The Bluest Eye: "Winter"

"They seemed to have taken all of their smoothly cultivated ignorance, their exquisitely learned self-hatred, their elaorately designed hopelessness and sucked it all up into a fiery cone of scorn that had burned for ages in the hollows of their minds-cooled-and spilled over lips of outrage,consuming whatever was in its path." (65)

The context of the quote is taken from the scene where Bay Boy, Woodrow Cain, Buddy Wilson and Junie Bug surround Pecola, taunting her with their song. The thing that struck me with the most shock is Morrison's choice in diction. In her fore thought, Morrison described her intent of the novel was to not only criticize the "smashings" that led to the collapse of a human, but instill a self interrogation in the reader of such habits. Here, Morrison positively describes these habits of ignorance and self-hatred as "smooth" and "exquisitely learned." Since this cone of scorn "had burned for ages in the hollows of their minds," I am led to believe this self hatred began at birth and childhood. Children soak up what is around them as they grow old and these boys were around ignorance and hopelessness. The "cooling" of their minds represents the entrance to adulthood where these characteristics of their childhood are now fully submerged in their being.

Since Morrison used a pleasant description of such hateful characteristics, the reader is forced to look at their own embedded characteristics from childhood rather than feelng pity for the boys.

 I believe the section about Geraldine is very similar to my selected passage. Out of self hatrid, she decided to completely withdraw herself from what she hated most and created the two sub-races of "colored people" and "niggers." She chooses to keep herself as prim and propper as possible and indulge in a life that seems to make her miserable when she has potential to truely have happiness in life. Even though she is married to a man because of security instead of love, she clings to her "nest" in every way possible. By giving Geraldine these qualities, Morrison forces the reader to wonder about our own priorities instead of pitying Geraldines' choices.