The reason that I think many had trouble with the ending was because they were focused on a question that was really completely irrelevant to the actual meaning of the story. The question, "Who was Pecola talking to?" is not really one that needs to be answered, and here's why:
As everyone knows, Pecola spends the entire novel in pursuit of beauty, specifically in the form of blue eyes. What Toni Morrison is trying to show in the end that this quest for a better life is really what ends up killing her. Even though she doesn't literally die, she is driven so far past the point of sanity that she is delusional. This "other person" that she is talking to in the final chapter of the book is a representation of that. Whether this other voice is one that is inside her head or if it's another human being really doesn't matter because Pecola's vision is so clouded that she sees whatever she wants to regardless of what anyone else says. And even though that in her false reality she now has obtained a brand new set of blue eyes, she still is not satisfied, as she tells her herself, "He should have made them bluer." No matter what the other voice says to her, she will never be content, so even this possibly fictional character abandons her. Morrison is clearly using this character to convey how Pecola is now completely and utterly alone, and with the combination of the trauma that her father put her through and her own unrealistic expectations, she is left trapped in a pit of insanity for the rest of her life.
This was an interesting interpretation of the ending of The Bluest Eye. You made an effective point while explaining Pecola's insanity. You also clearly demonstrated how the ambiguity of the identity of Pecola's friend represents Pecola's cloudy vision.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you explained the end of the book and your interpretation of "Who is Pecola talking to?" I of course wondered the same question when reading the chapter and I liked how you showed that the answer is insignificant, its more about the meaning behind the conversation.
ReplyDeleteGreat post dream team. I agree with how you were sort of saying how she was almost dead because she was so delusional and clouded. I wish you would have expanded on that picture because it is an aspect of beauty that is very rare. Many find that beautiful because it is so unique and unexpected, but if that child had regular brown eyes there might not have been documentation of his existence. It just starts a whole new conversation because that child has exactly what Pecola wanted.
ReplyDeleteI really related to your intro and how you didn't really know where the book was going. I don't think any of us did. I appreciate how you address her mental death, which no one else has that I have seen. Your interpretation of who Pecola is talking to is similar to my own. I naturally assumed as I read it that Pecola had reached a state of psychosis because of the trauma inflicted on her. It's interesting how Pecola truly never had any friends, and that even now, with a friend, she's still alone, abandoned and ignored. It's a very saddening thing to read. Thank you for writing this, keep it up.
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