also introduced to the notion of different social classes in the beginning of the novel. Claudia is seen attacking a white girl of the name Rosemary Villanucci. Rosemary Villanucci is not an important character; however, she is a very meaningful one. Rosemary shows us the divide in racial groups and the divide in social class. When Rosemary was eating bread and butter, it rubbed

The reason being is because in movies Shirley Temple, and a black man are seen happily tap dancing together when the reality of the situation is the complete opposite. Black people have always been oppressed, and used; therefore, it is all the more reason for Claudia to hate Shirley Temple since her movies make it seem as if black people’s problems never existed in the first