The Bluest Eyes Critical Lens

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Towards the end of the two novels, Pauline and Sethe both negatively impact their children’s lives, yet the children look beyond the damage that has been done and try to maintain a healthy relationship with their mothers. To begin, in The Bluest Eyes, as a result of the choice that Pauline made, her daughter Pecola’s self-esteem declines to a level that compels her to plead to a pastor for something unrealistic in order to be accepted by society and her mother. The pastor appallingly says, ”A little black girl who wanted to rise up out of the pit of her blackness and see the world with blue eyes” (Morrison The Bluest Eyes 174). This quote shows that because of all the negativity received from her mother as well as the lack of support, this poor little girl…show more content…
This quotation-also shows how much she values her mother’s opinion. Because her mother was so dispassionate towards her, Pecola wants to do everything in order to be accepted by everyone, including her mother. In Beloved, because of Sethe’s actions and the way she attempts to “protect” her child, her other children are always making sure that they are taking precautionary measures to ensure their safety. This is evident when Sethe’s daughter Denver cautiously says “I love my mother but I know she killed one of her own daughters, and tender as she is with me, I'm scared of her because of it” (Morrison, Beloved 21). This quote shows the ultimate result of Sethe’s act of sacrifice or tough love, and how it impacted upon her child. Even though her daughter, Denver loves her, she is always ready to defend herself .She knows that deep down there is a “darkness” inside of her mother, who would be able to commit the act again if she wanted

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