The “Zero image”: analysis of the protagonist in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

In Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye," the concept of the "zero image" is a
recurring theme. The term refers to the internalization of a sense of worthlessness
or lack of value, particularly from a racial or cultural perspective. The protagonist of
the novel, a young African American girl named Pecola Breedlove, embodies this
concept of the "zero image" in her desperate desire for blue eyes and lighter skin,
two physical attributes associated with whiteness and beauty in American culture.
In contrast to Pecola, the character of Claudia MacTeer represents a rejection of the
"zero image" and a celebration of blackness and individuality. Claudia resists the
cultural pressure to conform to mainstream beauty standards and instead embraces
her own identity and bodily autonomy.
Through the characters of Pecola and Claudia, Morrison explores the damaging
effects of the "zero image" on African American individuals and communities, and
emphasizes the importance of valuing and embracing one's own cultural and racial
identity.
The psychological effects of racism in the nove
In "The Bluest Eye," Toni Morrison explores the psychological effects of racism on
African American individuals and communities. Through her portrayal of the
character Pecola Breedlove, Morrison reveals the damaging impact of internalized
racism on self-esteem, mental health, and emotional well-being. Pecola's desire for
blue eyes and lighter skin reflects her internalized sense of worthlessness and her
yearning to conform to social norms of beauty and desirability. Morrison critiques the
societal ideals that reinforce these harmful beauty standards and the impact they
have on individuals who do not fit these ideals.

The theme of racism's psychosocial effects is also evident in the portrayal of Claudia
MacTeer, who resists these harmful societal pressures and instead embraces her
own cultural and racial identity. Claudia's resistance to these ideals is depicted as a
positive and liberating force, in contrast to the detrimental effects of internalized
racism on Pecola.
Overall, the novel emphasizes the need for societal change to address racism and its
harmful effects on individuals and communities. Morrison's work serves as an
important critique of the societal ideals that underlie harmful beauty standards and
the need to prioritize self-love and acceptance over conformity to social norms.
Similarities in the portrayal of black women's struggle for integration in Alice
Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The bluest Eye

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Both Alice Walker's "Meridian" and Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" deal with the
struggles that black women face in integrating into mainstream society and
confronting white beauty standards. The protagonists of both novels, Pecola in "The
Bluest Eye" and Meridian in "Meridian," are young black women who struggle with
their own sense of self-worth in the face of pervasive racism and cultural norms that
value whiteness over blackness. Both novels depict how societal beauty standards
and the internalization of white beauty norms impact black women's self-esteem,
mental well-being, and perception of their own beauty and desirability.

Another similarity between the two novels is the portrayal of female empowerment
through sisterhood and solidarity. In "The Bluest Eye," Claudia and her sister Frieda
support each other and resist the societal pressure to conform to white beauty
standards. In "Meridian," the protagonist is supported by several female figures, such
as the Civil Rights activist Anne-Marion, who encourage her to assert her own
independence and self-worth.

Overall, both novels serve as critiques of the societal norms and expectations that
perpetuate racism and harm black women's psychological well-being. They
emphasize the importance of embracing one's own cultural and racial identity and
creating supportive communities that reject the 'zero image' of worthlessness and
celebrate the beauty of blackness.

Black women in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker's Meridian
Both Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker's Meridian are novels that
explore the experiences of black women. While the specific themes and plotlines of
the two novels differ, they both deal with issues such as sexism, racism, and the
struggles faced by black women in society. The Bluest Eye explores the impact of
racism and internalized self-hatred on the main character, Pecola, while Meridian
tackles issues such as social activism, motherhood, and the search for personal
identity in the protagonist, Meridian Hill. Overall, both novels offer powerful insights
into the lives and experiences of black women, and are important contributions to
African American literature.
Black Women experience in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker's
Meridian
Both The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Meridian by Alice Walker offer powerful
explorations of the experiences of black women. The Bluest Eye examines the impact
of internalized racism and self-hatred on the life of Pecola, a young black girl who
longs for blue eyes and acceptance in white society. The novel explores the
complexities of black female identity formation in a society where beauty and value
are often defined in opposition to blackness.

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Similarly, Meridian explores the experiences of a black woman named Meridian Hill,
who is involved in social activism and struggles to find her own identity in a society
that often ignores or marginalizes the experiences of black women. The novel
explores issues such as sexual violence, motherhood, and the challenges of pursuing
social justice in a society that is often hostile to such efforts.
Overall, both novels offer powerful insights into the experiences of black women,
highlighting the systemic nature of oppression and the importance of fighting for
social justice and equality.
The struggle of Black Women in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker's
Meridian
Both Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker's Meridian explore the struggles
of Black women in America, although they approach the topic from slightly different
angles.
In The Bluest Eye, Morrison examines the impact of racism, poverty, and beauty
standards on the life of a young Black girl named Pecola. The novel also deals with
themes of misogyny, both within the Black community and in American society more
generally. Morrison's portrayal of Pecola's struggles highlights the way that Black
women are often marginalized and excluded from dominant cultural narratives.
Meridian, on the other hand, is focused more specifically on the experiences of Black
women during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The novel explores themes of
political activism, sexual liberation, and the struggle for self-determination. Through
the experiences of the novel's protagonist, Meridian Hill, Walker offers a powerful
critique of the ways that both racism and sexism serve to limit the opportunities
available to Black women in America.
Overall, both The Bluest Eye and Meridian offer nuanced and complex portrayals of
the struggles faced by Black women in America, highlighting the need for greater
recognition and support for this often-overlooked demographic group.
Examples of women struggle for the civil rights in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
While Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye does not specifically focus on the Civil Rights
Movement, the book does deal with the broader struggle for civil rights faced by
African Americans during the time period in which it is set. The novel highlights the
intersectional experiences of Black women living in this era, and underscores the
challenges they faced in fighting for both racial and gender equality.
For example, the character of Claudia in The Bluest Eye is a young Black girl who is
fiercely independent and outspoken. She questions the beauty standards imposed by
society, and is critical of the ways that Black women are marginalized and excluded
from dominant cultural narratives. Through Claudia's experiences, Morrison
highlights the need for greater recognition and support for the struggles faced by
Black women during the Civil Rights Era.

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Overall, The Bluest Eye offers a powerful portrayal of the ways that the struggle for
civil rights intersected with the broader struggle for gender equality, and highlights
the unique challenges faced by Black women during this time period.
Examples of women struggle for the civil rights in Alice Walker's Meridian
In Alice Walker's Meridian, the protagonist Meridian Hill is a Black woman who
becomes involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Meridian's experiences
highlight the unique challenges and struggles faced by Black women during this time
period, as she fights for both racial and gender equality.
One example of Meridian's struggles is her experience with sexual violence. As a
young woman, she is sexually assaulted by a white man, and later faces criticism and
judgment from her own community for speaking out about the incident. This highlights
the ways in which Black women's experiences with sexual violence and harassment
have been marginalized and ignored, both within the Civil Rights Movement and in
broader society.
Meridian's experiences also highlight the importance of intersectional activism. As a
Black woman, she faces discrimination and marginalization not just because of her
race, but also because of her gender. This intersectional perspective is reflected in
her activism, as she seeks to address not just racial inequality, but also issues of
gender and class.
Overall, Meridian offers a powerful portrayal of the struggles faced by Black women
during the Civil Rights Era, and highlights the importance of intersectional activism in
fighting for social justice and equality.
Is the character of Meridan raped in Alice Walker's Meridian?
Yes, the character of Meridian is raped in Alice Walker's novel, Meridian. She is
sexually assaulted by a white man, Tommy Odds, when she is a young woman. This
event becomes a defining moment in her life and shapes her involvement in the Civil
Rights Movement.

Pecola's Rape In The Bluest Eye Analysis

In The Bluest Eye, Pecola Breedlove is a young african-american who wishes at a

very young age to be blessed with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her natural skin tone is
dark, which leads to her being constantly mocked by other children. Pecola believes
that by having blonde hair and blue eyes, she will be accepted, and will no longer be
isolated and disregarded. Later in the novel, Pecola was raped. While some people
believe that Pecola was to blame for her rape, and while others think that Cholly was
the one to blame, Morrison shows how society is to blame for Pecola’s rape, due to
placing racial beauty and western aesthetics standards on her.
First of all, Morrison uses lack of spacing to show how Pecola’s rape is due to society
when the author starts the book off with the “Dick and Jane” book. In the 1940’s the
children's book “Dick and Jane” had placed the white man’s lifestyle on society,
showing how a “perfect” life should be with your family. While including “Dick and

4
Jane” in her novel, she would use a lack of spacing and “Caps” to mock the book. “Dick
and Jane” described their house as
“greenandwhiteithasareddooritisveryprettyhereisthefamilymother…” and so on.
Morrison uses lack of spacing to mock the way their describe their house. Morrison
does this to show how “Dick and Jane” shows an artificial love, a love that is
picturesque. This shows how society is placing artificial truth within America, which
leads to oppression, and the rape of Pecola.
Another moment Morrison uses structure to show how society is to blame for
Pecola’s rape was when Pecola went through a miscarriage, and the townspeople
were questioning why the baby did not survive. They blamed everything for the death
of the baby, but “It never occurred to [them] that the earth itself might have been
unyielding. [They]had dropped our seeds in [their] own little plot of black dirt just as
Pecola’s father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt.”(5). Morrison
includes this piece of diction to show how society had allowed beauty standards and
oppression to blind them from the fact that it was none of their faults about Pecola’s
miscarriage. Morrison includes this piece of text to demonstrate how Pecola’s
suffering has caused for….

who raped Peccola in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye?

Pecola Breedlove is raped by her father, Cholly Breedlove, in Toni Morrison's The
Bluest Eye. The novel explores the impact of this traumatic event on Pecola, as well
as the broader implications of racism, sexism, and poverty in her life and in the lives
of those around her.
What did push Pccola's father to rape her?
There is no clear reason given in the novel for why Cholly Breedlove rapes his
daughter Pecola in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. The novel does explore Cholly's
difficult past and how it has shaped him, as well as the various societal factors that
contribute to the tragedy of Pecola's situation. However, ultimately the novel does not
offer a definitive explanation or justification for this heinous act.
Who is Tommy Odds in Alice Walker's Meridian?
Tommy Odds is a character in Alice Walker's novel "Meridian." He is a fellow civil
rights worker who is shot one night. Later in the novel, it is revealed that he raped
Lynne Rabinowitz, a white civil rights worker, as an act of vengeance on white society.
This event is a significant aspect of the novel's plot and serves as a commentary on
the intersection of race, gender, and power within the civil rights movement.

Articles related to Alice Walker's black women struggle

Here are some articles related to Alice Walker's black women struggle:
1. "The Suffers of Black Women in Alice Walker's Meridian" - This article discusses
how the main character in Alice Walker's novel Meridian, a black woman, suffers from
various struggles including violence, rape and racism.
2. "Alice Walker: History, Themes & Analysis of Novels, Stories and Poetry" - This
article provides an overview of Alice Walker's work, including her focus on the
struggles of African American women in her stories and novels.

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3. "The Color Purple" - This article from Britannica summarizes Alice Walker's novel
The Color Purple, which tells the story of an abused and uneducated African American
woman's struggle for empowerment.
4. "SEXISM, RACISM AND BLACK WOMEN WRITERS" - This article from The New York
Times discusses the struggle of black women writers, including Alice Walker, to gain
recognition and respect in a literary world dominated by white men.
5. "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: The Creativity of Black Women in the South" -
This essay by Alice Walker explores the struggles of black women in the South to
express their creativity in a society that marginalized them.
6. "Some Letters Went to God" - This review of Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple"
discusses the theme of black women's struggles for empowerment in the context of
the story's barely literate Southern black woman who struggles to escape the cycles
of abuse and violence.
Walker's next novel, Meridian, is set in the time period following The Third Life of
Grange Copeland, as the civil rights movement is gaining momentum. Like her
previous book, Meridian also follows a Southern black family. Rather than focus on
the family patriarchs, however, Walker examines the effects of racism on black
mothers.

Black Women's Struggle for integration in the United States: An exploration of

Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison
Both Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's oeuvre explore the lives and
struggles of African American women in their quest for equality and autonomy.
Walker's novel, Meridian, takes place during the Civil Rights Movement and focuses
on Meridian Hill, a young biracial woman who becomes a civil rights activist and starts
her own political organization. Through Meridian's story, readers gain insight into the
everyday struggles faced by African American activists during this time period and
the personal toll this work can take on individuals.
Similarly, in Morrison's novels such as Song of Solomon and Beloved, she explores
the impact of slavery and racism on individuals and their communities. Her writing
deals with themes such as trauma, identity, memory, and history. In particular, Song
of Solomon follows the journey of a young African American man, Milkman Dead, as
he discovers his family's history and his own identity.
Both Walker and Morrison's works reflect the larger struggle for integration and civil
rights in the United States during the 20th century, particularly for African American
women who faced intersecting forms of oppression based on their gender and race.
Black Women's Struggle for intergration in the United States: An exploration of Alice
Walker's Meridian and Toni Morroison's The Bluest Eye
Both Alice Walker's novel "Meridian" and Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye"
explore the struggle of black women for integration in the United States. "The Bluest

6
Eye" tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, an African American girl who desires to have
blue eyes, which she believes will make her more beautiful and help her overcome
the racism she faces. The novel explores themes of cultural, racial, and gender
identity, as well as the psychological effects of racism. "Meridian", on the other hand,
follows the story of Meridian Hill, a young black woman who is a civil rights activist
during the 1960s. The novel explores themes of racism, sexism, poverty, and the
intersections of these issues. Both novels are powerful portrayals of the struggles
that black women have historically faced in the United States, and how they have
fought to overcome them.

First possibility of a table of content

Sure, here is a possible table of content for a master's degree thesis on the topic of
"Black Women's Struggle for Integration in the United States: An Exploration of Alice
Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye":
1. Introduction
1.1 Background and context
1.2 Research objectives and questions
1.3 Methodology
2. The Historical Context of Black Women's Struggle for Integration in the United
States
2.1 The Civil Rights Movement
2.2 The Women's Rights Movement
2.3 Intersectionality and Black Feminism
3. Alice Walker's Meridian
3.1 Overview of the novel
3.2 Analysis of black women's struggle for integration in the novel
3.3 Themes of racism and sexism in the novel
3.4 The role of activism in fighting for integration
4. Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
4.1 Overview of the novel
4.2 Analysis of black women's struggle for integration in the novel
4.3 Themes of cultural, racial, and gender identity in the novel
4.4 The psychological effects of racism in the novel
5. Comparison and Contrast of Meridian and The Bluest Eye

7
 5.1 Similarities in the portrayal of black women's struggle for integration
5.2 Differences in the themes and approaches of the novels

Second possibility of a table of content

Here is a possible table of contents for a master's degree thesis on the topic of "Black
Women's Struggle for Integration in the United States: An Exploration of Alice
Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye":
1. Introduction
- Background and context
- Research questions
- Methodology
2. Literature Review
- Black feminist theory and its relevance to the topic
- Historical perspectives on the experiences of Black women in the United States
- Previous scholarship on Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest
Eye
3. Alice Walker's Meridian
- Summary of the novel's plot and main themes
- Analysis of the protagonist's struggles for self-identity and integration in society
- Examination of the novel's treatment of race, gender, and other identity markers
4. Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
- Summary of the novel's plot and main themes
- Analysis of the protagonist's struggles for self-identity and integration in society
- Examination of the novel's treatment of race, gender, and other identity markers
5. Comparative Analysis of Meridian and The Bluest Eye
- Examination of the ways in which the two novels approach the theme of Black
women's struggle for integration
- Discussion of the similarities and differences between the two works

Third proposition of a table of content

Here is a proposed table of contents for a master's degree thesis exploring Black
women's struggle for integration in the United States, with a focus on Alice Walker's
Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye:

8
Chapter 1: Introduction
- Background and context of the study
- Research questions and objectives
- Methodology and research design
Chapter 2: The Historical Context of Integration in the United States
- The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements
- The experiences of Black women during integration
- The impact of integration on Black women's identity
Chapter 3: Alice Walker's Meridian
- Overview of the novel and its major themes
- Analysis of the protagonist, Meridian Hill
- Walker's depiction of Black women's struggle for integration
Chapter 4: Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
- Overview of the novel and its major themes
- Analysis of the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove
- Morrison's depiction of Black women's struggle for integration
Chapter 5: A Comparative Analysis of Meridian and The Bluest Eye
- Common themes and motifs in the two novels
- The authors' approaches to exploring Black women's struggle for integration
- Comparison of the protagonists and their experiences

Development of the content

The Historical Context of Black Women's Struggle for Integration in the United States
The historical context of Black women's struggle for integration in the United States
is an important topic to consider when examining works of literature that relate to
this theme. Black women faced significant challenges during the Civil Rights and
Black Power movements, despite their important contributions to these struggles.
They often had to fight for gender equality, in addition to racial equality. School
segregation and integration was a key issue during this time period, with many Black
students facing obstacles to equal education. Some Black women were able to serve
in the military, but faced discrimination and segregation within the armed forces. The
stories and experiences of Black women during this time period have contributed to
a rich and varied history of Black Americans in the United States. It is important to

9
understand this history in order to fully appreciate and analyze works of literature
that explore this theme.

What is Black Power movements?

The Black Power movement was a political and social movement that emerged in the
United States during the 1960s and 1970s. The movement emphasized racial pride,
self-sufficiency, and equality for African Americans. Black Power supporters
advocated for the creation of institutions that were controlled by African Americans,
as well as the rejection of integration as the primary goal of the civil rights movement.
While there was no single organization or leader that defined the Black Power
movement, groups like the Black Panther Party and individuals like Stokely
Carmichael and Malcolm X were prominent figures within the movement. The
movement was controversial and divisive at the time, but it has since been recognized
as an important force in the struggle for African American civil rights and social
justice.

The Historical Context of Black Women's Struggle for Integration in the United States
Both Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye explore the struggles
of black women in the United States during different historical contexts. Meridian
takes place during the civil rights movement in the 1960s and follows a young black
woman's involvement in activism and her search for identity in a society where she
faces both racial and gendered oppression. On the other hand, The Bluest Eye is set
in the 1940s and focuses on the story of a young black girl named Pecola Breedlove
who grows up in a society that values whiteness and perfection above all else, leading
to the internalization of self-hatred and trauma among black women.
Both novels explore themes of racial and gendered oppression, with Meridian
highlighting the role of Black women in the civil rights movement and their struggle
to balance their own personal growth with the collective struggle for equality. The
Bluest Eye, on the other hand, delves into the psychological toll of internalized racism
and sexism on black women's sense of self-worth and identity.
Overall, both novels provide insights into the experiences and struggles of black
women in the United States during different historical periods and the impact of
systemic racism and sexism on their lives.

The civil rights Movement

Alice Walker's Meridian is set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement in
the United States, and the novel's narrative focuses on the experiences of black
women involved in the movement. Meridian Hill, the protagonist of the novel, becomes
involved in the civil rights struggle in the 1960s, and the story explores her growth
and development as a person and an activist.

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Throughout the novel, Walker highlights the challenges that black women activists
faced during the Civil Rights Movement, including discrimination, violence, and
marginalization within the movement itself. Meridian's journey as an activist
illustrates the internal and external struggles faced by Black women during the
movement, demonstrating both their resilience and the difficulties they had to face in
pursuit of equal rights and opportunities.

Moreover, the novel portrays the fundamental clash between the non-violent
strategies advocated by the mainstream civil rights movement and the more radical
approach preferred by Black Power movement proponents, as well as the misogyny
and sexism faced by Black women in both groups.

Overall, Alice Walker's Meridian is an important work of fiction that gives an insight
into the experiences and challenges faced by Black women during the Civil Rights
Movement and highlights their pioneering role in the fight for civil rights in America.

Quotes explanations
“They have a saying for people who fall down as I do: If a person is hit hard enough,
even if she stands, she falls.”
Meridian speaks these words in the novel’s opening chapter, “The Last Return.” She
is referring to her illness, which causes her to collapse and lapse into
unconsciousness. Her words are prophetic, as they also reference the various
physical beatings and torments she experiences while protesting on behalf of the civil
rights movement. Both her condition and the violence meted out by policemen and
others unsympathetic to the cause serve as powerful threats that unsettle Meridian,
qualifying her identity and stability. Meridian’s words probe the nature of strength and
resistance and the challenges, both internal and social, with which she is saddled. No
matter how strong she is in the face of adversity, hatred and violence leach away her
dignity, resolve, and her belief in herself. Meridian learns that, like racism, her
“peculiar madness” is a legacy, an affliction that affected her great-grandmother and
her father as well. Meridian’s life is overburdened with this overwhelming genetic
inheritance, just as her daily life is affected by segregation, which dehumanize those
who are subjected to it. No matter how strong her resolve, Meridian’s body and psyche
bear the scars of the physical and emotional assaults that she must constantly repel.
“It was just that they knew, as she knew about them. That they were transplanted, as
they had always been, to a place where they fit like extra toes on a foot. Where they
were trusted by no one, exploited, when possible, by anyone with political ambitions.”
This comment appears in the third “Lynne” chapter and refers to Lynne’s evolving
perceptions of race, religion, ethnic identity, and what it means to be a minority in the

11
South. Lynne is musing on a Jewish-owned deli in the town where she lived with
Truman and worked for the civil rights movement. Lynne feels she was given a cold
reception each time she shopped there because she was in an interracial marriage.
However, she realizes that the experience of many southern Jews, subjected to anti-
Semitism, was similar to the racism faced by blacks. Lynne is an outsider in both the
community and the movement because of her color and religious upbringing, and she
feels this separation more pointedly as the novel progresses. In drawing these
conclusions about the Jews she met in her town, Lynne acknowledges a common
history of dislocation, loss of identity, struggle, and mourning, whether via slavery,
segregation, racism, genocide, or anti-Semitism. One history of abuse is no more
tragic than another, yet the ultimate irony is that Lynne has chosen to align herself
with an oppressed people who fail to acknowledge their essential commonality. She
is a figure forced to the fringes, a wanderer uprooted time and again, with no sense
of belonging.

Review of Literature
Books
June 7, 1976 Issue
Limits
Alice Walker’s “Meridian.”
By Greil Marcus
May 30, 1976

Alice Walker’s second novel, “Meridian” (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich), appears

twenty-five years after Albert Camus’s “The Rebel,” a book that grew from Camus’s
conviction that in the modern world every political act leads directly to murder.
Camus sought a way out through the idea of rebellion. Rebellion, he argued—the act
of one who says no, who says, “There is a limit beyond which you shall not go”—
brought the idea “We are” into the world. This was so, Camus said, because the rebel
ultimately takes his stand not merely out of personal suffering but in the name of
“right”: in the name of something larger than himself. Thus the act of rebellion
implies—philosophically, it calls into being—the human community, and reveals a
common good. But the recognition of a common good invalidates the means that may
be necessary to defend it: murder.

For it is now a question of deciding if it is possible to kill someone, whose

resemblance to ourselves we have at last recognized and whose identity
we have just sanctified. When we have only just conquered solitude,
must we then re-establish it definitively by legitimizing the act which
isolates everything? To force solitude on a man who has just come to
understand that he is not alone, is that not the definitive crime against
man?

Those lines come from the final chapter of “The Rebel,” which Camus called “Thought
at the Meridian.” Its subject is moderation: action with limits. Murder has a limit: if the
rebel commits murder, it is implicit that he must then sacrifice his own life, to show

12
that even though murder is sometimes necessary, it can never be justified. “He who
does not know everything cannot kill everything.” The ethic of rebellion, in other
words, means that murder, even in defense of that “right” which links all men and
women, cannot be permitted to survive itself. Camus, dead and superseded by more
“radical” thinkers like Sartre, has long been out of fashion, but it is perhaps not a
coincidence that Alice Walker’s novel shares a title with him. The questions he raises
are at the heart of “Meridian,” a story about the civil-rights movement, and a spiritual
and political biography of the character for whom it is named—Meridian Hill, a black
woman who determines to live out the movement long after it has faded away.

Alice Walker, a black writer born in Georgia in 1944, has herself been a civil-rights
worker. Her first novel, “The Third Life of Grange Copeland,” appeared in 1970, and she
has also published two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and much
nonfiction. She reminds us, with a page of definitions, that the word “meridian” has
varied meanings. The most striking recalls both Camus’s concept of moderation and
the clarity on which he always insisted: “meridian” as it refers to the sun at noon, in
the middle of the day, when the light is brightest and there are no shadows. (This
recalls as well the quote from Camus with which Miss Walker opened “Once,” her first
book of poems: “Poverty was not a calamity for me. It was always balanced by the
richness of light . . . circumstances helped me. To correct a natural indifference I was
placed halfway between misery and the sun. Misery kept me from believing that all
was well under the sun, and the sun taught me that history wasn’t everything.”) The
word “meridian” also refers, in a “definition” Miss Walker does not give but in a
connection that cannot be coincidental, to a specific place: Meridian, Mississippi, the
home of James Chaney, one of three civil-rights workers murdered by the White
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in nearby Neshoba County, Mississippi, in June of 1964.

One begins to get a sense of Meridian Hill a few pages into the novel, with a scene set
perhaps two years after that triple murder—an event that, along with others like it,
forced the civil-rights movement beyond the limits it had set for itself. In New York, a
group of black women, veterans of marches and voter-registration campaigns in the
South, are recommitting themselves to their rebellion, putting rebellion as they had
understood it behind them. The question each must answer is whether she will kill
for the revolution. It seems like an easy, necessary question: Anne-Marion, Meridian’s
friend from their days at a black women’s college in Atlanta, presses Meridian to say
yes, but Meridian can’t get the word out. She doesn’t really know why; there is some
depth of knowledge she lacks, will perhaps always lack, which she senses is a
prerequisite to murder.

What kind of knowledge? She thinks back to herself as a girl in church, with her
steadfast but cold and stolid mother urging her, as she revelled in gospel music, to
accept Jesus as her Saviour, which she could never do. (Couldn’t she just listen to the
music? Did she have to believe to really hear it? Or earn the right to listen?) She thinks
about her father, who, as a Georgia farmer, is obsessed by what America—not “the
white man” but America, of which he thinks he is a part—has done to the Indians,
some of whom once lived on his land. Her father is consumed by debts owed to the
dead which he will never find a way to pay. And there is the history of the women her
mother came from: a great-great-grandmother who, as a slave, repeatedly stole back

13
her children each time they were sold away from her, and who, when finally allowed
to keep them, starved to death trying to feed them; a great-grandmother, also a slave,
who painted faces on barns across Georgia; Meridian’s grandmother, who killed
herself working to get her daughter through school; and her mother herself, who got
through school and helped four of her brothers and sisters do the same.

And more still. On her college campus, there was a giant magnolia tree that Meridian
loved (and, in a campus riot, her fellow-students destroyed). There was a story behind
it. When the campus was a plantation, a slave named Louvinie, born in West Africa,
would entertain the children, black and white, with horror stories. In the midst of one
such story, the youngest child of the plantation owner dropped dead.

Louvinie’s tongue was clipped out at the root. Choking on blood, she saw
her tongue ground under the heel of Master Saxon. Mutely, she pleaded
for it, because she knew the curse of her native land: Without one’s
tongue in one’s mouth or in a special spot of one’s own choosing, the
singer in one’s soul was lost forever, to grunt and snort through eternity
like a pig.

The master kicked Louvinie’s tongue to her. Later, during an eclipse, “she buried it
under a scrawny magnolia tree on the Saxon plantation.”

If the question of murder is a question of knowledge, and if experience is knowledge,

then inherent in Meridian’s genealogy and in the legends to which she has attached
herself is a knowledge she cannot match. All this, along with the connections that her
parents have made and the connections that Meridian is being asked to make—
connections to the grace of gospel music, to damnation by the crimes of history, to
the purgatory of committing oneself to murder—is out of her reach. She says no to
her group, and the group expels her.

The group, in a sense, expels Meridian from history, which she has made along with
its members. It cuts off the road she has been following since the movement first
came to her town, when she was a seventeen-year-old child-mother with a boy-
husband, apparently trapped in dull, cramped rhythms of social and economic
poverty—rhythms she barely perceived. The movement gave her a chance to start life
over again; there was a quality of intelligence in it, a refusal to accept most of what
she took for granted, that attracted her. And she was more than fit for the work that
was being done. She gave up her baby, divorced her husband, went to college,
demonstrated, was beaten and arrested, took risks. In New York, out of the movement,
stranded by her co-workers and estranged from the momentum of events she had
helped to set in motion, she begins a third time, deciding to go back South and live
with the people there. “Like Civil Rights workers used to do,” she says, in a plain and
tragic line, as if she were speaking of a lost civilization and not a way of life that had
made sense two or three years before. That “used to do” echoes through the novel,
like some half-remembered fairy tale, as Meridian proceeds to live it out. “You’re not
serious,” says her friend Anne-Marion. “Yes,” she says, “I am serious.”

14
Meridian is interesting enough without all this—without symbolism and “higher
meanings” that are one-dimensional and fixed. There is no mystery in these
symbols—as there is in Meridian’s ability to get through to Southern blacks, or in the
questions of the rebel, murder, and limits—and a symbol without mystery, without
suggestive power, is not really a symbol at all. But most of the book’s scenes have
the power its symbols lack, and its last chapters rescue Meridian’s questions from a
holy oblivion. For they are resolved, after a fashion, and passed on. Ten years after
leaving the group of women in New York, Meridian discovers, in church, that she can
kill. It’s a strange church; the minister acts out—arrogantly, it seems—the role of
Martin Luther King, Jr., long after his death, but nobody is put off.

It struck Meridian that he was deliberately imitating King, that he and all
his congregation knew he was consciously keeping that voice alive. It
was like a play.

Meridian touches, as she had not been able to touch, or live up to, the knowledge that
she’d sensed, thinking back over her ancestors, when she said no in New York. For
what else had she been doing with her life ever since but, like this minister and his
congregation, keeping something alive, by acting it out, which everyone else had
managed to put behind him?

An old man comes before the congregation, the father of a young man who, like James
Chaney, was murdered in the struggle years before. Half-crazed, he lives as a hermit
in the ruins of the house he destroyed when he was told his son was dead. Every year,
on the anniversary of that day, he stands up for his son and for the people who want
to be reminded of him. That quality of pain, the insistence on a history without gaps,
and her own recognition of her well-earned place in that history, is what Meridian can
kill for.

To boast about this new capacity to kill—which she did not, after all, admire—
would be to destroy the understanding she had acquired with it. Namely, this:
that even the contemplation of murder required incredible delicacy as it
required incredible spiritual work, and the historical background and present
setting must be right. Only in a church surrounded by the righteous guardians
of the people’s memories could she even approach the concept of retaliatory
murder. Only among the pious could this idea both comfort and uplift.

It seems clear, as Meridian makes this connection and, as time goes on, loses it,
regains it, loses it again, that the spiritual necessities that make it possible for her to
say yes to murder will be negated should she ever commit murder; that should she
kill, her life would be over. As in that extraordinary image from Louvinie’s story, her
soul would “grunt and snort through eternity like a pig.” And it might be a price worth
paying. The question, crude in the form in which it opens the novel, takes on something
like a final shape—a final ambiguity—at the end. In that sense, it is passed on, not only
to the book’s other characters, who share Meridian’s life, but perhaps to the reader
as well. Meridian’s role in the play she has devised for herself within a larger history—
the speech her actions give—stands out with great tension. “Does the end justify the
means?” Camus wrote in “Thought at the Meridian.” “That is possible. But what will

15
justify the end? To that question, which historic thought leaves pending, rebellion
replies: the means.”

Published in the print edition of the June 7, 1976, issue.

The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements

During the Civil Rights Movement, the African American community sought to end
segregation and discrimination in the United States through nonviolent protests, civil
disobedience, and legal challenges. The Civil Rights Movement was largely led by
African American men, but women also played key roles in organizing and leading
protests, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington.
In the later stages of the movement, many activists became disillusioned with the
pace of change and the limited scope of legal victories. This led to the rise of the Black
Power movement in the mid-1960s, which emphasized self-determination and self-
defense, and called for more radical solutions to the problems faced by the African
American community. The Black Power movement also focused on economic
upliftment, self-reliance, and black pride.
Both Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye explore the
important role that black women played in the Civil Rights and Black Power
Movements and highlight the struggles they faced within these movements in their
search for gender and racial equality. They also explore the psychological effects of
systemic injustices on the lives of Black women and their families.

The experiences of Black women during integration

The integration of African American students into previously all-white schools during
the Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal moment in American history. Black women
and girls played a critical role in this effort, facing challenges and resistance from
white students and the broader community.
In the case of Ruby Bridges, who integrated a New Orleans elementary school, her
presence sparked protests from white parents who refused to allow their children to
attend school with her. Black women also faced discrimination and harassment from
white teachers and administrators who were resistant to integration efforts. In
response, Black women activists organized boycotts, protests, and legal challenges
to fight for equal access to education for Black students.
The experiences of Black women during integration were shaped by intersecting
forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, and classism. Despite facing
numerous obstacles, Black women played critical roles in achieving milestones in
integration and in advancing the larger Civil Rights Movement. However, the struggle
for equality and justice in education and society at large is ongoing.
The experiences of Black women during integration in Alice Walker's Meridian and
Toni Morrison

16
Both Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's work explore the experiences of
Black women during integration in the United States. In Meridian, the protagonist is
involved in the Civil Rights Movement and struggles with racism, sexism, and
discrimination as she tries to integrate into a white community in the South.

Similarly, in Toni Morrison's work, particularly in The Bluest Eye, the experiences of
young Black girls attempting to integrate into all-white schools are explored. The
novel highlights the pervasive societal beauty standards that disadvantage Black
girls, particularly those who present in a non-white and non-European manner. The
character Pecola Breedlove is rejected and abused by both white and Black
communities, revealing the complexities of the overlapping and various forms of
oppression that Black women experience.

Both works explore the challenges that Black women faced during integration and
the oppressive environments that they entered in their pursuit of equality. The
experiences of Black women highlight the need to recognize the intersections of race,
gender, class, and other intersecting identities in the fight for social justice.

The impact of integration on Black women's identity and sense of self

The impact of integration on Black women's identity and sense of self was complex
and multifaceted. On the one hand, the integration of previously segregated schools
and communities provided opportunities for Black women to access education and
employment opportunities that were previously unavailable to them. This access to
new experiences and perspectives could help to broaden their sense of self and
identity.

However, integration also exposed Black women to new forms of discrimination,

racism, and sexism. They often faced distinct challenges, such as feeling isolated and
unwelcome in previously all-white schools and communities and experiencing
excessive scrutiny and judgment from white peers and teachers. At the same time,
they often faced a lack of support and understanding from within the Black
community, which could further erode their sense of self and identity.

Overall, the integration of Black women into previously white spaces was a complex
process that had both positive and negative effects on their sense of self and identity,
highlighting the need to consider the intersectionality of different aspects of identity
and the impact of social and cultural factors on individual experience.

Examination of the ways in which the two novels approach the theme of Black
women's struggle for integration

Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye both explore the theme of
Black women's struggle for integration in the United States. The novels approach this
theme in different ways, highlighting the experiences of Black women facing different
forms of oppression and the impact of these experiences on their sense of self and
identity.

17
In Meridian, the protagonist embodies the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement,
participating in protests and working to integrate schools and other institutions.
However, she also faces intense discrimination and harassment both from white
society and the Black male dominated civil rights organizations. This struggle exposes
the limitations of the movement and the ways in which Black women were relegated
to supporting roles.

The Bluest Eye, on the other hand, explores the experiences of young Black girls
attempting to integrate into all-white schools. The novel highlights the societal beauty
standards that disadvantage Black girls, particularly those who present in a non-
white and non-European manner. It also explores the impact of sexual violence on
Black female identity. Complicating matters are class differences, who, unlike
Meridian's protagonists, belong to different social classes within the Black
community.

Both works reveal the challenges Black women faced during integration and the ways
in which societal and cultural factors shape the individual experiences of Black
women. The novels highlight the intersections of different forms of oppression and
the need for solidarity and support among marginalized groups. They both showcase
the power of storytelling in communicating Black women's experiences, the value of
such narratives is reflective of Black feminism, pushing back against notions of
universal and hegemonic feminism.

Discussion of the similarities and differences between the two works

Both Alice Walker's Meridian and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye explore the theme
of Black women's struggle for integration in the United States. While both novels deal
with integration and its impact on Black women, they approach the theme differently.

In Meridian, the protagonist is an activist in the Civil Rights Movement, facing

discrimination, sexism, and racism as she tries to integrate into a white community
in the South. The novel also examines the Black male-dominated civil rights
organizations, highlighting their limitations and the ways in which Black women were
excluded from leadership roles. Overall, Meridian focuses on the struggle for social
justice, highlighting the complexities of shifting societal norms and attitudes on the
road towards change.

In contrast, The Bluest Eye explores the experiences of young Black girls attempting
to integrate into all-white schools and society. The novel examines the
intersectionality between different experiences of discrimination, including the beauty
standards that disadvantage non-white and non-European features. It also explores
the impact of sexual violence on Black female identity and the connection between
internalized racism and self-image. Overall, The Bluest Eye emphasizes the
importance of understanding and valuing the diversity of experiences within
marginalized communities, particularly that of vulnerable children.

In terms of writing style, both novels use distinct narrative structures to explore the
complexities of their themes. Meridian showcases the potential for transformative

18
growth through the cyclical structure and nonlinear narrative, while The Bluest Eye
deliberately challenges narrative order, creating a sense of disorientation beneficial
to reflecting trauma and realities.

In summary, Meridian and The Bluest Eye both explore the theme of Black women's
struggle for integration, examining different aspects of the challenges Black women
faced during this time and revealing the intersections of race, gender, class, and other
intersecting identities that further complicate the process of integration.

Analysis of the protagonist's struggles for self-identity and integration in society in

Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove, struggles to
integrate into a white-dominated society and to form a positive self-identity. She
faces discrimination both from the white community, where she is seen as inferior
due to her race, and from her own Black community, where she is viewed as ugly and
undesirable due to her dark skin and "unattractive" features.

Pecola's struggle for self-identity is further complicated by the trauma she

experiences, including sexual violence. She internalizes these traumas and comes to
believe that she is responsible for her own suffering, reinforcing her negative self-
image. While Pecola longs to have blue eyes, which she sees as a symbol of beauty
and acceptance, this desire only serves to further dissociate her from who she really
is and the beauty within her own Blackness.

Morrison's portrayal of Pecola's struggles illuminates the systemic racism and

colorism within American society, as well as the impact of these societal attitudes on
individuals. Pecola serves as a tragic figure, representing the ways in which societal
beauty standards and oppression can lead to the destruction of a young girl's sense
of self. Through Pecola's story, Morrison reveals the need for societal change and for
Black girls to be empowered to see the beauty in themselves and their own identities.

In summary, The Bluest Eye delves into the struggles of a young Black girl for self-
identity and integration within a racist and colorist society. The portrayal of Pecola's
experiences serves as a commentary on larger societal issues and emphasizes the
need for internal and external societal change to promote self-love and acceptance.

Examination of the novel's treatment of race, gender, and other identity markers in
Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye examines the treatment of race, gender, and other
identity markers within American society. The novel illustrates the ways in which
societal beauty standards are shaped by racism and white supremacy, and how these
standards are used to oppress Black girls and women.

Through Morrison's portrayal of Pecola Breedlove's experiences, the novel

showcases the effects of systemic racism and colorism on an individual's sense of
self. Pecola's internalization of these societal attitudes leads to a negative self-image

19
and a yearning to conform to white beauty standards, even if it means dissociating
from her own Blackness. The novel also explores the intersectionality of identity
markers, such as race and gender, and the ways in which they compound and
reinforce each other's impact. For example, Pecola's dark skin and "unattractive"
features are both racially and gender-biased beauty standards working against her.

Additionally, The Bluest Eye examines the roles of family, community, and spirituality
in shaping identity. The characters in the novel struggle with their own identities and
are influenced by the expectations and values of their community. For example,
Pecola's mother is affected by internalized sexism and racism, leading her to
prioritize her relationship with her abusive husband over her daughter's well-being.
However, the novel also offers a sense of hope, as it stresses the importance of
community solidarity and reclamation of non-white narratives.

Overall, Morrison's The Bluest Eye offers a highly complex and nuanced analysis of
the intersection of race, gender, and other identity markers within American society
and highlights the impact that systemic oppression can have on an individual's sense
of self. Through the characters' struggles and triumphs, the novel offers a call to
action for societal change that moves towards celebration and empowerment of non-
white identities.

Review of literature
Meridian is structured into three major parts: the first part focusses on Meridian's
instigation into adulthood and she gets ready for forwards journey; the second part
describes Meridian's vigorous participation in the civil rights movement after she
leaves her child and the third part concentrations on "End Penance and
Proclamation. Meridian Hill and Walker are variant in features significantly in
several ways. But both Walker and Meridian started and led their life journey from
suffering to self-definition while their journey tries to pull away practice
bypassing to varnish the racism and verdict that had been dominated black
Americans for centuries.
Meridian. Walker posits Meridian's struggle for personal transformation as an
alternative to the political movements of the 1960s, particularly those that merely
reproduced existing power structures. In this regard Karen Stein writes:
The novel points out that the Civil Rights Movement often reflected
the oppressiveness of patriarchal capitalism. Activists merely turned
political rhetoric to their own ends while continuing to repress
spontaneous individuality. To overcome this destructiveness, Walker
reaches for a new definition of revolution. Her hope for a just society
inheres not merely in political change, but in personal
transformation.
(130)

20
Stein, Keren. “Meridian: Alice Walker’s Critique of Revolution.” Black American
Liturature Forum 20.2 (1986): 129-141.
Meridian's story concentrations on her life as a civil rights activist. … Meridian
is very aware of injustice and turns to politick when she is a young mother. The
first act that encouraged her to enter in the civil rights movement was the bombing
of the home, the demise of innocent black children. Just as expressions of
inequality, such as lack of education facilities and meagre medical services,
incited to Meridian to obligate later actions in her life, the mistrust and absolute
unkindness of this act prompted Meridian to join the civil rights movement and
turn into dynamic subsequently ferocious when she watched the situation in
television in the Black area. (6213)
H.Seshgiri, Dr .M. Ravichand. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS IN
ALICE WALKER’S MERIDIAN. JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS
VOL 7, ISSUE 15, 2020. ISSN- 2394-5125

In Meridian, Walker explicates the trouble faced by black women it takes back
the reader to the Civil Rights Movement and the active participation of the female
community through the characters Meridian Hill, …. Meridian Hill, the
protagonist of the play Meridian, who is the resemblance of Walker herself,
undergoes struggle to overcome from the patriarchy system. (97-98).
Dr.P. Suresh, P. Anuradha. A Critical Study of Women Oppression on Alice
Walker's Major Novels.
Eurasian Journal of Analytical Chemistry 13 (4): 2018, 95-102.

“In the story , Meridian suffers from being married and pregnant in the early age
of thirteen , she cannot endure these responsibilities of being mother at such age ,
being warned by her mother's negative comment on motherhood, she decides to
leave her husband and choose education as a means to achieve success in her life
and be a member in the civil Rights to defend the black citizens in general and the
black women in particular.” (Juan, 2003, 3)
Juan Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Banna. Alice walker as an Activist and celebrator of
Resistance in Meridian (1976) and The Color Purple (1982). Journal of the
College of Languages Issue 36, 2003, 1-22.
Here, I cite the book in reference to what is said earlier by the critics.
A“M.the house was demolished by firebombs. The bombs, exploding, set fire to
not just the house the whole cluster of houses on that street. Three small children
were injured no, a flash at the bottom of the screen announced them dead; several
grownups were injured. One adult, missing, was assumed dead”. (version electro:
p. 57) For the first time in her life, she was the twitches of thinking about the big
picture of the world, the situation of African Americans in the country,

21
specifically in the south. After the incident, her reiteration begins with the white
supremacy, her knowledge of the bomb, the acquisition of her home, and her
knowledge of the destruction so far. This act of violence, to induce her to join the
motion, in the civil right movement. This thing, from ignorance for knowledge,
from her rights, without thinking of rights. She Joins the Movement by the
hopeless, conceited activist and artist Truman Held.

In her abstract, she writes : “Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye tells the story of a
black little girl who is destroyed by feelings of self-loathing and rejection from
those around her.” (2016 : 6)
(my comment on her citation: The intention of this work is to analyze how the
concepts of identity, race and gender are portrayed in the novel, and how they
relate to issues of white beauty standards, self-loathing and racial pride. She has
suggested the building of wholesome, healthy identities through the connection to
the culture and tradition of a community).

“One of the most traumatizing events in Pecola’s life is the moment when she is
raped by her father, gets pregnant and loses her sanity.” (8)
Rosana Ruas Machado Gomes. Identity, Race and Gender in Toni Morrison’s The
Bluest Eye. Brazil: Porto Alegre, UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO
GRANDE DO SUL
INSTITUTO DE LETRAS
In Playing in the Dark, Morrison laments the lack of literary criticism around the
subjects of blackness and whiteness in American literature. According to her,
[This lack of literary criticism] is further complicated by the fact that
the habit of ignoring race is understood to be a graceful, even
generous, liberal gesture. To notice is to recognize an already
discredited difference. To enforce its invisibility through silence is to
allow the black body a shadowless participation in the dominant
cultural body. (Playing 9–10)
Morrison,Toni. Playing in the Dark. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1993.

Dana Paramita after he nas read the novel gives his reasons that pushed the writer
to produce this book.
“First of all, the purpose of the writing is that the writer would like to give the
readers a portrait to stop hating themselves for everything they are not, and start
loving themselves for everything that they are. The writer assesses that Toni
Morrison’ story line presented in the novel is eye-catching even though it
experiences an abundance of controversy because of the novel's strong language”
(Pp. 1-2)
Dana Paramita. Book Review of The Bluest Eye written by Toni Morrison.
India: FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY, 2015.

22
“The Bluest Eye deals with the great range of black famine voice into the artificial
mould of stereotype. It allows us to get a deeper look into the black woman's
psychic dilemmas, oppressions and trials symbolized by the tragic life of Pecola,
who was driven insane by the pressure of having absolute physical beauty, the
beauty of a white woman, by having fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes”. (Nushrat
, 2006: p.14)

Nushrat Akhtar. WOMEN'S RESPONSE TO THE SOCIETY IN TONI

MORRISON'S NOVELS, NAMELY SULA, THE BLUEST EYE AND
BELOVED. Bangladesh: BRAC University, A Thesis Submitted to the
Department of English and Humanities In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree Of BA in English.

Definistion of feminism
The feminist movement was introduced due to slavery among black women; the
black feminist activists, writers, and socialist developed it. Feminist movement
became a social theory for women's self-awakening and self-emancipation, which
always focus on awareness of women in society. Feminist writers and activists
raised their hands to support women's rights, freedom, and independence.

“Feminism is a theory about women equality which says that women should have
an equal share in society, political, economic and in the property. Feminism
includes various movements like the Civil Rights Movement, social, political,
artistic, and sexual equality. It acts as a shield for the legal, political, gender
equality for women and prevents women from the patriarchy.” (Dr.P. Suresh, P.
Anuradha, 95)
Dr.P. Suresh, P. Anuradha. A Critical Study of Women Oppression on Alice
Walker's Major Novels.
Eurasian Journal of Analytical Chemistry 13 (4): 2018, 95-102.

Just a view point

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison presents an interesting way but it is attractive.
The writing style of Morrison becomes one of the strengths of the novel. Her use
of different point of view makes the readers not feel bored to read the whole novel.
In addition, the way Morrison puts the Dick and Jane in the opening of the novel
story, which us extremely in contrast with Pecola's life, makes the readers feel the
pain of Pecola in the novel. However, there are some weaknesses found in the
novel. First, the language that is used by Toni Morrison in the novel is black slang
terms so it is hard to be understood by the readers.
Second, Toni Morrison's criticism through the novel The Bluest Eye can cause
misunderstanding for the readers who are not critical. It can be an invitation to be

23
a white beauty that will make them imitate the white beauty concept which means
having blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair.

Table of content
The protagonist attaints a psychological transformation
Meridian is an educated woman who can liberate herself. Though Meridian been
abused physically and psychologically, she could find her identity in the way of
civil right movement. She gradually gained the strength of belief by overcoming
sufferings. She commits her life to help blacks to achieve political and social
equality. But the oppression given by Copeland and Brownfield makes Margaret
and Mem destroy them. Meridian remains devoted to her activist, and late
becomes a leader throughout the south continuing the work of an activist
The renunciation

24