The Bluest Eye

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism, child abuse, child sexual abuse, and pregnancy loss or termination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. In The Bluest Eye, Morrison references the Dick and Jane primers that were commonly used to teach children to read. What did you think about the way Morrison explored American education and its impact on Black children’s self-image?

2. How did you respond to Morrison’s decision to reveal Pecola’s fate in the Prologue? Did knowing from the beginning that her story would end in tragedy impact how you engaged with the characters and events?

3. The Bluest Eye deals with difficult topics including incest, child abuse, and racism. Did Morrison’s writing help you to engage with these painful subjects?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Claudia describes her hatred of white baby dolls. Have you ever questioned or rejected cultural messages about what is considered beautiful or valuable? How did that experience shape your sense of self?

2. Throughout the novel, characters like Pauline, Pecola, and even Claudia struggle with standards of beauty that devalue their Blackness. How do beauty standards affect you or your community’s sense of self-worth?

3. Claudia observes that “love is never any better than the lover” (204). How does this statement resonate with you?

4. Pauline finds meaning and purpose in her work for the white Fisher family while neglecting her own home and children. Have you witnessed situations where social or economic pressures influenced someone’s ability to care for their family or themselves? What happened as a result?

5. The MacTeer girls plant marigolds, believing that if they grow, Pecola’s baby will live. Have you ever engaged in magical thinking during times of helplessness or uncertainty? What did these rituals represent for you, and did they provide comfort?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The Bluest Eye is set against the backdrop of the Great Migration in the middle of the 20th century, when many African Americans moved from the rural South to Northern cities. How does the novel portray this historical movement, and what parallels do you see with current migrations or displacements?

2. Morrison shows how the Black community in Lorain sometimes internalizes white standards of beauty and respectability. What examples of internalized oppression do you observe in contemporary society, and how might communities work to counteract these forces?

3. The novel was published in 1970, a time of significant racial activism in America. How does the novel reflect the activism and social change in this period?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Morrison uses multiple narrators and perspectives throughout the novel. How do these shifting viewpoints contribute to your understanding of the characters and events? Which narrative voice did you find most compelling or illuminating?

2. The novel is structured around seasons, beginning in autumn and ending in summer. How does this cyclical structure relate to the content of each section and the overall themes of the book?

3. Being “outdoors” is the ultimate terror for the characters. How does this metaphor or rootlessness function in the novel, and what other spatial metaphors (like the Fisher home versus the Breedlove apartment) help develop the book’s themes?

4. Morrison uses eyes and vision as central symbols throughout the novel. What significance do you find in Pecola’s desire for blue eyes, in characters being “seen” or rendered invisible, and in the community’s way of looking at Pecola? 

5. The three contrasting mother figures—Mrs. MacTeer, Pauline Breedlove, and Geraldine—represent different responses to motherhood under oppression. How do these women’s parenting styles reflect their attempts to navigate racism, poverty, and cultural expectations of Black womanhood?

6. At the end of the novel, Claudia links the failure of the marigolds to bloom with Pecola’s tragedy. What does this suggest about the novel’s view of blame and responsibility?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. What scenes from The Bluest Eye were most visually powerful for you? How would you translate these moments to another artistic medium like film, photography, or painting?

2. At the end of the novel, the adult Claudia reflects that she and her community were wrong to make Pecola a scapegoat. What would a letter from an adult Claudia to Pecola contain? What insights or apologies might she offer now that she couldn’t as a child?

3. The phrase “dangerously free” describes Cholly after his experiences of rejection and humiliation. How might the story have unfolded differently if Cholly had found healthier ways to express his autonomy?

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