Symbolism in The Bluest Eye

1. Symbolism in The Bluest Eye Andrew Laura Bobby Emma

2. Bluest Eye(s) • Represents white beauty • Symbolises her own blindness – she gains but loses her sanity • Use of singular form in the title suggests the isolation of the character of Pecola “But suppose my eyes aren’t blue enough? Blue enough for what? Blue enough for… you!”

3. The Marigolds • Associated with safety and hope by Claudia and Frieda, seen as key to saving Pecola’s baby • Represent ‘circle of life’ as the marigolds are mentioned at the beginning of the novel – reference at the end completes the circle • Sacrifice of money and marigolds ceremonial offering “Quiet as it’s kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941.”

4. The House • Class status • The characters within them • Breedlove: miserable, untidy – Mrs. Breedlove prefers her employer’s home • MacTeer: drafty, dark, however tended by Mrs. MacTeer and filled with love “Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty…”

5. Dandelions • Pecola thinks they’re pretty, however everyone else thinks they’re ugly • Represent beauty at first, in the eyes of Pecola, but after her encounter with the shopkeeper, they represent ugliness “Why, she wonders, do people call them weeds? She thought they were pretty.”