The parents of the children in the Bluest Eye have a strong influence over their children that black is ugly. Pectoral is aware that she is ugly and she believes if she has blue eyes that will fix everything. 2. Pectoral has been hurt the most by racism in the society. Starting with her family, they act out their own self-hatred by expressing hatred to her. By doing this, her ugliness has made them feel beautiful, and good about themselves. Racism is also present from school, and from society, where these white children are considered superior.
At school, Pectoral gets taunted by the children at school numerous times. Her classmates her black, but they make fun of her anyway. Maureen calls the girls black and she says black is ugly, even though Maureen is also African American but a lighter tone. Maureen is wealthy and light skin tone and ultimately she feels that she is not black or at least not the same type of black as the girls. The society believes blacks are unsuccessful, poor, and criminal. Pectoral is so accustomed to the racism that she ends up hurting herself by desiring blue eyes.
She desires blue eyes because blue eyes are the yes of white people. 3. The adults have a lot of power over the children. The people that have hurt Pectoral, have been hurt themselves by others. Morrison points out that people are not born to hurt others, instead they are taught to do so when they are hurt. An example is Mrs.. Overlooked because she is rejected by the women in the Loraine community. She is rejected because she has the marks of her color and class by wearing her natural hair, wearing country clothing, and speaking with a southern accent. Mrs..
Overlooked is ugly and her white employers are beautiful. She accepts her role and leaves her incapable of caring for her family. Pectoral is born into this time where she does not have a chance. Her mother has placed all her care in her job and she has internalized that black is ugly and white is beautiful so much that she sees Pectoral as ugly when she is born. Her parents are so busy with fighting with each other that she have given her no love and nurture and they do not notice the damage it is causing to Pectoral. 4. Pectoral is an 11 year old African American.
She is described as having small eyes set closely together under ere narrow forehead, a low, irregular hairline, which seemed even more irregular in contrast to the straight, heavy eyebrows which nearly met, keen but a crooked nose, with insolent nostrils. Also she had high cheekbones, ears that were turned forward, and shapely lips which called attention not to themselves button the rest of the face. 6. Claudia Macerate is the primary narrator of the book. Claudia is a young girl who goes back and forth acting like an adult and then a more innocent, childlike one. Claudia is somewhat of a rebel throughout the novel.
She is different from Pectoral and Fried because he resists popular beauty icons like Shirley Temple. Instead, she identifies with Jewish women and other less popular childhood stars like Jane Withers. When she receives a white baby doll for Christmas, she destroys it. Claudia rebelliousness also shows in the way she treats Pectoral. Most people tease her, but Claudia is always kind to Pectoral throughout the novel. In the end of the novel, Claudia and Fried find out that Pectoral is pregnant and so they do a kind act of sacrificing their seed money as a payment to God, in the hope that he will allow Piccolo’s baby to survive.
