Explain the title The Bluest Eye. What is the significance of title?

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Throughout the book, having blue eyes is portrayed as a profoundly socially desirable trait. The society shown in the book values whiteness above all else, and blue eyes are a symbol of that whiteness. The only person in the book who does not subscribe to this value system is Claudia, the narrator, who hates Shirley Temple for her blue eyes. By contrast, the protagonist , Pecola, has a particularly strong desire for blue eyes. At the end, the con man Soaphead Church tricks Pecola into believing that she has blue eyes, a belief that becomes a component of the madness into which she descends by the end of the book. The conversation she has with herself in a later chapter (the exchange where one of the characters' words is italicized) shows that she now believes she has blue eyes. Yet even now, she is still concerned that her eyes should be the bluest in the world, as she shows by repeatedly asking her imaginary conversation partner whether they are the bluest. The significance of the title...

(The entire section contains 4 answers and 579 words.)

Unlock This Answer Now


Start your 48-Hour Free Trial
Approved by eNotes Editorial Team