In the novel, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, the evils inflicted upon blacks by a white society indoctrinated by the inherent beauty of whiteness and ugliness of blackness are thoroughly depicted. Morrison's novel illustrates the disastrous affects racism had on African-Americans during the late nineteen hundreds. The Bluest Eye is a bitter novel that vividly reflects the way in which blacks were treated unfairly, and more important, how most blacks were unable to resist oppression from whites during the late nineteenth century. Blacks believed the sole reason for their unhappiness was due to their dark skin. Sadly, the poverty and discrimination that blacks faced causes them to idealize the white race instead of fight for freedom and equality. Throughout the course of this novel Morrison suggests that if blacks do not take a stand against oppressive whites they will become obsessed with the beauty and happiness of white families and upper-class blacks. .
According to critic Raymond Hedin, Morrison divides the novel into small excerpts of theDick and Jane? primer to contrast the happiness of upper class white family life, to the despair of poverty-stricken blacks. For instance, the chapter that introduces the Breedlove familyto the reader is prefaced by the primer's reference to Jane's very happy family life:?.
HEREISTHEFAMILYMOTHERFATHERDICKANDJANETHEYLIVEINTHEGREENANDWHITEHOUSETHEYAREVERYH (Morrison 38) The family described in thesubsequent? pages of the novel is the complete opposite of theideal? (white) American family described in the primer. The family portrayed in this chapter is the Breedlove family, a family that is overwhelmed with scorn and hatred. In this chapter the reader is informed that the Breedlove family is utterly dysfunctional because Cholly is a drunkard, Pauline is aperversely self-serving Christian?, Sammy is a runaway, and Pecola desperately yearns for blue eyes.
