Pamela answers “Why is the book's title The Bluest Eye...”

Sue asked this question about The Bluest Eye:

Why is the book's title The Bluest Eye (singular)?

Pamela Thomason Sight and sight-helpers (glasses or human) indicate enlightenment or knowledge; the bluest eye would be the ultimate truth or reality of class opportu…moreSight and sight-helpers (glasses or human) indicate enlightenment or knowledge; the bluest eye would be the ultimate truth or reality of class opportunitiy and prosperity, something Pecola subconsciously desires. The reader can see beyond Pecola's outward appearance; we see Pecola's pain, a dark truth. (Who is seeing the results of poverty and racisim more: the reader or Pecola?) The bluest eye would be the very opposite of the darkest. Pecola wants the best of the world she knows exists beyond her reality, in the way a child imagines a doll as replication of life. Playful imaginations will give way to reality soon enough for Pecola. (The name Pecola is derived from the Latin, "I sin." She is a victim, so how might she have sinned or be the victim of sin?)(less)

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