the bluest eye cross cutting themes
WOMEN AND FEMININITY theme
The Bluest Eye is mostly concerned with the experience of African-American women in the 1940s. It presents a realistic view of the options for these women: they could get married and have children, work for white families, or become prostitutes. The novel also thematizes the culture of women and young girls, emphasizing beauty magazines, playing with dolls, and identifying with celebrities.
THE BLUEST EYE THEME OF SOCIETY AND CLASS
Race and class are nearly inextricable in The Bluest Eye, since there were so many economic barriers for African Americans during this time period. The African-American citizens of Lorain that we encounter are mostly working-class folks who work in coal mines or as domestic servants for white families. The breakdown of community is another aspect of this theme, since many of the characters who identify with middle-class white culture feel the need to separate themselves from lower-class blacks, or "black e mos," whom they associate with criminality and laziness.
THE BLUEST EYE THEME OF SEX
Sex in The Bluest Eye is awkward, humiliating, shameful, violent, and illegal – sometimes all at once. With the exception of Mr. MacTeer (whom we basically never see), all of the major male characters – Cholly Breedlove, Mr. Henry, and Soaphead Church – sexually desire young girls. As far as we know, Soaphead never, or rarely, acts on these desires (the novel keeps this ambiguous), but Mr. Henry gropes Frieda, and Cholly rapes his daughter Pecola at least twice, maybe more.
The larger point of all this is that black girls in the novel are victims, sexually and socially powerless. Adolescence for these girls does not involve having harmless crushes or discovering sexuality on their own – things we might expect of teenage girls. Rather, the young black girls in this novel are used to make the men feel more powerful. When we think about the importance of sex in the novel, we might consider how sex interacts with the intense power dynamics that Morrison establishes between white men, African-American men, and African-American women.
The larger point of all this is that black girls in the novel are victims, sexually and socially powerless. Adolescence for these girls does not involve having harmless crushes or discovering sexuality on their own – things we might expect of teenage girls. Rather, the young black girls in this novel are used to make the men feel more powerful. When we think about the importance of sex in the novel, we might consider how sex interacts with the intense power dynamics that Morrison establishes between white men, African-American men, and African-American women.
BELOVED THEMES
BELOVED THEME OF MEN AND MASCULINITY
Being a man is anything but simple in Beloved. Our leading men have some complicated relationships with women and with themselves. In order to prove their masculinity, men want to own things. So not owning anything—including themselves—leaves the male slave vulnerable to some pretty serious psych issues. Oh, and to baby girls who've come back from the dead.
BELOVED THEME OF LOVE
If you're looking for a sweet romance in Beloved, good luck. Sure, there's a major relationship in the book that seems to end happily, but for the most part, love is just really messy. And by messy, we mean colossally chaotic. For starters, love can literally kill in this book. Oh, and it can make good men go insane and brings babies back from the dead. If you want a sweet, cuddly type of love, we suggest you get a teddy bear. If you want to read about the kind of love that will make you shake, shiver, and cry, then Beloved is for you.
BELOVED THEME OF SLAVERY
Toni Morrison doesn't hold back when talking about slavery. In Beloved, we get all sides. For starters, there's the outright brutality and abuse of the system. That's the part we can all agree on. Then there are the grey areas. Examples? Beloved is full of 'em: a white slaveowner who treats his slaves as "real men"; a fugitive slave who kills her daughter so her daughter won't be caught by slavecatchers; a handful of white people who go above and beyond to help of fugitive slaves. Is there room for moral fuzziness on the topic of slavery? In Beloved there sure is.
BELOVED THEME OF THE SUPERNATURAL
Beloved can be spooky, sure. But the spookiness carries more than just shock value. The supernatural elements of the novel—ghosts! risen babies! spells!—usually have to do with the past making itself known in the present. Especially when the present is looking like it's about to head off happily into the future.
