children tease her (323, 335, 349 453). The only comfort Pecola seems to get out of life comes from her acquaintance with three prostitutes who live in a nearby apartment.
Things are so bad for Pecola that she begins to escape into fantasy. She believes that if only she were more beautiful, everything would be different. She becomes obsessed with having blue eyes and prays for them every night. Unfortunately, her life does not improve.
The book goes on to chronicle the history behind Pecola's mother and father. It tells how her mother's hatred of her own physical imperfection makes Pecola's ugliness particularly intolerable. It also describes how the father's love of freedom, constrained within the bounds of marriage, leads to his addiction to alcohol. The story's climax occurs when Pecola's father attacks her while she is washing dishes. Afterwards, she tells her mother, but Mrs Breedslove refuses to believe her. The sexual abuse continues and eventually Pecola becomes pregnant.
The full impact of the pregnancy is beautifully
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