The girls were so envious of her they even claimed, We looked hard for flaws to restore our equilibrium, but had to be content at first with uglying up her name, changing Maureen Peal to Meringue Pie. Maureen represents the obvious division of classes within the African Americans society. Characters like Pecola, Claudia, and Frieda show signs of jealously towards Maureen Peal, who is a light-skinned, wealthy, well off African American girl. (22) She even goes on to say, What made people look at them and say, AMorrison demonstrates internalized racism that divides part of the African American community throughout the novel. For example, she asserts that I destroyed white baby dolls The truly horrifying thing was the transference of the same impulses to little white girls. Although, this is not the reality of it, it just goes to show you how much of an affect media has.Ĭlaudia’s character does not show much or if any self-hatred that her other peers may have, she very much so realizes the prejudice ideal of beauty going on. (20) Even at such a young age it was ingrained in the brains of little black girls that this was what a beautiful woman should look like. In the beginning of the novel, Morrison asserts, Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs- all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. Throughout The Bluest Eye, Pecola’s physical attributes affects her self-esteem because she is only exposed to a certain type of beauty due the exposure that she has access to.

Maureen peal the bluest eye