Pecola begins to believe the lie of racism: that to be black is to be "ugly," undeserving, and unloved. It is Shirley Temple and the Mary Jane on the wrapper of the candy by that name who are the models of lovable girls in Pecola's world. Pauline Puyat, a mixed blood Chippewa Indian, sees herself through the eyes of whites and thus learns to hate herself, desperately attempting to claim only her "half white." She has a vision of Jesus who "tells" her that "despite (her) deceptive features, (she) was not one speck of Indian but wholly white. He himself had dark hair although His eyes were blue as bottleglass, so I believed" (137).
Ethics are principles reflecting the values of a society, Kanazawa has manipulated Black woman, as well the black culture. All women Black, White, Asian, and Native American should “all” be equally treated. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Kanazawa has used attractiveness based on photographs. They’re marked differences of physical attractiveness among woman of different races.
For over a century, women have been speaking about the double enslavement of black women and how not only are they handicapped on account of their sex, but they are mocked almost everywhere because of their race as well. In “Multiple Jeopardy, Multiple Consciousness: The Context of a Black Feminist Ideology,” Deborah King illustrates how the dual discriminations of racism and sexism remain pervasive, and how class inequality compounds those oppressions. In the case of Pecola Breedlove, the protagonist of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, this triple jeopardy of race, gender, and class ultimately leave her feeling socially powerless in society. Pecola must suffer all the burdens of prejudice of having dark skin, as well as bear the additional burden of having to cope with white and black men because of her sex. The beauty standards of white Western culture, the sexual abuse of Pecola by her father, and Pecola’s low economic status have multiplicative effects on Pecola and all aid in her progressive alienation from society as well as her fall towards insanity.
They have become victims of a terrible form of racism, targeted by members of their own race. In these communities, the women are singled out and put onto a pedestal. Darker-skinned women are seen as ugly, and sometimes even told that they are physically unable to obtain beauty. This inevitably puts darker
The Struggle for Society’s Acceptance Be careful what you wish for. In the novel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, a young colored girl named Pecola and her race are rejected by their community based on their physical appearance. The belief of Pecola’s time label black people ugly and different. To be beautiful, it is mandatory that one posses pale skin, yellow hair, and blue eyes. Brainwashed by society’s standards and demeaned by the white race, the black population struggles to fit the stereotypical image of perfection.
In the documentary Jane Elliot focuses on discrimination against women, homosexuals and mostly against African Americans and how society is biased to suit the oppressors. The blue eyed brown eyed exercise teaches white people what its like to be black in the United States of America. This is done by separating the blue eyed people who are all white and the brown eyed people and making the blue eyed people feel inferior by treating them the same way as blacks are treated in society. In the documentary Jane Elliot uses the exercise to make the blue eyed people feel uncomfortable, frustrated, humiliated, and discriminated against. By doing this she is simulating society’s discrimination of minority groups.
A reoccurring theme in the book, The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is the theme of women being discriminated against and used by men. This theme presents itself several times in the book because the story is set in a sexist and racist society in which women were seen by men as only good for housework and sex. The protagonist of the story, Celie, starts off the book as a black girl who is taught to be compliant and to fear men, and throughout the story learns to become a woman she herself admires. The story is written in such a way that it is understandable but the exact setting of the book remains a mystery; however, the stereotypical sexist and racist society doesn’t. The book is written as letters to Celie’s God and are written in first person from her perspective.
The Fight for Change Ever since human beings have walked this Earth, they have formulated various standards and stereotypes towards what they believe are truly sublime in human appearance. As for “the others” who are believed to not reach these standards, they suffer from self-degradation and the cruelty of others. In Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye, she tells the story about a young black girl who believes she is ugly and wishes for blue eyes because the community bases their ideals of beauty on whiteness. Throughout her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou gives an account of her journey of becoming a woman and dominating the misfortunes and racist oppressions of her life. Both authors illustrate the idea that because of oppression the victim develops a self-hatred that enforces a desire to change.
Unfortunately there are a great deal of troublesome images that are being shown about women in the African American community that has absorbed into their psychological mind. When you turn on the television or go to the movies, pay attention to the roles that African-American women play. Think about how often you see an African-American woman being portrayed on the screen as brave, intelligent, and strong or playing a leadership role? As an African American woman I am dissatisfied with the media’s portrayal of us. I feel that this trend must be stopped and the only way is for us to boycott the media, stop buying music that depicts us as anything less than what we are.
And though the struggles and personal backgrounds that define characters are different, the similarities between the two works lie in the oppression and hate that each experiences. Both Matthew Shepard and Pecola Breedlove share the same voice, but their languages are much different. Toni Morrison paints a picture of Pecola Breedlove, the main-character of The Bluest Eye as abused and tormented, both by her family and by her schoolmates. She is uncomfortable in her own skin and wishes she could somehow make her eyes blue because “…if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different” (Morrison, 46). At such a young age, Pecola is obviously a very troubled person.