The K Experience

"Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes. Fervently, for a year she had prayed. Although somewhat discouraged, she was not without hope."

Highlighting issues such as racism, classism and sexism in the 1940's, The Bluest Eye, is the story of a girl who wanted to be someone else. A book not for the faint of heart...

In the 250 pages of the book, Toni Morrison has been able to weave a poetic narrative, which highlights disturbing issues of society which existed 60 years ago, remnants of which still exist today. The various characters of the book each have their own stories to tell, and all come together intricately to make this book so potent.

The novel is told through the viewpoint of Claudia Mcteer a young black girl in Loraine, Ohio, who recounts the unfortunate story of her friend Pecola Breedlove the central character of the book, with whome all other characters are somehow connected. Morrison tells the stories of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove, Pecola's parents, explaining their childhood, their relationship and their troubles. This gives background information and helps to explain the incidents which happen in the book. Their neighbor Geraldine, and her son Junior also have a story to tell which is connected with that of Pecola's. The life of Elihue Micah Whitcomb the psychic healer of mixed origin whose services are called upon by Pecola, is also explained in some detail. All these characters are given an important role in the book which is merged with the underlying themes of gender, class and race. The same themes are central to the less important roles of Mr Henry the peodophile lodger and China, Poland, and Miss Marie the local prostitutes as well as the various other characters.

Instead of conventional chapters, the book is seperated into four main sections by the four seasons starting from Autumn and continuing on to Summer at the end. Each season is representative in it's own right and symbolizes the different stories of the characters.

The Bluest Eye, Morrison's first novel, was finished and published in 1970, about 8 years after Morrison started the book in 1962. Initially neglected, it wasn't until 1993, 23 years later that it was recognised as a classic and given the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is now widely read in school around the USA.

A good, enlightening read, and comes well recommended.

The following are links which will act as a spoiler for those who have not read the book, and a source of explanation and understanding for those that have. Bookrags.com, Luminarium.org. For information on the author, see the Toni Morrison's Wikipedia entry.

Picture of book cover taken from Literature Review.com. Picture of Toni Morrison taken from Princeton.edu.

Comments

Add New

+/- Comment Form Write comment

Name: Email:  do not notifynotify Website: Title: UBBCode:         -color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge   Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.25

3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."