Bluest Eye / When the Term Paper

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Eichelberger states that Morrison's work shows that the novel "in its particular cultural setting portrays domineering aggression as the true motivation for many cultural conditions that are commonly regarded as agents of freedom" (2). This ideology (i.e. The dominant mindset) is what characters use to destroy other characters' sense of self.

Both the Bluest Eye and When the Legends Die have a resounding theme of homelessness and this relates to the sense of self. Pecola has a house and a family, but she does not have safety, which is what truly makes a home a refuge. She is raped by her father and chastised and beaten by her mother and she doesn't have a sense of home. Likewise, Tom's quest for his identity leads him to the wilderness, back to Pagosa, and on the road as a bronco rider. He is sent from place to place and thus there is no sense of one place being home for him. He was persuaded to leave the wilderness by Blue Elk and then he is sent from place to place back in Pagosa.
This leaves Tom feeling as if he doesn't really belong anywhere. The subjugation of Tom by others indicates a desire for humans to dominate one another (Eichelberger 2).

Both When the Legends Die and the Bluest Eye are unique stories that are representative of the different ways that people must go about finding themselves and where it is that they finally do -- as well as what they must endure in the struggle. For Pecola, her only way of finding peace was to go mad and convince herself that she does have the bluest eyes; this is the only way she can live with the world as it affects the ways she sees and is seen for her. Tom as well eventually finds a kind of peace that he can live with and though he doesn't go mad, he has had to struggle against manipulation and cruelty to get to the point of solace. Both characters therefore are able to remain in the world without suffering anymore.

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