Literary Style Reader: Catherine Louvier

Alice Catherine Louvier

The Bluest Eye 

Objective Five a.—The Dream vs., The American Dream:

Not a dream, but a Nightmare:

Objective Three—Minority Dilemma: assimilate or resist

Assimilation is denied. It is not a choice. The color of their skin makes this a decision that they are unable to make.

He thought it was at once the most fantastic and the most logical petition he had ever received. Here was an ugly little girl asking for beauty. A surge of love and understanding swept through him but was quickly replaced by anger. (174).

Picola believes that the secret of beauty lies in whiteness.

He knew that there was a reason to believe blue eyes would make her beautiful.

He gets angry because he knows it is out of his power.

Only the power of God could give her the blue eyes she wanted, and God did not answer her prayerGod did not answer her prayer.

He was a pervayer of Magic, a practice considered ungodly.She was trading her soul for blue eyes.

Objective Five a—An alternative African American Dream story

It was her good fortune to find a permanent job in the home of a well to do famile whose members were affectionate, appreciative, and generous. She looked at their houses, smelled their linen, touched their silk draperies, and loved all of it (127).

She enjoys the American dream vicariously.

She sees servitude as the only way she can achieve the American Dream.

She has an internalized belief in her own inferiority.

She has no concept of the dream. She sees no way to succeed without being white

Objective Four—Individual and Collective Identies

Picola:  What’s the matter?

Imaginary Friend: The sun is too bright, it hurts my eyes.

Picola: Not mine. I don’t even have to blink.

Imaginary Friend: Don’t do that.

Picola: Why not? It doesn’t hurt

 Imaginary Friend: Well, blink anyway. You make me feel funny, starring at the sun like that.

Picola: Feel funny how?

Imaginary Friend: I don’t know

Picola: Yes, you do. Feel funny how?

Imaginary Friend: I told you, I don’t know.

Pecola: Why don’t you look at me when you say that? You’re looking droop-eyed like Mrs. Breedlove.

Pecola believes that the way people look at her; both black and white had changed.

The imaginary friend says the things that Pecola knows are true. She wants to keep that reality close to her.

The imaginary also speaks for others. Others think there is something wrong with seeing through white eyes.

She tries to escape but clings to that thread of reality. I

Her fight with reality drives her crazy.

It is strange that she finds the voice of reason in her imagination. It hurts them to stare into the sun.

Pecola believes that the way people look at her; both black and white had changed because she had Blue eyes.

Questions:

1.      Is this an AmericanDream Narrative?

2.      Is this novel is a story of Claudia’s coming of age ( Bildungsroman)?

3.      Do you think Morrison shows the any concept of the Dream? Do these characters even know to dream it?

4.       It is set in the beginning of the twentieth century, so Dr. King had not yet made his “I’ve got a Dream” speech. Do the characters not see any Dream open to them because of this time period, or does Morrison not believe in its presence in the lives of African-American People in more recent times?

5.      How much do you think class has to do with the assimilability of African-Americans?

6.      Do you think that skin color still excludes African-Americans from mainstream society? To what extent?