The Houses
What are the houses symbolic of throughout the story?)
Houses in this novel can be directly related to who lives in them. They symbolize the situations of the character’s as well as the values of those characters.
Two Part:
A) What are some characteristics of dirt/ mud?
B) What does the absence of dirt signify?
A) Black/ brown, sticky, earthen, unhygienic, sullying, difficult to remove, etc.
B) Cleanliness, purity, immaculateness, whiteness, sanctitude, etc.
What do the dolls in The Bluest Eye represent?
[Hint] "All the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl treasured." (pp. 20)
Broadly: Beauty and forced opinion
Specifically: The racist, prejudiced preconceived societal ideals about how to define "beauty"
What is Morrison's purpose in so extensively addressing the specialness of blue/ light eyes in the novel?
Blue eyes symbolize not only being beautiful, but having the same privileges as those who have them.
How can the symbol of houses relate back to the IB Global Issue of Beliefs, Values and Education?
Morrison explores the beliefs and values nurtured in the community and the way it shapes individuals through symbolism of houses. Upbringing has an integral role to the development of children; different houses reflect different upbringings, which impact people's beliefs about the world.
What is Morrison's purpose in including the idea of dirtiness v.s. cleanliness throughout the novel?
[Hint] Geraldine (clean) -> cruelty
Claudia (dirty) -> contentment
1. Morrison is symbolizing that whiteness and external “purity” lead to cruelty.
2. Morrison is lifting the African-American community up by stating that contentment can be found in having black or brown skin.
What is one IB Global Issue that the symbolic dolls pertain to?
Culture, Identity, and Community
What is an IB global issue pertaining to the symbol of blue eyes?
Culture, Identity and Community.
How can you relate the symbolism of the houses to the Critical Race Theory?
As the job gap forces black families into more affordable homes, the cheaper house is seen as dirty, and because houses symbolize the character’s who live in them, they are also seen as dirty, and vice versa for white families. This oppression in society for financial and emotional control over them is how houses relate to the critical race theory.
How does Morrison's inclusion of the symbol of dirt support the idea of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) that people of color must be their own advocates for a more equitable and just future?
Morrison hopes to lift African-Americans out of the self-loathing that has been caused by their oppression at the hands of white people. Only after people of color can be content with themselves can they advocate for a better life.
How can the symbol of dolls be applied to the Critical Race Theory?
[Hint] The Critical Race Theory believes that race itself is a social construct used by white people at the disadvantage of people of color.
Morrison uses dolls to present white people as beautiful in comparison to black people because they have features the colored people do not.
What is/are Morrison's purpose(s) in including the blue/ fair eyes?
Morrison includes blue/ light eyes to:
1. Represent society's ideals as to what defines beauty.
2. Symbolize the self-loathing African-Americans have for their own identity. (Bonus 200 points if they talked about the second part as well as the first)