The Bluest Eye Research Paper

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The Eye Is Blue Racism is typically characterized as the mistreatment of one class of people by another class. However, the novel The Bluest Eye exemplifies another avenue of racism: intra- racial racism. Intra-racial racism is racism within the same racial stock. Intra-racial racism in the driving force for conflicts in The Bluest Eye. The African American community in the book has accepted the standards of white people’s concepts of beauty, and, in turn, perpetuates aspects of intra-racial racism. This viewpoint is illustrated in the book by: deeming Maureen’s light skin complexion as better than Pecola’s dark skin complexion, Geraldine’s view on “respectable blacks” versus “niggers”,…show more content…
This only reinforces the conflicts of intra-racial racism. Claudia is aware that it is not the Shirley Temples of the world that she hates and fears, but it is whatever aspect of it that makes them cute and the dark complexioned girls ugly (which one day soon is imbedded into her perspective of beauty). Maureen is symbolic of the conflict between light-skinned blacks and those of a darker hue. Both Pecola Breedlove and Maureen Peal have something in common-they have both internalized Eurocentric beauty ideals. From the outside looking in, they seem to be complete opposites. Pecola is dark-skinned, in poverty, and thought of as ugly. Maureen is notably mixed and regarded by society as beautiful and rich. However, the two girls share some of the same oppressed character traits but from deviating ends of color spectrums. Maureen is loved not for what she is, but also for what she is not. By that same taken, Pecola is hated because of what she is not. Maureen’s European blood is her ticket to all her privileges in life. She is put on a pedestal by people whom would just as soon mock her if she were

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