Q1. Discuss the use of narrators

[[deleted user]]

The Bluest Eye uses multiple narrators, including Claudia as a child, Claudia as an adult, and an omniscient narrator. Which narrative point of view do you think is most central to the novel and why?

[Diane]

I don't know which one is most central but I will say that I liked the narrative with Claudia as a child the best. The omniscient narrator sort of came out of nowhere for me but made sense in the end.

[Eadie]

The narration written from Claudia's perspective only tells what Claudia thinks but the omniscient narration is more reliable because it presents an unbiased opinion.

[Kristel]

I liked Claudia but the other omniscient narrator filled in what Claudia could not tell us.

[Lynn]

I liked them all and I do not think one was preferable to another. All narrators added to the story in their own way.

[Anna]

I also like the enveloping of narrators because it answered different questions I had.

[Connie]

I thought it was fascinating when the omniscient narrator went into "I" narration, quotes from Pauline. I was listening to it, so didn't realize there were quotations until later, and I thought Morrison was further confusing us...was the adult narrator really Pauline? Or was the omniscient narrator sharing her own experiences? Then I saw the quotes...but it was still an interesting thought for a moment.

Obviously, Claudia couldn't have told us everything, so I loved the changing narrators.

[Pip]

I agree with Diane that Claudia as a child was the most interesting to read. I found the multiple narrators disorientating, which is what Morrison was hoping for, I suspect.

[Patrick]

The use of different narrators offers different perspectives, including one which might have been modified with time (Claudia-child vs Claudia-adult).