Metamorphosis in Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye - 2179 Words

The transition from childhood to adulthood is not as clear cut as the physical traits would suggest. The female transition is no exception. Culture has a major role in deciding when the change occurs. Some mark a specific age as the point of passage while others are known to acknowledge physical changes. Regardless, cultures around the world understand that there is a distinct difference between the two. Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye tells a story in the perspective of a young black girl, Claudia, as well as the perspective of her as a woman. Morrison uses a shifting narrative perspective to show that the abilities to understand and reflect are what separate the educated woman from the innocent girl. Morrison shows that a proper†¦show more content†¦She shows fearlessness when she stops the bullies from harassing Pecola and she has a presence that demands attention wherever she goes. Once the boys feel Maureen’s presence, they are suddenly â€Å"not w illing to beat up three girls under her watchful gaze† (Morrison 67). The reason that Claudia and Frieda are drawn to Maureen stems from the fact that they do not have the same carefree attitude. Morrison establishes the worry free attitude in order to show how status in society has a major effect on the development of girls. Maureen has money and attention and most likely will crave such as an adult. Claudia and the others have minimal expenditures in this novel which signals that they will likely think of spending as a privilege and not a necessity in their adult years. An important part of being a child is being accustomed to the way people interact with each other. This curiosity is universal among all girls. Girls in Morrison’s novel are constantly trying to solve problems on their own. One such incidence comes with Claudia’s knowledge of puberty. By experience, Frieda urgently tries to assist Pecola, while Claudia is ordered to hide the evidence from their mother. Claudia, however, has no idea of the circumstances and rushes her tasks insisting that she â€Å"had to stay behind and not see any of it† (Morrison 29). Many would stay behind and clean instead of watch the operation that was necessary. CuriosityShow MoreRelated Compare racial and cultural struggles in Alice Walker’s The Color2850 Words   |  12 PagesWalker’s The Color Purple as well as Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. In African-American texts, blacks are seen as struggling with the patriarchal worlds they live in order to achieve a sense of Self and Identity. The texts I have chosen illustrate the hazards of Western religion, Rape, Patriarchal Dominance and Colonial notions of white supremacy; an intend to show how the protagonists of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple as well as Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, cope with or crumble due to theseRead MoreThe Theory, History, and Development of Magical Realism Essay examples3188 Words   |  13 Pagesanother German and an art critic, to refer to paintings that demonstrate an altered reality. With reference to magical realism he writes: We recognize this world, although now - not only because we have emerged from a dream - we look on it with new eyes . . . In contrast, we are offered a new style that is thoroughly of this world, that celebrates the mundane. . . But considered carefully, this new world of objects is still alien to the current idea of Realism. . . it employs various techniques inherited