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The Bluest Eye Th

The Bluest Eye is a short novel written by Toni Morrison. It was published in 1982 as part of a collection of seven similarsized novels called Seven Contemporary Short Novels. By giving the reader a look into the world of a preadolescent girl, the book provokes emotion and stimulates thought. In addition to telling what happened, the author tells why things happened. It educates while it entertains, thus giving the reader a thorough understanding of other people, life, and even of oneself. As a form of mass communication, The Bluest Eye has advantages and disadvantages. It offers much in terms of information and other benefits, but requires more effort than, say, television or film. Perhaps the probability of selection of any media form depends as much on the audience as on the particular product.

The novel consists of 135 pages of narrative describing life in Lorain, Ohio. The author begins with a children's primer story. It starts out following the rules of punctuation and grammar ("Here is the house. It is green and white." (296)), but quickly degenerates into meaninglessness ("Here is the house it is green and white it . . ." (297)). Then, after a short excerpt about two young girls being unsuccessful in their attempt to grow marigolds, the book segues into four sections differentiated by the four seasons: autumn, winter, spring, and summer.

Autumn opens with nineyearold Claudia and her older sister, Frieda, being told of the imminent arrival of a new addition to their middleclass household: a neighborhood girl named Pecola Breedslove. Although much of the story is told through Claudia, the plot centers around Pecola. She is the consummate victim. At birth, she is victimized by her inherited ugliness. Later in life, her family is victimized by her father Cholly Breedlove's alcoholism. In school, Pecola's ugliness alienates her from others. Her teachers ignore her (322) and other...

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The Bluest Eye Th. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:46, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1700136.html