Sexism and Racism in The Bluest Eye Essay

The Bluest Eye

Sexism and racism both have an effect on the black women of Lorain, Ohio, characters of the novel, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison. Although sexism and racism both take place in their lives, sexism seems to be the more dominant threat to most of the women because of how they present themselves to the outside world. The women all try to portray the pre-determined role that is expected from them as women. They are afraid of not being able to take on and fulfilling this role. These beliefs also spark a self-hatred within each characters self.

Sexism is the prejudice or discrimination based on sex, in this case discrimination against women. In this novel, society uses sexism as a tool of oppression towards women. For as long as it can be remembered women have an image in which they are supposed to cover most of her family's needs such as staying home and cooking hot meals, taking care of the children, and keeping the house clean. Each female character in the story has her own way of showing how they have been a victim of this discrimination.

Racism is the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and

that a particular race is superior to others (American Heritage Dictionary). It is discrimination or prejudice based on race. As well as sexism, society uses racism to oppress women and also the black race. The black race in the novel discriminate each other whether it is light-skinned blacks against dark-skinned blacks or blacks who are well off against poor blacks. There is also the most common aspect of racism which is whites against blacks.

Claudia MacTeer, one of the narrators of the novel, experiences racism rather than sexism. Claudia suffers from racist beauty standards that society sets for young girls. Claudia hates white people and shows that through her hate of white baby dolls being that the dolls represent white people's "beauty". She feels that she cannot be viewed as a pretty girl because everyone thinks only whites little girls and their features are beautiful. Claudia is a strong character and doesn't let this disrupt her state of mind unlike most characters in the novel.

Frieda, Claudia's sister, is also faced with the racist beauty standards and sexism but she experiences something far worse. Frieda is molested by Mr. Henry and is devastated because she thinks she is "ruined". She is scared because she doesn't want to be ruined and be like the Maginot Line, the town's prostitute, who is big, fat and ugly. "I don't want to be ruined!" "What's ruined?" "You know. Like the Maginot Line. She's ruined. Mama said so (pg.101)." Frieda experiences sexism when she is dominated by Mr. Henry, he was superior to her. As a result of this Frieda thought she was ugly which executes how her beauty standards were challenged. Frieda doesnt want to be viewed in a wrong way by society.

Pecola Breedlove, the protagonist, is the victim of rape, racism and sexism. Pecola is raped by her father because he needs something to take out his frustration on. At the store Mr. Yacobowski, is harsh to Pecola and does not even want to touch her hand when Pecola asks for Mary Jane candies. She decides that she is ugly and hates how she looks simply because she not have blonde hair and blue eyes, the features that society standardize as beautiful. This shows how the girls are threatened more by sexism rather than racism.

Maureen Peal, a light-skinned black girl, is hated by Frieda and Claudia because she possesses looks and money and everyone at school likes her. She represents what a beautiful young girl should look like and what the girls dont have.

The older female characters of the novel share similar experiences as the girls. Pauline, Pecola's mother, feels she is ugly. She has a deformed foot and her marriage has grown apart. The only time Pauline shows she is happy is when she is working as a servant in a wealthy white family's household and watches romantic movies. There she can feel needed. Pauline wants to fit that pre-determined role of what an ideal woman should be in society. She doesn't really care much about her race but she does show how much she wants to be viewed as beautiful and wanted.

Geraldine, who is a light-skinned, middle-class black women despises dark-skinned blacks because they display and stand for everything that is wrong with the black race. Geraldine is an obsessive cleaner. She cleans because she wants to get rid of the "Funk". The funk represents sex. She refrains herself from enjoying the pleasures of sex because she does not want to be part of the black stereotype which includes that blacks are hyper-sexual. Geraldine is an obsessive cleaner. She wants to get rid of the "Funk". The funk represents sex. "The dreadful funkiness of passion, the funkiness of nature, the funkiness of the wide range of human emotions (pg.83)." Geraldine is plagued with self-hatred because she can't stand herself and where she is from. She tries to be someone in society that she is not so that she can portray, what she thinks, is a perfect wife and woman.

All the females in the novel are somehow victims of the self-hatred found in the other characters, causing them (the women) to begin to create their own inner problems. Although racism does takes place throughout the novel, sexism is what the women fear most. Sexism and racist beauty standards is what alerts them to notice what is wrong with them, and what they have to change so they cannot be viewed as failures in their society.