Bluest Eye, Pt. 1

Pecola, Frieda and Claudia have a unique quality in their relationship. They seem more than simply characters in the book. Their innocence is so realistic that I believe them to be real. Their dynamic interactions make me feel as if Morrison gave these girls the character of some girls she met during her life. I must say that the plot is a bit intriguing. I was lost for a while; the writing style threw me off completely. In fact, I might still be lost! Professor Bump's paper helped me make some sense of what was going on. It's the power of bonds that people share amongst each other that makes Morrison's writing style a bit difficult to grasp right from the start.

The Essence of Family


There's one quote from the book that I really like. It revolves around the Breedloves' coal stove "which lived independently of everything and everyone... in spite of the fact that the family fed it and knew all the details of its regimen... The fire seemed to live, go down, or die according to its own schemata" (Morrison, 37). The spirit of the fire resembles the spirit of family to me. Everybody lives their own lives, and everybody, most of the time, knows what's going on with the other members. Family members are connected through a strong bond which matches the fervor and intensity of a fire. This is seen within the relationship of Pecola, Frieda and Claudia, even their relationship with Mrs. MacTeer. They have strong feelings for each other and they yell and fight, but they care for one another, and that's a sort flame they have burning within their hearts.

Bonds Can Be Created with Anyone


And as we see in the novel, this bond isn't limited to family members. The professor explains this with some clarity. "African American family includes 'fictive kin': 'unrelated individuals who often provide more family support services than blood kin'" (Anthology, 350). The McTeers' take in Pecola and treat her as if she was family. Pecola is able to share the warmth of a family spirit with Claudia and Freida, and in doing so, she forms a bond with the entire family which will forever burn within her heart!

Bonds Are Everywhere


The writing style of the Morrison is a bit confusing, but the very spirit of family prevails and manifests itself even from underneath an avalanche of language. So, this is the verisimilitude of familial bonds. Bonds between family are evident even in the most tumultuous and unpredictable of situations. The power of these bonds is so great that their essence is indescribable through language, and that's why I believe that I was lost in the start of the plot. Morrison's writing style isn't confusing, but rather what she's describing is so grandiose that it forces the language to betray its own rhetoric, only the emotions seep through.

Emotions can be Painted!