I believe one of the strongest aspects of Morrison’s writing is her focus on “emotion as the ‘foundation of knowledge and ideology’” (330). In her novel The Bluest Eye she forces the reader to accept that “truth is emotional as well as intellectual” (330); she also “helps us recover our… sympathetic imagination” (331). She does this by offering her readers a chance to serve as eyewitness to events that compel her characters to wrap themselves “…in a shroud stitched with anger, yearning, pride, vengeance, loneliness, misery, defeat, and hunger” (172). One example of this being the night Cholly realizes “the clear statement of [his daughter’s] misery was an accusation” (161).

A skull wrapped in a shroud. Ironic because the Morrison quote above references emotions that can lead to the "death" of ones spirit.


One of Pecola's eyes. Relevant because there is something about Pecola's demeanor that Cholly translates into accusation.

Whether her “readers remain touched but not moved” (332) falls solely on their shoulders. Though the setting and context of the story may be unrelatable for many of us, the tragedy surrounding each character is relevant to all of our daily lives. For example, Pecola wishes to “rise up out of the pit of her blackness and see the world with blue eyes” (174). This feeling—perhaps not the severity of it—is significant to us as readers, because we’ve all had physical, mental, or emotional insecurities that we believe, if changed, would make us better, stronger people.

I was the only child in my family to have brown hair. Growing up I used to want to be blond; i thought it would make me more like my family. I don't believe this anymore.

Moreover, witnessing the depth of Pecola’s commitment to having blue eyes inherently forces the reader to interrogate society with the question why—a “why” for Pecola, a “why” for the current victims of racism, and a “why” for ourselves.

A question mark made by light. The question mark symbolizes us asking why. The fact that it is made from a light symbolizes the enlightenment we'll supposedly reach when we get the answer to this question.