Commentary on The Bluest Eye Essay

She thought they were pretty . . . they are ugly. They are weeds. This minor example of how the little girls perception of the world changes within a few minutes is one of her many changing outlooks on herself and her surroundings. At first she has a positive point of view, but after the incident with the white man, all her positivity is gone and replaced with anger and shame. The author uses appropriate word choice, narrative pace, and descriptive imagery to dramatize the change from happiness to anger because of one carefree white mans encounter with the little black girl.

The author uses appropriate diction in the story to reveal the girls changing perception of herself and her surroundings. At first, she was a happy, untroubled little girl without a care in the world. After describing the familiarity of the objects around her and her seeming possession of them, the author states And owning them made her part of the world, and the world a part of her. This choice of words at the beginning of the story indicates that she feels included in her world, and that she belongs. The statements diction dramatizes the fact that the girl believes she has an important place in the world. However, later in the story, her view is significantly changed. When at the candy store, she reaches to point to what she wants and the author describes her finger as a little black shaft of a finger. The choice of words in this statement reveals one of the first indications that the girls view of herself has changed. The description carries a negative connotation: that she used to pay no attention to her color but now that the white man seems to look down on her, she cant help but notice it. She has seen it lurking in the eyes of all white people. The fact that this distaste for blacks lurks in whites eyes conveys that the girl knows they find disgust in her and they show it, even with their eyes. This appropriate word choice dramatizes the fact that the girls confidence is crushed and her view of herself and the world has negatively changed because of the white man.

Narrative pace effectively dramatizes the girls changing view of herself, but more importantly, her world around her. At first, she is walking to the store thinking every positive though she possibly can; however, after the incident with the white man, the narrative pace reveals the change in her outlook on the world. Why, she wonders do people call them weeks? She thought they were pretty, goes to They are ugly. They are weeds. The first statement flowed nicely, indicating that the girl was happy about the flowers, but the last statement dramatizes the fact that she felt angry and did not like the dandelions anymore. The short, choppy sentences help reveal that the girl has a different, more negative outlook on the world.

Descriptive imagery in the passage reveals the girls changing perceptions as well. At the end when the girl is looking at her Mary-Janes, the author describes them: Each pale yellow wrapper has a picture on it. Before, the girl was excited about the candy she was going to buy, but when she even remembered about it, it was a girl with blond hair in gentle disarray, blue eyes looking at her out of a world of clean comfort. The imagery dramatizes fact that the girl now views her world as negative and angry, and it seems as though the Mary-Jane is mocking her. The girl is looking down at a candy wrapper actually wishing that she would have that feeling of clean comfort like the Mary-Jane.

The little girl in the excerpt goes from believing she is part of the world to wishing she felt like she is part of the world as a result of one encounter with a white man. Her confidence significantly dropped and the things she used to love and admire are now things she considers ugly. She holds strong feelings of anger and shame because one man is rude and makes her feel inferior. Through diction, appropriate narrative pace, and imagery, the author effectively dramatizes this change in the girls perceptions.