Toni Morrison's 'the Bluest Eye' came alive

"the Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison (1970)
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Recently, I read one of Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, which is one of the memorable and truthful novels about racism, social corruption, and the society's standards and acceptance of what or who is considered as beautiful. Before I read further into the novel, my sister said the novel was not one of her favorites due to her bad experiences with a teacher and class during the reading. So, I took her word, and at first, I did not like the reading at all simply because it was confusing and very segregated. Each parts or chapters were not flowing well, and in the prologue, there is a part where all words are mushed together--no commas, spaces but only the words glued together. However, I kept reading and those small segregated parts and stories started to paint the whole picture. After all, when you paint or make a quilt, who builds the whole thing at once? From fabric to fabric, the whole quilt is made. Well, the novel is just like the quilt. Each sections of the characters, journals, and perspectives all tie in together at the end, making a big quilt with one big theme--racism. One of the characters, Pecola Breedlove is an outcasted young black girl who wishes for blue eyes so she can be accepted and respected like the white girls. Pecola is raped by her father and later gets pregnant. The baby dies, and at the end, she "receives" (in her imagination) the blue eyes. But still, with blue eyes, people and even her imaginary friend doesn't accept her. Isn't that deep? What's even more meaningful is that there are thousands of minorities who wishes for white people's beauty like Pecola. And surprisingly, I know a long time friend who is a senior in college right now, and she is Pecola Breedlove.

My friend is half hispanic and black. Her skin is like chocolate mixed with light peanut butter, and her hair, is extremely curly and fluffy. Her eyes are dark brown, but if you see her in the sunlight, those dark brown eyes can gloom like red ebony wood during autumn. Even though her physical appearances are pretty, and the tone of her hair and skin are well-balanced, she still wishes for green blue eyes, light butter cream skin, and blond or brunette--non-frizzy or curly hair.  One day, she showed me a picture of herself, and said the picture was one of her favorites. Not because it was a good picture of herself, but mainly due to the tone of her skin. Her skin tone was light and depicted like a golden apple butter. "My skin looks so good here," she said proudly. Then I asked, "do you wish for lighter skin?" And quickly, without a second thought or time to filter her words, she said, "I am the darkest in the family, and I wish I can be light." Then she described her youngest brother's physical appearence: light skin--which you can see his veins and freckles, light emerald green eyes, and beautiful wavy chocolate brown colored hair. "My brother is going to be so handsome." It's great that she thinks her brother will be handsome--but, those beauty and illusion of beauty was only set or idolized due to her belief of blue eyes, white skin and blonde hair beauty. Ever since she said that she wished for white person's looks--"beauty," I started to observe her closely as if I were dissecting a new bug species on a planet. Everyday, she would try to talk loud in class to gain white girls' attention, and if that weren't enough, she tried to serve them. When those girls told her to shut-up, then without any hesitant nor questions, she would shut-up, whereas when minorities (who are also her friends) asked her, she would be defensive. When I talk to her, and a white girl interrupts, she talks to the white girl and ignores me; she only uses me when those white girls are among their own group. Most of the days, she would try to dress-up, but due to her financial limits, she tries to dress up by wearing skirts and random shirts. But, she didn't wear skirts and random shirts to gain attention, it was due to one of the white girl's compliment that she's made long time ago--"I love that skirt on you! You are so fashionable." My friend was seeking for their fake compliments.
There came a big football game ceremony. Everyone wore school spirited shirts to support the team. During our preparation for school spirit and ceremony, my friends and I were just taking pictures and having laughs--enjoying ourselves. Normally, she (aka my friend Pecola Breedlove) joins me and my friends. But instead, she was following the white girls, taking pictures with them, hugging them, and playing with one of white girl's blonde hair. My friend--Pecola, was so overly obsessed with white girl's hair because it was blonde. My friend--Pecola was so obsessed with their attention, because she wanted to feel like a white girl. Then at the end of the football game, I went up to her and started chatting. While I was talking to her, the whole entire time, she was rolling her eyes around--trying to find those white girls. Then she said, "oh. I think I am going home with them so..." This wasn't the first time. One day when her dad couldn't pick her up from school at the right time, I offered my house to stay. Then she agreed and said that would be a great idea. But, when this white girl appeared, she said "oh never mind. I don't need to go." My house is not a daycare center or a place that you use if and when you need it. I offered and volunteered to have her come to my house, but she quickly changed once another "superior race" came up to her.
In reality, those white girls' compliments are not compliments. They always comment on someone positively and talk shit behind someone's back. How do I know this? Well, when my friend Pecola got a haircut, those white girls complimented. But, when she was not present, I heard them talk shit about her new look. That beauty: blue/green eyes, white skin and blonde hair is not "beautiful." I have seen latino women who are beautiful--did they have blue eyes? No, but still they were beautiful. A lot of muslim and Indian women are extraordinarily beautiful. Do they have blue eyes? No.
"I don't want to marry black people. I don't find them attractive." Her racism and discrimination to her own race is all shaped and impacted by her idolization towards white people. It's disappointing and unfortunate to see a girl who is so obsessed with gaining blue-eye-beauty just like the character Pecola from Morrison's novel. What's even more shameful is that there are a lot of minorities out in the world, who acts like my friend and Pecola. I truly wish that my friend Pecola finds herself soon. "Foolish ones are those who does not know themselves." Why can't individuality be accepted? That even goes to Koreans. They purposely try to look white these days. Those k-pop stars are obsessed with pale skin, yellow hair, and colored eye lenses.

I am proud of my race and my looks. Honestly, I don't want to change my looks to manufactured and corrupted society's consideration of beauty. Come to think of it, why are people so obsessed with white-skin Barbie dolls?
I am not saying all white girls act this way. This one white group does in my school. It's just baffling to see racial segregation even if they say that they are not racist. Seriously, those girls only hang out with their own race. Please do not think I am exaggerating; I am speaking the truth.

***For privacy, I will not mention or call names.