“You not the woman”: Beauty, Transformation, and the Quest for Love in Toni Morrison's the Bluest Eye and God Help the Child

Abstract

This comparative study of Morrison's The Bluest Eye (1970) and God Help the Child (2015) focuses on the transformational identities of the two female protagonists, and speculates about the connection between them. Themes of transformation, deformation, alienation and a specifically female version of the hero's journey guide the analysis, which concludes that Pecola and Bride are, in fact, like two women joined familially through generations, carrying the same core trauma, despite Bride's apparent social acceptance and success. The social ramifications of the familiality of these two women, separated by almost half a century, include the need for continued progress in the personal and social empowerment of young Black women.