This paper will look at race relations in the South in the 1940s, and Pecola's idea that if she were white, she would somehow be "better" or "beautiful." At the heart of this novel is Pecola's self-esteem and how race relations erase self-esteem and empowerment, and how the blacks of the story allow white ideas to color their very existence. Toward the opening of the novel, Morrison writes of the Breedlove's "home," a miserable storefront, "They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly" (Morrison 38). Later, Morrison writes, "Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of the ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised at school, by teachers and classmates alike. She was the only member of her class who sat alone at a double desk" (Morrison 45). Already the theme of ugliness is apparent, and Morrison explores this throughout the novel, finally allowing the three girl protagonists to fully understand what is really beautiful, and what is really ugly. Critic Harold Bloom notes, "Pecola, certainly, is expunged from human society even before she has awakened to a consciousness of self. Pecola stands for the triple indemnity of the female Black child: children Blacks, and females are devalued in American culture" (Bloom 30).
             An important aspect of the research will be into Morrison's own background, which she used in writing this novel, and how the novel has gained in popularity since its publication in 1970. She uses many of her own experiences in this work, and that may be one reason it is so memorable for the reader. It is real and alive, and it shows how hatred and bigotry affect everyone, both white and black, which is a good reason to stop bigotry from continuing in this country. Eventually, the girls become more "comfortable in their skins," but Pecola continues to yearn for blue eyes, the symbol of perfection and be...