Reading 1001 discussion

What is the significance of the title?

We are never satisfied? Pecola wanted blue eyes but when she got them she wanted the "bluest eyes" and started comparing to others.

In a more loving world, Pecola would never have wanted or needed blue eyes. The Bluest Eye has shown us that a loving world cannot be counted on.

Pecola's mother loved the little blond girl more than she did Pecola (in Pecola's eyes). It made sense that she would want something like blue eyes so her mother could love her like the little pink and blond girl.

The significance of the title is that she wanted something that was "white", she wasn't loving her blackness. This was something that another person had said to the author that made her mad.

The bluest eyes symbolize the unattainable for the characters in the book?..for all of us in general.

Great answers!! I agree that she felt that she would be loved if she had blue eyes. Then she "received" them and discovered that people avoided her. Then, she needed them to be more rare or the bluest eyes.

...and Pecola being particularly ugly, even to other people who disliked their own black skin, wanted to be the opposite. Extremely blue eyes seemed the epitome of beauty to her.

I am still a little confused by the fact that it's singular. Can you all understand why the title is The Bluest EYE instead of EYES?

Connie wrote: "...and Pecola being particularly ugly, even to other people who disliked their own black skin, wanted to be the opposite. Extremely blue eyes seemed the epitome of beauty to her.

I am still a litt..."
No I can't but the singular use stands out, it makes the person looking at the title do a double take, because it is odd. So was it a marketing tool or is in signifying the oddness of Pecola who doesn't fit either.

Kristel wrote: "Connie wrote: "...and Pecola being particularly ugly, even to other people who disliked their own black skin, wanted to be the opposite. Extremely blue eyes seemed the epitome of beauty to her.

I ..."

It does certainly make one do a double take...I suppose she would have been happy to get even one blue eye.

Percola associated beauty with blue eyes. When she poisoned the dog she thought it was a sign from God that she at last had blue eyes and she believed that she did. The interesting thing here is that when she believed that her eye(s) were blue that she believed that she also SAW the world differently through her blue eyes. So everyone said that she was mad.

Pecola wanted the bluest eye, not just blue eyes, since that was what she felt was needed for her to be worth something.

I agree again with Eadie.