The Role of the Metaphor in the Novel “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison”
...not survive. But the seeds of marigold like any weed overcome such conditions. The third chapter of the section “Autumn” describes the soil, in which the seed of marigold appear. This is the society, the family, in which Pecola grows. The girl is surrounded by family members who are “ poor and black… and they believed they were ugly” ( T. Morrison 28) “Their ugliness was unique. You looked at them and wondered why they were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that it came from conviction, their conviction.” (T. Morrison, 28). Pecola’s father Cholly is a drunkard who was left by his father and who experienced humiliation being seen and mocked by two white men while his first sexual intercourse. He finds comfort in alcohol and doesn’t care of welfare of his family. Pecola’s mother Pauline Breedlove is the woman, who serves not to her own but to a rich white family. She does not care for her own son and daughter, does not need her husband, but she needs “ Cholly’s sins desperately. The lower he sank, the wilder and more irresponsible he became, the more splendid she and her task became. In the name of Jesus”. (T. Morrison, 31). Pecola’s brother Sammy copes with his family’s problems trying to run away from home. He is active and aggressive. While fight between his mother and father he asks Pauline to kill Cholly, although that is his father. Mr. Yacobowski is another character who fixes the feeling of ugliness in Pecola’s mind. In such conditions develops a seed (Pecola). If it survives the drought (violence) and coldness ( alienation) of the soil ( society), the seed would turn into a flower of marigold. Were not such people as China, Poland, Maginot Line, Claudia, Frieda, who support the poor girl who are like nutrition for the seed, Pecola would not overcome such obstacles. The second part of the novel is called “Winter”. It is important that the seeds stay deep in the soil and do not get frozen. In the first chapter of this part appears a new personage Maureen Peal who substitutes imaginary Shirley Temple with her whiteness. Although Maureen has a dog tooth and a stump, but she is whiter than Pecola or Claudia, accordingly she belongs to another level of society. If she were a seed, she would never be a marigold, though a chamomile or some other flower which is not a rose, but it is not a marigold. On the one side chamomiles would not survive if there were colds or drought, on the other side they get more care from gardener (society). There are also other personages, boys, who are harassing Pecola for her black skin. Although they are black they humiliate her. They do not understand that they are the same seeds of marigolds as Pecola. Such a demonstration of struggle for existence. More powerful (self-confident, selfish) seeds survive Winter. The second chapter introduces black representatives of the middle-class. The author creates a picture of a more orderly life in a middle-class home which could give Pecola a happier existence. . But in this chapter, it becomes clear that material comfort, neatness, and peace can become deadly themselves if not accompanied by genuine human warmth. The main hero Geraldine cares for her house, clothes of her husband, but she does not care for her only son, who grows in isolation. Her love is devoted not to her husband but to a black cat. The boy feels this and hates the cat. Although he is always “brushed, bathed, oiled, and shod” ( T. Morrison, 67), the boy feels miserable. “Geraldine did not talk to him, coo to him, or indulge him in kissing bouts, but she saw that every other desire was fulfilled”. ( T. Morrison, 67). What kind of seeds would grow in such a soil? It is like a bonsai tree which is difficult to grow. You can water it regularly, but it would die if you do not water it with a special mixture consisting of qualls’ dung. Such an ingredient is the mother’s love. The third part of the novel is the Spring. Spring gives birth to all seeds, which were shed by mother flower in Autumn and got into the soil and which survived Winter with its coldness. The part devoted to Spring is the longest in the novel. The wish of Frieda and Claudia to drink whiskey in order to be “ruined”, but not to be fat is confirmation of independent perception of the world (independent development of the seed) .Frieda gets her first sexual experience being touched by Mr. Henry. To compare with marigolds, this incident may be interpreted as the process of turning a seed into a flower (getting sexual experience). Unlike Frieda who is protected by her father, who is ready to kill Mr. Henry for humiliation of his daughter, Pecola is not only unprotected by her father but even raped by him. What kind of a flower would grow from such a seed, if the soil (family, society) does not protect it. The incident when Pecola spills “blackish blueberries” all over the floor supports this fact. Her mother instead of worrying that her own daughter has been burned by the hot berries pushes Pecola down into the pie juice. She then comforts the little white girl and begins to clean the black stain off of her pink dress. When she speaks to Pecola and her friends, her voice is like “rotten pieces of apple,” (T. Morrison, 85) but when she speaks to the white girl, her voice is like honey. The author inserts the story about the history of Mrs. Breedlove’s life in the part Spring in order to show and explain what supports such attitude towards Pecola. The way of Paulina’s life does not inspire others with optimism to live and create. When she was nine she impaled her food on a nail, since this time she walked with a little limp being sure that this accident determined her life. She married the first man who paid attention to her. She enjoyed movies and created in her mind imaginary pictures of the better life until she lost her front tooth. She lives in her world of memories. Her life is over. All the best recollections ( love, sex, movies) are in the past. In the future – ugliness, poverty and life of martyr. How can she give love, warmth and care to her child if she is in the state of constant depression. In case with seeds this description is a prophecy that seeds have little chances to survive, if the flower does not give them necessary nutritious elements ( love, care) for the future development. As with Pauline’s story in the previous chapter, we sympathize with Cholly not only because he is an orphan, and has suffered sexual humiliation, and racism, but because there was once real beauty and joy in his life. Unlike Pauline who is a breadwinner and depends on her religious prejudices, Cholly is free f...