SUGGESTED ESSAY TOPICS
FOR
THE BLUEST EYE
1. Analyze how Toni Morrison depicts the ways in which internalized white standards of beauty deform the lives of black girls and women.
2. Analyze the connection between seeing and being seen in THE BLUEST EYE. Note all the references in the book to being watched or the many references to eyes in the novel, the most obvious is the title THE BLUEST EYE. What connection does this have to power - who has it, who doesn’t? What connection does this have to a young girl’s sense of worth or how others may see and value her? Be sure to give specific examples from the book.
3. Most of the female characters in THE BLUEST EYE are emotionally dependent on men in some way except for three notable exceptions: the Maginot Line, China and Poland, the three prostitutes who prey on men. Describe their standing in the community and their attitudes toward themselves and toward each other. What does the prostitutes’ story line seem to say about women and their position in the community?
4. Which is the greatest threat to the children in THE BLUEST EYE, racism or sexism? Give specific examples from the novel to defend your position.
5. To what extent is Cholly to blame for his violence against his family? Which other people or cultural forces might be to blame for his violence? What is the community’s position on blame?
6. The novel, THE BLUEST EYE, has a number of secondary story lines, such as the histories of Geraldine, Junior, Maureen and Soaphead Church, which are intertwined with the main story line of the Breedlove family. Select one of these story lines and explain how it comments on or relates to the main story of Pecola and her family.
7. How does nature function in the story? Is it a benevolent presence against which the events of the novel are contrasted or a potentially malevolent force? Is Morrison’s use of natural imagery hopeful or ironic?
8. Although there are relatively few instances of direct white oppression of blacks in the book, one of the themes in THE BLUEST EYE is the effect of white racism on the black community. Discuss the effect that internalized racism has on the community. Be sure to include specific examples from the novel.
