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Symbolism of The Bluest Eye(1)

作者: 发布时间:2020-01-15 16:50:15 阅读: 763 次

Introduction

A.Significance of the study

Toni Morrison is a world-famous novelist, editor and professor. She is the first black woman who has been awarded the Nobel Prize. Her works are known for their epic themes, life-like dialogues, vivid characterization and rich feelings. They focus mainly on the experience of black woman, their pleasure and pain, their dreams and horror. In her writing, she attempts to find the beauty, value and self-identity of the black women. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved.

Toni Morrison was born in Lorian, Ohio. She is the second of four children in a working-class family. She has been a veracious reader since she was a child and her favorite authors are Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy. When she was young, her father told her many folktales of the black community – “a method of storytelling that would later work its way into Morrisons writings(Susan, 2007). Toni Morrison begins her writing career as a member of a group of novelists and poets who met at Howard to discuss their works. Once, she went to the meeting and there, she discussed her short story about a black girl who longed to have blue eyes. Later, she developed the story as her first novel, The Bluest Eye. But this book, which deals with issues like racism, incest and child molestation, has caused quite a stir after its publication. There have been numerous attempts to ban it from schools and libraries.  

However, The Bluest Eye is a significant novel of irresistible charm for it came about at a critical moment in the history of American civil rights, during the years of some of the most dynamic and turbulent transformations of Afro-American life. One of those transformations was a new recognition of African-American beauty. The black community began to argue for a new standard of beauty: black is beautiful. In this novel, Morrison draws the readersattention to the damaging effects of the way the white culture prevents African Americans from developing their own identities. Therefore, it is safe to say the book is a landmark in the development of black consciousness.

B.Thesis Statement

Symbolism is a significant device in The Bluest Eye. By means of symbolism, Toni Morrison reveals the African Americans life, minds, longings and struggles. She merges symbolism into the plot, such as settings, structure, characters and the very name of The Bluest Eye. In this paper, the author attempts to give a detailed analysis of symbols used in the book. By analyzing the symbolic significance of the object, settings, characters and events, this paper intends to reveal the artistic value and the profound themes of The Bluest Eye.

C.Literature Review

In terms of the themes of the novel, Ruby Dee and Barbara Christian have done a thorough research on them from the perspective of white standard of beautywhich is regarded as the major source of Pecolas tragedy. She is victimized by a society which forces her into believing that she is ugly and therefore, worthless. Some critics approach the novel from the psychoanalytical perspective, discussing Pecolas schizophrenic double voice. The theme of racism in the book also gains much attention. Critics like Zhao Na analyzes the book with the application of post-colonial theory. Besides, concerning the narrative strategies adopted in the novel, Morrison has been praised for her magical and musical expression. Although its artistic features have also been discussed by some critics, few researches have been done on the symbols used in the book. Though there are some papers discussing certain images in The Bluest Eye, a systematic study of symbolism is still needed.

DOrganization of the paper

This paper could be divided into three parts. The first part deals with the most important symbol in the novel, i.e. the bluest eye, for it is critical to the theme of the novel. The second part discusses other symbols concerning the characters and setting. And the last chapter will be devoted to other images like the flower, the primer and cinema.

 

 

Chapter I The Symbolic Meaning of the Bluest Eye

      The Bluest Eye is a story about a girl named Pecola who prays day after day for blue eyes. It is told from the perspective of Claudia MacTeer from a third-person, omniscient viewpoint. Claudia, the narrator lives in Ohio with her parents and sister. Later, they make acquaintance with Pecola, who moves to live with them. Pecola is a girl who lives a miserable life. Her parents fight endlessly and she has been constantly reminded of her ugliness. The hardship of her life and her strong sense of inferiority fuel her desire for a pair of blue eyes. But life refuses to grant the little girl with a taste of happiness. One day, her drunk father rapes her and soon she bears his child. In the end, Pecolas child is born prematurely and dies. Claudia and Freida plant marigold seeds in hope that if the flower blooms, Pecolas baby will be safe, but the marigold never blooms. The symbols used in the novel makes the deeply poignant story profound and thought-provoking.

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature. Toni Morrison uses symbolism in her writing to make her work more profound in theme and narration. Of all the symbols she uses in the novel, the bluest eyeis the most important one, for it bears the thematic significance of the whole novel and that is why Morrison named her work with such a title.

Simply speaking, the bluest eye is a symbol of western ideology about the beauty standard of the white. To Pecola, the bluest eye has two layers of symbolic meaning. At first, it is only the symbol of something pretty that can bring her love and happiness. Later, it gradually evolves into a symbol of beauty standard, which distorts her personality. She internalized the standard completely so as to fit into the white society.

Pecola lives in the lowest class of the society. She has to endure the fight of her parents, the ridicule of her teachers and classmates and the hostility of her neighbors. Her mistreatment convinces her that she is ugly and she believes that her ugliness is the root of her unhappiness. Therefore, she longs for pretty things, and the bluest eye is one of them.

It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sight if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different. If she looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe theyd say, Why, look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustnt do bad things in front those pretty eyes. (Morrison 40)

So in Pecolas mind, the bluest eye equals love and happiness.                                    At this stage, her wish has not become an obsession. She is still a normal girl who wishes for something pretty. At this moment, the bluest eye is a symbol of her longing for beauty, acceptance and happiness. But later, the wish for bluest eye begins to haunt her. The widespread ideology of the white preys on her helplessness. Her longing for a pair of blue eyes turns to self-denial and self-hatred. She has been completely assimilated to the white peoples standard of beauty. Therefore, she gradually loses herself. Her situation is worsened by her encounter with the grocery owner, Mr. Yacowbski. One day, she goes to the grocery store to buy Mary Jane candy. When she faces Mr. Yacobowski, a white man, she is struck by the total absence of human recognitionon his face (Morrison, 42). Her self-image is shattered. Now, the bluest eye no longer means pretty things but rather a morbid beauty standard. She gazes at the each pale yellow wrapper with the picture of Mary Jane with Smiling white face, blond hair in gentle disarray, blue eyes looking out of a world of clean comfort.She eats the candy. To eat the candy is somehow to eat the eyes, to eat Mary Jane, and to be Mary Jane. (Wang Rong, 2004)

Pecolas belief is reinforced by Geraldine, a black woman who suppresses her racial identity. She treats Pecola as if she is dirt, nuisance or blight. Such attitudes based on the myth of white superiority lead to Pecolas loathing and hatred of herself. The only way to get out of her problem is to obtain the bluest eye, i.e. to discard her former self, her identity of black. But it is beyond her power. She has to pray fervently each night and it finally leaves her mentally ill.

From the tragic story of Pecola, we might say that the bluest eye is the epitome of white ideology, which has been vigorously instilled in the mind of black people. And therefore, it becomes a destructive force in the black community. It distorts the image of black people and advertises the white superiority. The sensitive minds of the youngsters, for a lack of guidance, are quite susceptible to its influence. That is why Pecola has developed such a morbid and pathetic attitude towards her blackness. Her refusal to come to terms with herself causes her schizophrenia. Not only her, many other characters in the book share her attitude towards the white and the black. Pecolas mother and Geraldine are typical example.