Analysis Of Maya Angelous The Bluest Eye - 1315 Words

A basic human’s psychological need for approval from those around them is well-known and well-discussed in the psychiatric world. This is especially true of children and the parental figures in their lives, including teachers and guardian figures. Throughout the novel The Bluest Eye, Pecola and the other children, Frieda and Claudia are desperately seeking the approval of their parents. However not getting the love and approval that they are seeking out leads to a sense of hopelessness from all of the girls, and in Pecola’s case, insanity. This hopelessness experienced by Pecola is very similar to the hopelessness of the bird in Maya Angelou’s â€Å"Caged Bird.† Both the caged bird and Pecola are longing for something that is essentially†¦show more content†¦Freedom for the bird is the equivalent of the love and approval that Claudia, Pecola and Freida all long for throughout The Bluest Eye. By lashing out in their different ways, the three girls and the bird all place themselves further away from the freedom and love they are seeking to gain through their individual efforts. By denying the girls adequate love and acceptance and the bird the ability to fly, they are all denied a piece of their own humanity and the ability to live a normal life. Pecola and the caged bird range in the use of coping strategies, from singing to having virtually none, in order to manage their situations. Like the caged bird, Pecola also â€Å"stands on the grave of dreams,† symbolizing the hopelessness that has come over the two. After being kept in a cage for so long, the bird as well as Pecola, long â€Å"of things unknown† that are simply unattainable; freedom for the bird and acceptance in the form of blue eyes for Pecola. Throughout the Bluest Eye, Pecola is deeply infatuated with having blue eyes. She is convinced that beauty is directly associated with whiteness, specifically blue eyes. She believes that if she somehow gets b lue eyes she will suddenly be beautiful in the eyes of those around her, and therefore lovable. After her father rapes her and her innocence dies, Pecola’s last shred of hope, her baby, alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Scientific Racism on Black Women Essay5776 Words   |  24 Pageshow important controlling Black womens sexuality has been to the effective operation of domination overall. The words of Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, Barbara Smith, and Alice Walker provide a promising foundation for a comprehensive Black feminist analysis. The Sexual Politics Of Black Womanhood Patricia Hill Collins Even I found it almost impossible to let her say what had happened to her as she perceived it ... And why? Because once you strip away the lie that rape is pleasant, that children