An emotional journey. Review on Bluest Eye, The - Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye is partially narrated by Cladia Macteer, a spunky nine year old black girl living and growing up in Lorian Ohio in the early 1940's. She comes into the realization of how difficult it is to grow up in a racially injust era. She also discovers that despite her short comings of poverty and skin color she is very wealthy by other means and refuses to conform to the societal standards of beauty. Instead of being angry at herself for not fitting the criteria of white skin and blue eyes, she lashes out through other areanas.

Claudia's character is mirrored by Pecola Breedlove: an eleven year old black girl who believes(and is told frequently) that she is ugly. Pecola suffers sexual abuse by her father, physical and mental abuse by her mother and other characters she comes across. She ultimately crumbles under the crushing weight self hatred and abuse.

This novel is beautifully and poetically written. It delicately and at times aggressively addresses sexual dsyfunction, poverity, racism and the long term psychological damage of all three.