Parents are the caregivers, watchers, protectors, lovers, and teachers of their children and are fully responsible for their kids. They help their offspring grow through life learning new concepts and ways of life and helping them prosper into mature people. But how may a child be taught about life, having a family, and any other questions that may have if the parent has no clue either? In the novel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, a young eleven year old girl named Pecola goes through the mysteries of life and ponders the thought of what is truly beautiful. At the time of the story, blonde and blue-eyed was considered or perceived as the true image of beauty because white girls were attractive, popular, and the center of attention so the closest to white you are, the better. Everyone wanted to be looked upon as a great looking person, such as the “perfect” icon at the time Shirley Temple. Pecola becomes roped into this absurd idea of true beauty and would do anything at all costs to have the bluest eyes. People begin to torment Pecola for being ugly and give her no mercy, even her own family! Her confidence in herself goes downhill at an astonishing rate to the point where in the end, insanity encompasses her and takes her in for good. Pecola’s father, Cholly, is a drunk who rapes her twice and her mother, Pauline, abuses and beats her for any reason she needs to. This sad turn of events for Pecola could be pinned onto the parents because they weren't involved with Pecola at all and treated her like the lowest form of dirt. They made the idea of being a waste of space and an ugly monster a reality for Pecola, eventually ruining her completely. Pecola Breedlove’s downfall was due to the carelessness, hatred, and anger of her mother and father.
Pauline Breedlove was the mother of Pecola who believed she was self-righteous and lived in martyrdom because of the life she has. She endures the drunkenness and disrespect from her husband and the hardship of raising two kids just for the purpose of being seen as doing it for the good of herself. On page 100, the story says, “Pauline held Cholly as a model of sin and failure, she bore him like a crown of thorns, and her children like a cross.” She was always thinking about breaking her terrible marriage but wanted to be seen as a “trooper” for staying in it and not even changing a thing about it. Rather than focus on her problems at home, she goes to the movies to relieve all her stress. Once there, Pauline looks at all the fictional families and how happy they are and imagines herself being there as well, making her own life feel less significant and dull. She also takes pride in her work. Pauline works for a white family as a housekeeper. She loves working for this family because she gets to be alone in her happy place and live and clean the way she wants to. Pauline rather work for this family instead of being at home.
An example of Pauline wanting to be away from her family in the book is when Pecola, Frieda, and Claudia show up at Pauline’s job at the white family’s home. Pauline was watching a little white girl, who addresses her as “Polly”, calls her name from downstairs. Pecola accidently pulls a berry cobbler from the table and it splatters on the floor and burns her, and her mother comes in and beats her. Furious, Pauline sends the girls away and comforts the little white girl, who has begun to cry. She holds her and soothes the tears of the little girl. She asked who those people were and Pauline replied with, “Hush. Don’t worry none.”(Morrison 87). She says this because when at work, Pauline wants to forget about her real life and live like in those movies she loves. Work is her fairy tale and does not want to be bothered by the outside world, so forgetting or pushing Pecola to the side is the only way to escape reality.. Pauline abused her own daughter just for making a little spill. She complains about the mess on the floor and cares about the little white girl more than what happened to Pecola, who was the one who was burned! It shows how much more Pauline cares about her work “family” more than her one at home! Claudia points out that the little girl is allowed to address Pauline as “Polly”, while Pecola can only call her own mother “Mrs. Breedlove”. This shows the unsympathizing efforts of her mother and how for her “white” family, they can do and call her what she wants. For Pecola, she is not allowed her to call Pauline “mom”, which shows the authoritative and almost hate on her. She does not appreciate Pecola and won't praise or help her at all, just merely abuse and torture for even making one mistake. Events like these add on to what happens to Pecola in the end, and its all because of the lack of parenting by Pauline.
Adding on to the torment of poor Pecola, was the atrocious parenting by her father, Cholly Breedlove. Cholly comes to the realization that he is finally free from everything. The carelessness of his mother, white people, and the final moment with his father ticked him off for good and sent him running in the wrong direction. .He can do what he wants without any consequences and he has nothing to worry about whatsoever. But when he meets Pauline and which he marries, he is not happy but more angry and confused. He begins to have children and does not know how to raise them for he had no parents to take care of him (other than Aunt Jimmy). Cholly has been full of anger due to his past experiences, and drinks to somewhat relieve the pain. He comes home drunk and uncaring and does not interact with his family. At one point he comes to the realization that he hates Pecola but loves her at the same time. The story says, “Why wasn’t she happy? The clear statement of her misery was an accusation. He wanted to break her neck --tenderly.”(Morrison 127). Cholly loved her but had hatred for her as well. Poor little Pecola did nothing but listen to her parents and just wanted to be loved. Cholly did not know how to make her feel happy, and in the process, he raped her, making her fall into an unconscious state. Cholly does not know how to express love to Pecola and instead gives her a scarring experience that puts a mark on her life and drives her toward insanity. Cholly not being involved with his daughter and then not caring about the incest brought upon her shows how damaging it was on Pecola.
Pecola was sent into insanity due to the fact that no one would pay attention to her and would not appreciate her well being for anything. She was outcasted and used by the town as a scapegoat for all the personal problems, and all the blaming and scorning turned into hatred showing her that nobody even cares about her. Usually, parents would be there to defend their child, cheer them up, or give them reasons why they are better than how they are being treated. Cholly and PAuline don’t show any parental skills and lack any care for Pecola by tormenting her with hatred or not even paying a single spec of attention towards her, leaving her to be alone and mentally abandoned. A true parent would tell Pecola that blue eyes will not make you perfect because its what is on the inside what counts, and that your heart and soul help make you the great individual you can be. Pauline and Cholly did not do this for Pecola,making them terrible role models and unfit to parent a child. What kind of parents would rape, beat, or allow their kid to become insane over an image that is not even close to true?
