The Racialization of the Oedipal Process

Abstract

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye is a heartbreaking depiction of the racialization of the oedipal process, which encapsulates the development of the psyche and self-concepts. In The Bluest Eye, Morrison aspires to an honest exploration (rather than sensationalization) of blackness and black girlhood. My paper analyzes: the limitation of power afforded to black persons in white-dominated societies; the balancing of gendered and racialized norms; and, the impact of these disadvantages on personal and social development. My paper conducts this analysis through the comparison of: the protagonist’s father, Cholly Breedlove’s sexual trauma; the symbolism of white baby dolls; the protagonist’s mother, Pauline Breedlove’s rejection of her own blackness and family; and, finally, Cholly Breedlove’s rape of his daughter, Pecola Breedlove, to Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan’s theories of childhood psychological development. 
 My favourite literature always challenges me. I was moved by The Bluest Eye because of how it challenges and expands the boundaries of my empathy and my understanding of circumstances other than my own. My goal in writing this paper was to attain a greater understanding of its characters, their behaviour, and the real-life circumstances they parallel. Thus, rather than limiting myself to making a claim, then seeking support for it, I begin with the passages that most sparked my academic and human curiosity, then methodically explore the literary nuances and social implications of each of them. In diverging from traditional essay structure, I am able to reach beyond superficial compassion and engage deeply with the text’s characters and themes.