The Bluest Eye: Summer

“Our sorrow drove out all thoughts of the new bicycle. And I believe our sorrow was the more intense because nobody else seemed to share it. They were disgusted, amused, shocked, outraged, or even excited by the story. But we listened for the one who would say, “Poor little girl,” or, “Poor baby,” but there was only head-wagging where those words should have been. We looked for eyes creased with concern, but saw only veils.” (190)

This quote appears in the novel in the “Summer” chapter when Claudia and Freida had returned from the homes in their community that they visited in an attempt to sell seeds for five cents each in hopes of earning enough money for a new bicycle. The women of the town could not resist talking about the latest gossip, even in the presence of the two young girls, and Freida and Claudia piece together what happened to Pecola.

I was struck by the depiction of the “disgusted, amused, shocked, outraged” women in this quote because although they share many characteristics with Pecola, they refuse to give her the benefit of the doubt when arguing whether or not she attempted to fight off Cholly. Also, they do not take her side even after she was raped by her father and beaten by her mother. Freida and Claudia recognize that they are the only people who truly feel sorry for Pecola and hope that the baby lives.

Morrison uses the imagery of a veil to illustrate the way that the women of Lorain hid their true feelings about Pecola and refused to become too concerned for the ugly little girl. The veil also points to the major theme of vision in the novel. When someone wears a veil, they can neither see nor be seen. This is entirely appropriate for the women, who refuse to acknowledge the horrible truth of what happened with the Breedloves and instead hide in the safety of their own homes, behind the words that they throw around carelessly, and of which the Breedloves will never know. This quote gives us both an example of the compassionate character that the MacTeer girls and the lack of integrity that the women of Lorain possess.

Q: Why does Morrison use dialogue to introduce the reader to Pecola’s unborn child and what makes it such an effective tool?

Cami Morrow