The Bluest Eye was a book about the insensitive realities of society and the standards of beauty that society forces people to live up to. Pecola, a little black girl, who just wants to be pretty and fit into society thinks that blue eyes would change the way people looked at her, or didn't look at her, because of the white-society she lived in. Shirley Temple was the most beautiful little girl and Pecola would give anything just to be like her so everyone would love her. I found this book very disturbing yet, engrossing at the same time. .
The story starts of with Claudia, a friend of Pecola, saying "Quiet as it's kept there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941. We thought, at the time it was because Pecola was having her father's baby that the marigolds did not grow." This introduction is to introduce the idea that some seeds that are planted are just not meant to grow. This metaphor was used to describe why Pecola's baby did not live, it was not meant for her to have her father's baby. Morrison used many metaphors like this one through out the book. .
Pecola is a girl who hates her self. She finds no solace in her family, her community rejects her. She views herself as ugly. Her perceived solution: Blue eyes. She is fascinated with Shirley Temple and is influenced by the influences that white "archetypes" have had on her life. Pecola's mother, Polly, when she was pregnant and often went to the movies because of the beautiful movie stars that exemplified "white" qualities and help her forget her own ugliness. Polly found Pecola ugly because she didn't have the "white" beauty and she often abused Pecola, which justified the fact to Pecola that she was ugly. Polly shows more tenderness to the white family's daughter that she cares for then she does Pecola, Polly finds her "perfect family" with the white pretty little girl, and spends all her time to take care of her because she is what society finds "beautiful".