The Bluest Eye Sexual Abuse Essay

719 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Negative Effects Of Child Abuse

In today’s world you hear a lot about abuse wither it is on the news or witnessed first-hand. “While the reported number of sexual abuse cases may be 80,000 or less, the estimated rate of child sexual abuse is much higher due to the lack of reporting.” (Tracy) It is a growing issue and for all we know abuse could date back since the beginning of time itself. Abuse can happen pretty much anywhere we are at wither it’s at the store or in the confines of your own house. Let’s face it can happen to any one of us and I think that is one point Toni Morrison was trying to get across when she wrote The Bluest Eye. In Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye there are multiple forms of abuse the one that stuck out to me the most was sexual abuse. Sexual abuse has multiple effects on many different people in Pecola’s case she was a child and one major effect it had on her was her sanity.
“The laws governing sexual abuse are always constantly changing. For this reason, most people who work with sexual abuse survivors rely on the victims' feelings, not the law, when determining …show more content…

Even if the offender is the victims’ own father, a complete stranger, or even their best friend the family will have to address it sooner or later. As I stated earlier Pecola is raped by her own father Cholly twice. Everyone in town knew that Cholly was an alcoholic and probably the both times he raped Pecola his own daughter he probably was drunk. The first time the sexual abuse occurs the victim is in shock and usually becomes almost paralyzed. (Trobank) In Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye that actually happened to Pecola when she was raped by Cholly aside from her fainting. The shock and paralysis is probably why Pecola fainted in the first place. Back in the 1940’s there probably was no help hotline to call after you were sexually abused if there was Pecola probably would have never lost her

Show More
Related

  • Child Abuse And Neglect In The Brandon's Case Study

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obviously, working with survivors of child sexual abuse, neglect, and trauma: The approach taken by the social worker in the Brandon’s case shall begin with “assessment and beginning treatment of the family because child abuse is one of a wide range practice situation in which systems concepts can be applied to help to understand the dynamics involved” in the road for healing and recovery from the physical and psychological effect of the trauma by providing adequate resources available for counseling and therapy due to the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse can be heartbreaking for the victim and the family. However, social worker approach to understanding and responds efficiently by being empathetic to the complex situation as a result; the perpetrator is the father such as in the case of Brandon (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014).

    Read More

  • Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the novel, The Bluest Eye, the author, Toni Morrison, tells the tragic story of Pecola Breedlove. Pecola longs for acceptance from the world. She is an innocent little girl, however, she is rejected practically by the whole world, and her own parents. Pecola endures physical and verbal abuse at home, and also at school. She is always the main character in the jokes that usually refer to her very dark skin. Her mother cherishes the white daughter of the family she works for and calls her own daughter a "rotten piece of apple. Her father Cholly is constantly drunk, and sexually molests her daughter more than once, eventually rapes and impregnates her.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Abuse in The Bluest Eye

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    that her son does not kill the cat. She trust him more than Pecola. Pecola

    Read More

  • Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

    1866 Words  | 4 Pages

    Her novels reflect both the lack of hope that racism creates as well as the positivity that has encouraged the African American people to succeed despite the racist ideology that slowly tears them down. Morrison’s father showed “blatant hostility towards white people” through her younger years (Mobley 508). However her mother had a strong feeling that someday racism would come to an end in the United States, and race relations would improve. In her later years, Morrison moved to New York with her two children after being newly divorced and became an editor at Random House, where she worked with mostly black writers. Soon after moving to New York, she wrote her first novel The Bluest Eye in 1964 (508). In previous interviews Morrison states that she wrote the novel after a time of depression, but later revokes the statement by saying how the words she used don’t necessarily hold their true meaning. She says “they simply represent a different state. It’s an unbusy state, when I am more aware of myself than of others” (Smith

    Read More

  • The Bluest Eye

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    Morrison did not offer answers to this issue of abuse to one’s mind, but rather she wanted to make people think about how they perceive these two forms of mistreatment. Morrison wanted to raise awareness on why psychological harm should be viewed as just as damaging as some of the other disparaging treatments for children. Works Cited Alexander, Allen. The. “The Image of God in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.”

    Read More

  • Molestation And Assyse: Different Types Of Sexual Abuse

    1565 Words  | 4 Pages

    Molestation is the first type of sexual abuse that’ll be discussed. Molestation is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Most people think sexual abusers are strangers to their victims. But the truth is most abusers know their victims and use their stand in their relationship to try to make the victims do what the abusers want them to do. Most children who get molest are by family members. “More than 90 percent of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way.” (Snyder, Howard). According to Dr. Elizabeth Forsyth and Margret Hyde, research done in the 1980s and 1990s suggests that almost all abusers are males who are known to their victims and that most abuse occurs within the family. (pg. 21) One in three girls and one in five boys get sexually abused before the age of eighteen. (Arta, C)

    Read More

  • A Wallflower Sexual Abuse

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sexual abuse and assault is slowly becoming more prevalent in society today. It is a part of life that no person should have to experience; however, there are around 293,000 victims of sexual assault each year, and some cases are not even reported to the police. Most abuse is done by someone the victim knows, even family. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie was a victim of sexual abuse by his aunt, and he did not even know it. This experience was suppressed and continually affected him every day as he grew up. There are adults today who share Charlie’s experience and struggle with the result sexual abuse in the family.

    Read More

  • Broken Community in Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, “The Bluest Eye”, Toni Morrison exposes the roots of a broken community, unveiling the effects it has on its members. Morrison illustrates various disturbing characters that are insecure, lost and troubled. Through extended metaphors she is able to trace back these behaviors to the characters’ past. The structure of her novel follows a repetitive rationale of the character’s behavior after revealing their gruesome actions. The passage (116) further develops the text’s theme of a dysfunctional community. Although the exposure the effects of racism seems to be the main theme, Morrison goes deeper and explores the reason how and why the community continues to live in oppression.

    Read More

  • The Bluest Eye Theme Essay

    1858 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, the audience is shown the skewed idea of beauty and how whiteness in the 1940s was the standard of beauty. This idea of beauty is still prevalent today which is why the novel is powerful and relevant. Narrated by a nine year old girl, this novel illustrates that this standard of beauty distorts the lives of black people, more specifically, black women and children. Not only was it a time when being white was considered being superior, being a black woman was even worse because even women weren’t appreciated and treated as equal back then. Set in Lorain, Ohio, this novel has a plethora of elements that parallels Toni Morrison’s personal life. The population in Lorain back then was considered to be ethnically asymmetrical, where segregation was still legal but the community was mostly integrated. Black and white children could attend the same schools and neighborhoods by then would be inhabited by a mix of black and white families. The theme of race and beauty is portrayed through the lives of three different families and stories told by the characters: Claudia, Pecola, and Frieda. Through the exploration of the families’ and character’s struggles, Morrison demonstrates the horrid nature of racism as well as the caustic temperament of the suppressed idea of white beauty on the individual, and on the society.

    Read More

  • Sexual Abuse And Trauma Essay

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sexual abuse as a child maltreatment became a social issue in the 1970 is through the efforts of the child protection movement and the feminist movement. Historical changes occurred, whereas the perceptions of children changed from property to individuals with rights. Sexual abuse is a traumatic event for the children and the impact felt throughout the life span. Because of the secrecy of this exploitation, the true number of victims is unknown.

    Read More

  • Race And Beauty in Toni Morrison's Novel The Bluest Eye

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, she captures, with vivid insight, the plight of a young African American girl and what she would be subjected to in a media contrived society that places its ideal of beauty on the e quintessential blue-eyed, blonde woman. The idea of what is beautiful has been stereotyped in the mass media since the beginning and creates a mental and emotional damage to self and soul. This oppression to the soul creates a socio-economic displacement causing a cycle of dysfunction and abuses. Morrison takes us through the agonizing story of just such a young girl, Pecola Breedlove, and her aching desire to have what is considered beautiful - blue eyes. Racial stereotypes of beauty contrived and nourished by the mass media contribute to the status at which young African American girls find themselves early on and throughout their lives.

    Read More

  • Sexual Assault and Child Abuse

    3509 Words  | 8 Pages

    There are many different types of victims we have discussed over the course of this class, but we’re only going to talk about two types in the following paper. These two types of victims are common just as any another victim across America. These include sex assault victims and child abuse victims, which are both primary victims in cases. The two share a tie together, both are a victim of abuse and can cause lifelong consequences, but they also pose many differences as well. Many questions arise when talking about victims, for example why is a child or adult being abused and what are the life altering affects to these actions. Throughout this paper we discuss both sexual assault victims and child abuse victims and compare and contrast between the two.

    Read More

  • The Bluest Eye and a Perfect Society

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, she exposes the suffering produced by the problems caused by gender and race oppression through the experiences of African-American children. During the 1940’s, the United States had composed an identity through mass media with books such as “Dick and Jane”, and movies like “Sherley Temple.” These media sources provided a society based on national innocence. In the novel, Morrison relates to and exposes the very real issues that were hidden by the idea of the stereotypical white middle-class family.

    Read More

  • Racism and Sexism in the Bluest Eye

    1790 Words  | 4 Pages

    Toni Morrison, the author of The Bluest Eye, centers her novel around two things: beauty and wealth in their relation to race and the brutal rape of a young girl by her father. Morrison explores and exposes these themes in relation to the underlying factors of black society: racism and sexism. Every character has a problem to deal with, and it involves racism and/or sexism. Whether the characters are the victim or the aggressor, they can do nothing about their problem or condition, especially when it concerns gender and race. Morrison's characters are clearly at the mercy of preconceived notions maintained by society.

    Read More

  • Child Sexual Abuse Essay

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    More importantly, “60 percent of children who are sexually abused do not disclose and most are acquaintances but as many as 47 percent are family or extended family” (The Scope of, 2016). The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities (Child Sexual Abuse, 2012). Startling statistics represent the depth of the issue. Globally, prevalence rates show that a range of 7-36% of women and 3-29% of men experience sexual abuse in childhood (The Scope of, 2016). “The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report child maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted” (Child Sexual Abuse,

    Read More

More about The Bluest Eye Sexual Abuse Essay

Open Document