Pecola Breedlove Character Analysis in The Bluest Eye Essay Sample

The meaning of physical beauty and the desire to be exactly like the definition of beautiful can destroy one's morals and beliefs. Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, has many characters who are obsessed and crave the desire to feel the idealist meaning of what is considered beautiful. The character Pecola believes having the physical attribute of blue eyes leads to acceptance, happiness and love; however, it is also perceived as this is what causes the character's downfall and misses the whole meaning of what it means to be beautiful.

Pecola comes from a house with an abusive family and doesn’t know the meaning of love. Pecola has tried to receive love and make friendships but no one wants to because not even them know the meaning of love and acceptance. Therefore all she knew is that people who have blue eyes are considered perfect and they get what Pecola longs for. She believes if she changes herself maybe she would feel accepted for once. As she is wishing that she could change herself and longs for the acceptance of many people, she misses multiple opportunities to see herself in ways she couldn’t. Towards the middle of he novel, the readers see Pecola as she begins to spiral out of control, she develops this behavior that is impulsive, closed minded and has developed self-hatred.

Pecola's behavior and mindset is a prime example of negative idealism. Pecola’s hatred morals developed through the occurrences she would have within her community, between what is left of her family, and the houses she would go to. This was Pecola's downfall. Pecola is the most predominant character that expressed these morals and the viewers could see them develop overtime and got snippets of her perspective as her characteristics develop overtime. She does affect those around her with her negative mindset like Geraldine and Pauline, who also believe that physical appearance means acceptance, and she makes other people develop the interpretation that since they were not born “perfect” they have to change themselves or no one will accept them.

Pecola was a fragile, grateful little girl who had dreams and goals of her own but she let the ways of idealism and obsession changed her opinion and viewpoint including those around her. She became the symbol of self-hatred and the belief of her community's own ugliness due to her idea of blue eyes. The real meaning of blue eyes are simply blue eyes. They have no real meaning behind them. Pecola could have portrayed the idea that everyone is perfect in their own way because changing yourself to what society thinks is perfect is just unnecessary. The way Toni Morrison portrayed idealism by using Pecola is a societal eye opener. Eye color should not mean one is a higher person than the other, and neither should it mean anything different than what it is. Eye color is eye color and Toni Morrison displayed the cultural issues people go through everyday because they are put in an area with low self worth and respect. Pecola is the definition of a fallen hero. Her great morals and beliefs spiralled out of control due to jealousy and self hatred and no one could stop her. She fell into a mindset and place where no one could save her.