Outsiders' role in The Bluest Eye

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The creation of outsiders by society leads to the development of self-hatred in those outsiders as well as a desire to make others feel the same way. In essence, this process becomes cyclical, and can be found in almost any walk of life. In Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, the themes of self-hatred and the creation of outsiders in society are apparent, and help structure the messages within the text. This commentary rings true in my own reality as well, as I have had experience with the existence of self-hatred as well as society’s creation of outsiders. These outsiders serve mainly to be scorned by the “higher” members of society, and to make those “insiders” feel better about themselves. The character that is most easily recognizable as an outsider in The Bluest Eye is Pecola Breedlove, but her father, Cholly, who has had his own experiences with self-hatred, initially establishes her self-hatred and status as an outsider. The beginning of this vicious cycle takes place during Cholly’s adolescence. The origin of his self-hatred is his first sexual experience, which is interrupted by two white men catching he and Darlene in the act. Though Cholly was humiliated by the white men, “he hated the one who had created the situation, the one who bore witness to his failure, his impotence” (151). Cholly’s hatred with himself for being emasculated is channeled towards Darlene, and throughout the rest of his life, women in general. His hatred is openly exhibited towards his daughter, Pecola, as he mistreats her and exploits her because of his own self-loathing. After raping Pecola, Cholly notices that, “again the hatred mixed with tenderness. The hatred would not let him pick her up” (163). In this mistreatment of his daughter, Cholly continues a common cycle of outsiders in society by creating another outsider in order to make him feel better about himself. As
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