CHILD ABUSE AND ADULTS’ FAILURES FOUND IN TONI MORRISON’S THE BLUEST EYE
A THESIS
BY:
ELGREEN
REG.NO.O8O7O5O45
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Approved by the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara (USU) Medan as thesis for The Sarjana Sastra Examination.
Head, Secretary,
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
I, ELGREEN DECLARE THAT I AM THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THIS THESIS EXCEPT WHERE REFERENCE IS MADE IN THE TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS CONTAINS NO MATERIAL PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE OR EXTRACTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM A THESIS BY WHICH I HAVE QUALIFIED FOR OR AWARDED ANOTHER DEGREE. NO OTHER PERSON’S WORK HAS BEEN USED WITHOUT DUE ACKNOWLEDMENTS IN THE MAIN TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF ANOTHER DEGREE IN ANY TERTIARY EDUCATION.
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NAME : ELGREEN
TITLE OF THESIS : CHILD ABUSE AND ADULTS’ FAILURES FOUND IN TONI MORRISON’S THE BLUEST EYE
QUALIFICATION : S-1/SARJANA SASTRA
DEPARTMENT : ENGLISH
I AM WILLING THAT MY THESIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARIAN OF DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT USERS ARE MADE AWARE OF THEIR OBLIGATION UNDER LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, the writer would like to thank the Almighty God, Jesus Christ for His guidance and His blessing so that this thesis, as one of the requirements for graduating from the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara Medan can be finished timely. Here the writer would also like to express her greatest honours and thanks to:
1. Her supervisor, Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.Hum and her co-supervisor, Dra. Hj. Rohani Ganie, M.Hum for their willingness to spend their valuable time in supervising her during the improvement of her thesis, as well as to Dr. H. Syahron Lubis MA, the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara, and Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar, MS, the Head of Department of English and Dr. Hj. Nurlela, M.Hum, the Secretary of Department of English, for their advice and encouragement during her study in this faculty and also to Pak Am for his help in administration matter.
2. Her parents D. Wendra Teh and R. Poespita Sari as well as her brother, H. Prawira who always pray, encourage, and support her during the academic years.
3. Her best friends, Fita Chyntia, Isahbela, Mia Pratiwi Tarigan, and Stephannie for their kindness, help, and support through these four years.
4. Last but not the least is to all of her friends in Department of English who always stand by her.
May God always bless you all.
The Writer
ABSTRACT
Skripsi ini berjudul “Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures Found in Toni Morrison’s
The Bluest Eye” membahas tentang tindak-tindak kekerasan pada anak yang dialami
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION v
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii
ABSTRACT viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Problems of the Study 3
1.3 Objective of the Study 3
1.4 Scope of the Study 4
1.5 Significance of the Study 4
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5
2.1 Earlier Studies 5
2.2 Novel 8
2.3 A Brief Description of Children 9
2.3.1 Adolescents 13
2.4 A Brief Description of Child Abuse 14
2.5 Types of Child Abuse 14
2.5.1 Child Neglect 14
2.5.2 Physical Abuse 15
2.5.3 Child Sexual Abuse 16
2.5.4 Psychological Abuse 17
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20
3.1 Research Method 20
3.2 Data Collection 22
3.3 Data Analysis 22
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS OF CHILD ALBUSE AND
ADULTS’ FAILURES 25
4.1 Child Abuse 25
4.1.1 Isolation in The Bluest Eye 28
4.1.2 Torture in The Bluest Eye 31
4.1.3 Rape in The Bluest Eye 33
4.1.4 Introvert in The Bluest Eye 35
4.2 Adults’ Failures 37
4.2.1 Moral Values Denial in The Bluest Eye 39 4.2.2 Parents’ Centrism in The Bluest Eye 41 4.2.3 Life Desperation in The Bluest Eye 44 4.3 Finding the Relation between Child Abuse
and Adults’ Failures 46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 50
5.1 Conclusion 50
5.2 Suggestion 51
REFERENCES 53
APPENDICES
I. TONI MORRISON’S BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS
ABSTRACT
Skripsi ini berjudul “Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures Found in Toni Morrison’s
The Bluest Eye” membahas tentang tindak-tindak kekerasan pada anak yang dialami
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1Background of the Study
The Bluest Eye is 1970’s novel written by Toni Morrison, which took place in
America’s Midwest during 1940s as the following years of the Great Depression Era. The reason why the study of the novel of The Bluest Eye is interested to be done is because of the depiction of characters from the novel, which is portrayed through Pecola.
Pecola is an Afro-American adolescence who comes from a very poor family. Her father, Cholly Breedlove and her mother, Pauline Breedlove are both irresponsible parents. Her father spends most of his time in drinking, while her mother spends most of her time in serving the white family; in fact, she loves the white family more than her own black family.
The things which are afflicted by Pecola become the basis of the study and the analysis of The Bluest Eye, bringing Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures as its main topic. In addition, the reason why the study of Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures are interested to be done is because it is a very common yet crucial issue which can happen to anyone. In Indonesia itself, it is showed in national.kompas.com that in the year of 2007, the cases of violations rights against children is risen up to 40.398.635 cases, it has been more than in 2006 which had 13.447.921 cases. Moreover, during the first semester of 2008, there are 21.872 children become the victims of physical and psychological violence in their social environment with as many as 12.729 children are the victim of child sexual abuse from the people who are closed to them.
The term of Child Abuse is generally defined as an unfair treatment towards a child. These abuses can be divided into child neglect, physical abuse, child sexual abuse, and psychological abuse. When a child starts to enter early adolescence period, the child becomes more aware that people may have numerous and possibly conflicting and intentions at the same time. Here, the term of Child Abuse is referred to Pecola, an adolescent girl who is always treated badly physically, verbally, sexually, and emotionally. First, she becomes the object of her environment – being told repeatedly that she is an ugly girl, which then makes her full of desired to possess the bluest eyes. Second, she becomes the object of her parents’ – being unloved by her mother and raped by her father.
Her father, Cholly, is a drunker and the reason why he becomes like that is because he can’t stand with his life pressure; while her mother, Pauline, only feels happy and alive when she is working for a rich white family, here she tries to escape from her reality since she can never stand with Cholly’s behaviour at home, so both of them somehow lost the love that they once had for one and another in the end.
Personality is usually developed from a person's childhood experiences, so with the experiences that are befallen by Cholly when he was rejected by his father and was discarded by his mother, and the memory of his first sexual encounter, made him become an adults who fails when he abuses his daughter (Pecola) sexually. Since the experience that Pecola gets from his father, added with the experience of meeting and talking with the Soaphead Church, not only Pecola starts to hallucinate that she has blue eyes, but also she tends to have a split personality by talking to herself through the mirror; she becomes insane at the end. Still no one cares.
1.2Problems of the Study
Through the novel of The Bluest Eye, there are two main problems which are going to be discussed in this thesis:
1. What are the types of child abuse in The Bluest Eye? 2. What are the failures of adults in The Bluest Eye?
1.3Objective of the Study
Here are the objectives of studying the novel:
2. To define the Adults’ Failures i.e. Moral Values Denial, Parents’ Centrism, and Life Desperation.
1.4Scope of the Study
The study of The Bluest Eye’s novel will be limited by only analyzing Child Abuse in terms of isolation, torture, rape, and introvert, which is part of child neglect, physical abuse, child sexual abuse, and psychological abuse, as well as Adult’s Failure that includes moral values denial, parents’ centrism, and life desperation, which can be seen through the characters: Pecola Breedlove, Cholly Breedlove, Pauline Breedlove, and the Soaphead Church aka Elihue Micah Whitcomb.
1.5Significance of the Study
There are two benefits why this thesis is written: 1. Theoretical benefits
Theoretically, this study is expected to give an overview and understanding about what Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures are as well as what the relation between Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures are. In addition, it is also expected to give an overview of how psychology can be involved in literary works.
2. Practical benefits
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Earlier Studies
The novel of The Bluest Eye brings Child Abuse and Adults Failures as its main topic brings the analysis of the novel to psychological approach as well as to extrinsic approach. Those approaches are a great tool for reading beneath the lines. If Morris and Abert A. Maistro (2005) mentioned that psychology is the scientific study of human’s behaviour and mental process, Wellek and Austin Warren (1956:94) said that literature represents life and life in a large measure, is a social reality. Thus, it can be assumed that life represents society (human). In the literary work, human is known as character. So, the study of certain literary works using psychological approach as the base can be done since there’s a human, known as character that possesses behaviour that can be analyzed.
In Santrock (1998), Sigmund Freud as the contributor of the modern psychology believed that adolescents’ lives are filled with tension and conflict. To reduce this tension, they keep information locked in their unconscious mind (Santrock, 1998:42). According to him, human beings are not as rational as what they imagine. Human beings have “free will” which is largely an illusion. The illusion is an unconscious hidden thing which consists of a dynamic cauldron of primitive and aggressive drives, forbidden desires, nameless fears and wishes, and traumatic childhood memories (Morris, 2005:13).
In Pasotti (1977:128), Sigmund Freud divides the humans’ mind into three parts, namely: id, ego, and superego. While id is dominated by the pleasure principle, the ego is dominated by reality principle, and the superego is dominated by the morality principle. Humans need to be able to control his id using his ego and superego. It is because the failure of a person will happen when the id, such as forbidden desires, the traumatic childhood memories, etc are not be able to be controlled by ego or superego. Like what is happened to Cholly Breedlove in The
Bluest Eye, Pecola is raped for Cholly can’t control his id.
While in Koswara (1991), it is said that Abraham Harold Maslow opposes Freud’s theory. The theory which assumes man is basically possessed an evil character. According to the view of Humanistic Psychology, man is basically a good or neutral human being. The one that damaged his goodness is his bad environment.
Cholly is because of his environment forces. Due to his inability in fulfilling his safety needs, where there’s still a fear of his past that keeps frightening him, he is eventually led to the disability to share his love with his family. From those of all, the compliance of the psychological needs is the uppermost for it is the main stimulus and booster of humans’ behaviours.
Adults like Cholly, or Pauline, or Soaphead Church in The Bluest Eye are supposed to be children safeguarding, whom children can seek for help. Hedy Cleaver (2009) stated clearly that children are easy to hurt. Thus, children need to be protected and have safe feeling, not worried or scared. However, some of the adults not only like to show the cold shoulder to children, but also become the perpetrators against children. In addition, the violence/abuses befallen by children are mostly done by children guardians or children relatives that may cause children suffering from depression or death.
2.2 Novel
The word “literature” derives from Latin “littera” which means letter. Literature is the art of written works. However, this term also possesses a wider meaning. Previously, when writing had not broadly been used, stories were handed down from one generation to next generation orally. The stories which entertain and teach moral lesson to listener are then turned into written works using some techniques of writing by authors.
Two kinds of writing which are likely to be applied are prose and verse. Yet, prose seems to be more typical to be used for it consists of ordinary grammatical structures and speeches. Prose is also known as the least complicated literary genre. One of its forms is Novel, which is also the form of TheBluest Eye.
Novel is a long fictional narrative work which somehow imitates the reality and might have certain effects to readers. The rise of the novel is in 18th century. Writers at that time tried to create their works without following the traditional way that has been set. Before this century, the characters and the stories were always come from the aristocrats. Nevertheless, starting from this period, the characters and the stories start coming from the commoners, who possesses a more unique life.
The Bluest Eye is an African-American Modernist Fiction novel which was
In a novel, there are many elements that interconnect with one and another but the most important of all is characters. The word “character” derives from the ancient Greek “kharaktêr” which is the depiction of a person in narrative work. Character plays an important in a story since he is the one that will determine where the story is going to go. This character may be presented either in a direct way or through action and behaviour.
Analyzing a character can be done in four ways. First, through physical such basic facts as sex, age and size e.g. Pauline is a lame foot mother who has lost her tooth as well. Second, through social such as economic status, profession, religion, family, and social relationship e.g. the Soaphead Church is known as the pedophile and mystic fortune teller from his society. Third, through psychological such as habitual response, attitudes, desires, motivations, likes and dislikes which lead to actions e.g. Pecola desires to have the bluest eye. Forth, through moral such as moral decisions which is made in a crisis moment e.g. the rape which is done by Cholly to Pecola when she is washing dishes.
2.3A Brief Description of Children
A child or children in plural form is a term which is given to a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. There are several stages of childhood which is proposed by Erik H. Erikson in Dacey and John F. Traver’s Human Development (2003):
1．Infancy: Birth to 1 year old
figure out whether the world where he lives is a safe place. Roles, contacts, love, and attention given by parents, especially mothers are very important in guiding the development of the child. Still, the most important thing that a child always wants to have is the feeling that he has a right to live and to be in this world, showed by the care and the tenderness of his parents.
It is very essential to make sure every child is able to pass this stage successfully so he can grow into a man who possesses trust and confidence in the future. However, there are always obstacles to have all of children passed this stage successfully. So, if a child fails in this stage, in other words, feeling isolated or ignored, the child might experience frustration and disillusionment with life. Thus, he is going to end with the feeling of worthlessness and a mistrust of the world in general.
Many studies have shown that there’s a link between suicides or suicide attempts with the importance of the period of infancy in a child's mental development. People who are usually attempted with these cases are commonly lack of belief. The basic belief of world is as trustworthy place and every man has a right to life are not being developed well in early stages. Therefore, the relationships between children and parents or constant caregivers are significantly important in this stage. Warmth, care, and discipline should exist in thriving trust.
2．Early Childhood: 2 to 3 Years
developed later on. Within this period, children become the master of their own minds by learning to control their own body. Besides, children learn to be more daring in expressing what they want and think too. Therefore, it is often said that children in this age are very frank and honest.
Children, who are building their self-esteem at this level, are still very
vulnerable. At a time, they can be very proud of succeeding in doing something. But in the other times, they can feel ashamed and suffer low self-esteem when they fail in doing something. The most difficult thing which has to be faced by every child in this level is toilet training. Many children suffer low self-esteem because of this failure. For, the role of parents and other adults in encouraging, guiding and directing the child are needed.
3．Preschool: 4 to 5 Years
Preschool children are also known as play age children. At this stage, children tend to imitate what adults do or say. Thus, toys and games which are played often represent things that they believe are done as an adult. Games that like to be played are like Barbie and Ken or cars, etc, which represent the adulthood. When playing, they often mimic the gestures or behaviours of adults whom they know.
Meanwhile, their curiosity is also growing greater. The most frequent word which is used to explore the world is “Why”. Questions which like to be asked, excluded “What is that/this?” are “Why cannot?” “Why is it wrong?” “Why have to be like this?” etc. Those questions will sometimes make parents have a difficulty to explain. Yet, such question might somehow tighten their relationship.
mother for father’s love). Still, this problem will eventually be resolved through social role identification. Hence, compared to early child who will feel embarrassed in doing mistakes, play age child will easily feel guilty if he does so. Even though their most significant relationship is still with their parents and family, but friends have also taken part in it.
4．Middle Childhood: 6 to 11 Years
Children in school age period are no longer imitating adults. They start to develop themselves in order to learn, acquire, and create new knowledge and skills from the environment. Those skills which will then be used to accomplish tasks what are assigned to them. In addition, children will also learn to communicate, socialize, and compete with others. Though it seems that they are now able to finish all things by themselves, parents still play an important role in guiding them.
Even so, school and environment have a greater influence in forming children’s character. This is because most of their times are spent there. Therefore, it is very essential for a child to have the feeling of capability. If a child feels he is more inadequate than others, then he will not be able to be industrious and to compete with others. At the end, he might have serious problems in terms of competence and self-esteem.
5. Adolescence: 12 to 18 Years
others and in selecting right from wrong. These might be happened due to their inexperience.
The adolescents will also tend to spend most of their time with their peers. Gangs or peer groups will be formed. With their peer groups, they will learn about the adult world, like loyalty, devotion, hypocrisy, etc. However, not every adolescent is accepted in certain peer groups. For those who are not belonged to any group might somehow suffer lower self-esteem and role confusion due to the mockery and alienation. This is also because adolescents are very sensitive and are very concerned of people’s point of view toward them.
2.3.1 Adolescents
Adolescent is a term which refers to a human being, who is in the end of the stage of childhood and in the beginning of the stage of adulthood. It is also known as a transitional stage where both of the physical and the mental of the teenagers are changing in order to be ready for the adults’ role. For a number of adolescents, this transition stage can somehow be a very stressful stage. The stresses, which come from numerous sources, might lead them into the experiment of cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol that might also cause the suffering of kinds of mental illness.
that people are looking at them for they have their own uniqueness and invulnerability. For instance, Pecola as a black adolescent who prays a lot for the bluest eyes so that people will treat her in a better way. However, since she is failed in obtaining the bluest eyes, she turns insane in her depression.
2.4 A Brief Description of Child Abuse
Child abuse is the acts of child maltreatments which are done by parents, caregivers, or other adults. It might occur anywhere, either in a child's house, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child involves in. Child abuse is an act that is physically, sexually, or emotionally harmed a child. Generally, people who become the abusers may be a victim of their own parents, a member of a distressed marriage, or a poorly educated or an economically deprived person. Nevertheless, not every act of abusing can be seen clearly in a child, since not all children and adults are aware of it.
The impact of the child abuse itself is enormous. As it has been previously disclosed, the perpetrators are used to be the victims, so if this is not stopped, this may eventually direct the children to do the same thing in the future. In addition, children who experience child abuse will be traumatized. This might also lead the children of becoming introvert. On the other hand, children may suffer depression or emotional disorders, e.g. mood swings. Prolonged depression can also make children engaged with alcohols, drugs or in criminal organizations.
2.5 Types of Child Abuse
2.5.1 Child Neglect
Child neglect is the failure of adults in providing a child's basic needs, whether it is physical (adequate food, clothing, or hygiene), emotional (nurturing or affection), educational (enroll a child in school), or medical (medicate the child or take him or her to the doctor). Child neglect often happens in a family which both of parents is working. Children are mostly left with caregivers and some of children like to malinger to get their parents attention. However, parents are sometimes not there, thinking the children will just be alright with the caregivers. They thought that children will understand their bustle. On the contrary, the children feel their parents don’t love them and don’t care of them.
Child neglect is not always easy to be found out. Sometimes, a parent might have a serious physical or mental injury which makes them unable to take care of a child. Other times, alcohol or drug abuse may seriously mess up judgment and the ability to keep a child safe. Older children might not show obvious signs of neglect or might have become used to take the role of a parent. Still, at the end, neglected children will not have their physical and emotional needs met.
2.5.2 Physical Abuse
Other acts that can be categorized as physical abuse are punching, striking, kicking, shoving, slapping, burning, bruising, pulling ears or hair, stabbing, and choking. Unlike discipline, physical abuse is done not to teach a child right from wrong. For instance, adults tend to love to use belt as one of the way to discipline the children. However, if the child was beaten in the vital places which might cause a number of long-term bruises afterward, this kind of act can also be said as physical abuse.
Many adults thought that the harder a child is hit, the higher the awareness of their mistakes is. However, this kind of understanding is wrong since children who are generally beaten don’t understand due to their limited experiences. Therefore, beating without giving the correct understanding will only leave trauma to the child. Furthermore, there are always different principles and objectives in beating a child as a disciplinary and as an abuse. While beating a child as a disciplinary is done to teach him right from wrong, beating a child as an abuse is vice versa. Thus, adults are supposed to find a better way to teach a child without having to hurt him physically, e.g. through communication.
2.5.3 Child Sexual Abuse
perpetrators are usually those who have a mental disorder or those who used to be the victim of child sexual abuse itself.
Exposing a child to sexual situations or material, whether or not touching is involved is also being called as sexual abuse. For instance, displaying pornography pictures to an underage school children purposely which is commonly thought as a usual but incorrect attitude. Child sexual abuse may not only cause the guilt and self-blame, but also flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, self-esteem issues, anger, depression, etc to the children. Moreover, in the future, it may lead the child to difficulty in having intimate relationship due to the distress in trusting others.
2.5.4 Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse or emotional abuse is a type of abuse which is the most difficult to define in a child. There are several acts that can be included as psychological abuse, such as frequent yelling, threatening, or bullying, followed by constant belittling, shaming, and humiliating a child as well as telling a child he or she is “no good," "worthless," "bad," or "a mistake.". These kinds of situations might not only happen in the community, but also within a family. For example: when a child is always being compared to another child constantly. Any achievements always felt less. Consequently, the feeling of restrained and depressed might appear after a certain period.
the act of exposing the child to violence or the abuse of others, whether it’s the abuse of a parent, a sibling, or even a pet may also produce the unrest feeling of the children. After all, at the end, the victims of psychological abuse may fight back by insulting the abuser or may probably blame themselves which can result in abnormal development.
2.6 A Brief Description of Adults
An adult (or adults in plural form) is a human being who is mature enough to vote, to drive, to drink, to marry, etc. Erik H. Erikson in Dacey and John F. Travers’ Human Development divided the stages of adulthood into three stages:
1. Young adulthood: 18 to 35 years
Entering this stage, the adolescences have become the young adults. They are no longer depending on their parents entirely. They start to support their own lives from the experiences that they learnt before. The discovery of their identities made them able to determine what they want to achieve in life. Here, their friends and marital partners will play a great role.
The young adults will initially looking for companions and love. When they find their heart desire, they will bind themselves as a partner. This relationship will last until the marriage if there is no meaningful obstacle. At this level, people who start building a family can experience intimacy on a deep level and for those who find hard in creating a relationship may get isolation or teasing from others.
2. Middle Adulthood: 35 to 65 years
because they have families that also need to be nourished. In addition, they will begin to be the children role model by sharing and teaching the children with the moral’s values that they have learnt.
When the children are growing up and having their own personal life, the purpose of the Middle Adulthood’s life change gradually. Nourishing and protecting the children are not their main purpose anymore. They start seeking of the meaning of life and doing things that they can still do. People who are entering old age are usually afraid of being meaningless and inactive. Thus, there are many of them become stubborn and selfish.
3. Late Adulthood: Over 65 years
This is the last stage of the cycle of human life. There are two kinds of Late Adulthood which can be seen. First are those who feel satisfied with all his accomplishments. They feel that they have given the best contributions to life. Thus, he realized death was only the final project which is needed to cover this life’s cycle. Second are those who are afraid of death. Such people have often not yet found the purpose of living and often question if their life are worthy enough or not. Most of them may feel despair when entering this stage.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Method
The research which is done through The Bluest Eye novel is a basic research, which is focusing on refuting or supporting theories that explain how certain things can occur. There are seven steps in the doing this process of research (Neuman, 2007:9):
a. Select Topic, the topic might be general studies or issues which happened in society, e.g. Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures.
b. Focus Question, narrowing the topic which was going to be discussed by focusing on the topic through questions and developing possible theories and answers, e.g. Isolation, Torture, Rape, Introvert, Moral Values Denial, Parents’ Centrism, and Life Desperation.
c. Design Study, deciding method that is going to be used, it can be either quantitative method or qualitative method, e.g. Qualitative Method is used since it is a novel which is studied.
e. Analysis Data, analyzing the data which has been gathered based on the theory that is used, e.g. analyzing quotations based on Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy Needs Theory. f. Interpret Data, data are analyzed in order to get the understanding of
what or how something is happened, e.g. Pecola is raped by his father because his father used to be abused mentally by the whites when he was a teenager. Moreover, the basic needs of the family which are difficult to be fulfilled is one of the trigger as well.
g. Inform Others, reporting the result of the research using writing, e.g. writing the finding of the analysis as a thesis.
Therefore, using the steps which have been explained above, the method which is going to be used in analyzing The Bluest Eye is qualitative method. This method is being used in order to understand how and why something is happened, not only what, when, or where something is occurred. Moreover, library research and internet research are also being applied to support and to widen the ideas of the researcher as well as to get materials and insights that are needed. Those ideas and concepts, which are then going to be selected and interpreted before being analyzed so as to get the conclusion of the studying.
somehow showed problems which are both afflicted by previous and these days’ children and adults.
Since Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures are the topic which is going to be discussed, next thing that needs to do is to find and to know what kind of approaches and principles that is suitable to be used. As the topic is dealing with the character (human), psychological approaches as well as extrinsic approaches are going to be applied in the analysis. By using the extrinsic approach and the principles of literary psychology, the text data which consist of quotations will be selected before it is interpreted and analyzed. By doing that, the conclusion of the data will be made to support the ideas of the researcher.
3.2Data Collection
In collecting the data to analyze the novel of Bluest Eye morebriefly, there are two kinds of techniques which can be used. Those two are Field Research and Historical Comparative Research (Neuman, 2007:21). However, since the object which is going to be studied is a novel, the existence of the character in reality is unknown. Due to this circumstance, historical comparative research that focused on one historical period or culture that is happened in the novel is being applied.
All of the data (texts) will then be saved, copied, read, or noted and will be used when it’s needed.
3.3 Data Analysis
Generally, data analysis means a search for patterns in data – recurrent behaviours, objects, or a body of knowledge (Neuman, 2007:335). Data which have been collected are made into coding before they are analyzed. To Neuman, there are three steps of coding process for Qualitative Data Analysis:
a. Open Coding, data notes will be carefully read and analysis in order to create a code that contains the idea, process, or theme.
b. Axial Coding, codes will be organized and will be divided into major or minor levels.
c. Selective Coding, codes which have been organized will be reviewed again before being made as final report.
Due to the points above, it can be seen that The Bluest Eye is a novel in the form of texts that consist of many data. These data are made as quotations after being read. However, not all of the quotations are used as inputs or proofs of the thesis’ arguments. Those data are being re-selected and are grouped based on the topic of discussion. Afterwards, the data are interpreted and are analyzed to which they are belonged to before being made as a final statement.
physical abuse can be made. Hence, this action can be connected to the theory of Abraham Maslow and Sigmund Freud. Using Maslow’s theory, the beating might come from parents’ depression in fulfilling the biological needs. While using Freud’s theory, the beating might happen because the ego and the superego of the doer are lower than the id.
Subsequently, the relation between Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures will be exposed. Quotations from the novel that are underlying the occurrences of the Child Abuse and Adults’ Failures or vice versa will also be provided as supporting ideas. The steps which are going to be used in searching the relation will similar to the steps which are used in finding kind of Child Abuses and Adults’ Failures.
Conclusion
Interpretation
Data Selection Quotations: Child Abuse and Adults’
Failures Analysis
(Descriptive Qualitive)
Novel (The Bluest Eye) Researcher
Extrinsic Approach and Literary
Psychology
Data Selection Quotations: Child Abuse and Adults’
Failures Interpretation
Analysis (Descriptive
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS OF CHILD ABUSE AND ADULTS’ FAILURES
4.1 Child Abuse
The Breedloves are a poor black family which is found in The Bluest Eye. There are Cholly Breedlove, Pauline Breedlove, and Pecola Breedlove. Cholly Breedlove is a jobless and drunken father. Pauline Breedlove is a lonely workaholic mother. While Pecola Breedlove is Cholly and Pauline’s daughter who always sees her parents’ fights and is eventually be the object of her parents’ anger and frustration.
Child Abuse as a maltreatment towards a child can come from many aspects. In
The Bluest Eye, the abuses which are befallen by Pecola are mostly derived from the
poverty which is faced by the uneducated parents. These are then creating the disharmony in the family due to the unfulfilled needs. Nonetheless, it is also not apart from the way of how the societies look at the Breedloves and how the Breedloves look at themselves.
black also means being lack off opportunities in finding jobs. Thus, there is no way to move out from the poverty to reach the higher status.
To Pauline and others who are living in the whites’ community, white is beautiful and clean. Hence, the blacks are mostly seen as dirty and sinful people who come from hell. For the Breedloves are black, ugly, poor, and uneducated, they are isolated, including Pecola as she is also belonged to them. From the quotation below it can be seen that the Breedloves admit the uniqueness of the ugliness that they possess. They believe their ugliness make them more difficult to move out from their poverty too.
The Breedloves did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting to the cutbacks at the plant. They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly. Although their poverty was traditional and stultifying, it was not unique. But their ugliness was unique.
(Morrison, 1970:34)
As a black family who lives among the whites community, they are seen as ugly people who are also socially low. As the head of the Breedlove’s family, Cholly Breedlove has become a drunkard for he is frustrated with the lack of job vacancy since he is not that well-educated. He is unable to fulfill his family basic needs either. People see him as a black drunken unemployed head of family. Looking at his habits nowadays somehow proves the prejudgment which has been set on them of how dirty, bad, lazy, and useless a black is, is true. This also makes people have a thought that if the head is no good at all, let alone the members. Therefore, neither he nor his family has friends. They are alone and are isolated by the environment for people are afraid they will also be isolated by others if they make friends with them.
This low self-esteem predicts increased the risk of depressions and drug usages on a person. Cholly’s drinking habit is believed as the escapement of his failures and depressions. In view of the fact that Pauline has to work and has to take care of the whole family’s members by herself due to Cholly’s inability, she always ends up with having a fight with Cholly. This fight occurs for Pauline think that she contributes more in the family and is more responsible than her husband.
Pecola is a child who sees her parents’ fights all the time due to the unfulfilled physiological needs. She is always trembling and terrifies that someday she will become the victim. In fact, she is since she is only a child who has no power and authority to defense herself. In her incapability in standing up for herself, she gradually becomes the object of her parents’ angers and frustration. She is hurt physically, verbally, and emotionally.
The abuses which are befallen by Pecola are considered as the result of parents’ frustration for they are not able to get a better life. The abuses are part of aggression due to the frustration which might hurt someone because of the incapability in reaching goals which have been set. Though most of children, who are the victims of parents’ frustration, tend to become rebellious, Pecola for example, turns into a quiet obedient coward introvert girl. Due to her personality, she is being abused wherever she goes. Yet, the form of this personality and the abuses which are received are not apart from the lack of the education which is received by her parents either.
Pecola wasn’t ugly, she wouldn’t have a harder time. Now, both Cholly and Pecola are her burden which she has to hold as “A cross”.
Not like Sammy, he was the hardest child to feed. But Pecola look like she knowed right off what to do. A right smart baby she was. I used to like to watch her. You know they makes them greedysounds. Eyes all soft and wet. A cross between a puppy and a dying man. But I knowed she was ugly. Head full of pretty hair, but Lord she was ugly.”
(Morrison, 1970:99)
Accordingly, the poverty issue between the uneducated parents as well as the skin colour and the ugliness issues seem to have no way out. Pecola becomes the victim of her parents’ frustration. She is abused physically, verbally, sexually, and mentally. However, due to her ugliness and introvert personality, she is also bullied and teased in the society. The isolation which is ensued to her as well as the torture and the raping which turns her into an introvert an insane girl will be explained in more detail at the next point.
4.1.1 Isolation in The Bluest Eye
Isolation is a state when a child is neglected or is abandoned either by his family or by his environment. Isolation might happen on a child when the child is despised or is created as a scapegoat by people around him. In The Bluest Eye, it can be seen that Pecola is neglected by her parents. She is not only an option, but is also a scapegoat in her family. She is always told by her mother how ugly she is to cover her own ugliness. Moreover, as a daughter, neither her father nor her mother cares of her. Both her parents are more concerned on their own needs rather than hers.
“Three quarts of milk. That’s what was in that icebox yesterday. Three whole quarts. Now they ain’t none. Not a drop. I don’t mind folks coming in and getting what they want, but three quarts of milk!
(Morrison, 1970:22)
That old thrifling Cholly been out of jail two whole days and ain’t been here yet to see if his own child was live or dead. She could bedead for all he know. And that mama neither. What kind of something is that? “
(Morrison, 1970:23)
It is actually not aside from the incapability of her parents in fulfilling her physiological needs when Pecola drinks milk greedily in MacTeer’s house. Milk for instance, is one of the things which her parents can’t afford. Sometimes, to have a proper three times meal has been quite difficult and Pauline still has a difficulty to pay the gas man to do cooking, yet Cholly still spends his money on drinking, ignoring the family needs. Thus, Pecola hardly ever has milk too. As a consequence, she drinks the milk greedily and a lot when she has the chance to. The neglect of child basic needs which are done by Pecola’s parents is part of neglect and isolation that are befallen by Pecola in the family.
Besides, most of parents will feel worry if their children are not around them. It is really different from Pecola’s parents who don’t even care of her safety. They don’t even visit her when she has been living with MacTeers for two days. Even the Mrs. MacTeer is confused with their attitude by stating “What kind of something is that?” referring “something” to Pecola’s parents and their behaviour.
Usually, when a child is being treated as a scapegoat, no one will dare enough to get closer to him. It is because others are also afraid that they will be treated the same. Thus, a child like Pecola who has been neglected by her family is also isolated by her environment, i.e. among her teachers and her classmates. The main reason why people are ignoring and are isolating her is because the unequal status between her and others which breeds the prejudice. As her father is uneducated, jobless, drinker, poor, and ugly, the Breedloves are socially seen as very low and inferior. People tend to have negative prejudice on her since her father is like that. People are likely to see that nothing is good as well in her.
Pecola realizes the isolation which is made to her by them is because of her ugliness. In fact, people see themselves more superior than her and she sees herself as an ugly girl too like what she is told. As the minority as well as the inferior, she has a lifeless feeling. Since she is ugly she belongs to the Breedloves and has to stay with them as well as with the people who judge her. The unfair treatment and the isolation which are befallen by Pecola at school most of the time can be seen from the quotations below:
As long as she looked the way she did, as long as she was ugly, she would have to stay with these people. Somehow she belonged to them. Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of the ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised at school, by teachers and classmates alike. She was the only member of her class who sat alone at a double desk. The first letter of her last name forced her to sit in the front of the room always. But what about Marie Appolonaire? Marie was infront of her, but she shared a desk with Luke Angelino.
(Morrison, 1970:39)
(Morrisson, 1970:40)
The isolation which is befallen by Pecola both in the family and the environment makes her has no best friend that she can’t talk to or share with. It leads her rapidly to the frustration. However, this is only a part of abuses that frustrates her and causes her losing her sanity. In addition, losing her sanity afterwards doesn’t mean changing people’s view at her either. People still judge her negatively in her insanity. She doesn’t evoke others empathy but vice versa; she is completely isolated. People looked down at her because she has been raped by her father and has got pregnant.
The Breedloves are seen as a morally and socially low family, especially Pecola for she is as fail as her father, Cholly. They laugh at her condition. Moreover, they also look away and avoid her for they can only see her as someone who has failed. Being with someone who has failed will just produce another failure. She is isolated and is treated as the scapegoat where ugliness, failures, and inferiority are all pointed to her.
She was so sad to see. Grown people looked away; children, those who were not frightened by her, laugh outright.
……….. We tried to see her without looking at her, and never and never went near. Not because she was absurd, or repulsive, or because we were frightened, but because we had failed her.
………... So we avoided Pecola Breedlove – forever.
(Morrison, 1970:158)
4.1.2 Torture in The Bluest Eye
vanished. Wound which lasts for a long time and turns into scars are usually the result of physical abuse. In addition, if discipline leaves learned messages for children, torture leaves nothing but trauma.
Generally, attacks or insults or tortures which are done by others are related to aggressions. An intentional attack by someone to others is a retaliatory attack of something which is afflicted by that person. In The Bluest Eye, the situation where Pecola is attacked by the outsider is a retaliatory attack. She is treated as a scapegoat. At first, Pecola who just wants to see a kitten is thrown with a big black cat that ends up with scratching her face. The fact is the doer hates the cat and instead of bullying the cat by himself, he uses Pecola, he bullies her. Thus, it can be seen when Pecola is hurt, instead of helping her, the doer is laughing happily. This torture can be afflicted by Pecola since she is seen as an ugly black skinny girl who is powerless.
Humans are said as a group of bound species. Being in certain group as superiors helps people feel better, and so does the doer. Since Pecola is very black, lonely, and ugly, she is being grouped as a nigger. A nigger is known as someone who is black, dirty, and loud, just like her father Cholly. She is judged and is always teased mostly for this reason. Due to her ugliness, loneliness, and powerlessness, the doer mocks her. At last, Pecola is truly tortured by the outsiders.
And he threw a big black cat right in her face. ……….
Junior was laughing and running around the room clutching his stomach delightedly. Pecola touched the scratched place on her face and felt tears coming.
(Morrison, 1970:73)
and clean, her daughter is just as ugly as and as black as the other Breedloves. So, when Pecola spills the pie juice accidentally in the whites’ house, Pauline is extremely angry because Pecola has dirtied the cleanness and the beauty that she praises. Pecola is then abused physically in front of her friends. Instead of soothing Pecola, her mother knocked her down, yanked her up again to slap her in rage without considering her wound of the burn. It is also a retaliatory attack by her mother because of Pecola’s blunder.
Most of the juice splashed on Pecola’s legs, and the burn must have been painful, for she cried out and began hopping about just as Mrs. Breedlove entered with a tightly packed laundry bag. In one gallop she was on Pecola, and with the back on her hand knocked her to the floor. Pecola slid in the pie juice, one leg folding under her. Mrs Pecola yanked her up by the arm, slapped her again, and in a voice thin with anger, abused Pecola directly and Frieda and me by implication.
(Morrison, 1970:86)
As a proof that Pecola is often subjected to torture in the family can be seen from the statement which is made by the neighbours who know how Pecola’s mother treats her daughter. The treatment which is befallen by Pecola is definitely different from discipline and can lead the victim to death.
“Well, it probably won’t live. They say the way her mama beat her she lucky to be alive herself.”
(Morrison, 1970:148)
4.1.3 Rape in The Bluest Eye
self-confidence and having no idea of what life is actually about. In addition, viciously the child might suffer self depression which may lead to insanity.
In The Bluest Eye, the rape which is done by Cholly to Pecola for twice is believed to be one of the reasons of why Pecola gets pregnant but ends up with losing her baby and her sanity at the end. Unlike the second rape which isn’t being told precisely how it happens, it can be seen that the first rape happens when Cholly is under the biochemical influences. Biochemical influences such as alcohol and drugs leads the blood on body from the neural sensitivity to aggressive stimulation. It makes the consumer become more aggressive than usual when intoxicated.
Aggressiveness of a person is boosted after the person consumes alcohol. The alcohol will reduce people self-awareness and their ability to consider consequences. This means under alcohol influences, the percentage of a person to commit assaults is higher. It is because they lose their self-awareness and their ability to picture the consequences. For that reason, when Cholly comes home drunkenly and sees her daughter who is still washing, he can’t overcome the pleasure and the excitement in him. The pleasure and excitement of the forbidden thing and the memories of her wife, Pauline pops up. He loses his rational ego and moralism of super-ego. His forbidden desire of the unconscious id is waken up and is raised because of the biochemical influences. He rapes his daughter. Here is the quote when Cholly comes home drunkenly and losing his self-awareness:
So it was on a Saturday afternoon, in the thin light of spring, he staggered home reeling drunk and saw his daughter in the kitchen. She was washing dishes. Her small back hunched over the sink. Cholly saw her dimly and could not tell what he saw or he felt. Then he became aware that he was uncomfortable; next he felt the discomfort dissolve into pleasure.
4.1.4 Introvert in The Bluest Eye
Introvert is a character that people want to be alone all the time. It is not always because they like it but it is also because they are afraid to communicate with others. Introvert might be the cause of the isolation which is made by people around the victims. The character of introvert can be found on everyone, even on a child. An introvert child enjoys exploring their own thoughts and feelings, avoiding the social conversations. It is more to the inner world of a person himself.
To all children, home is the first place of socialization and parents are the most powerful influences on children’s development. To what a child is developed is totally depended on both things. It is very important and crucial for parents to build a good relationship with their children. Knowing that he is loved for a child is also extremely essential. Those are things that will then develop children’s character.
In The Bluest Eye, it can be seen how permissive Pecola’s parents are. Neither they are able to fulfill her physical needs nor they are able to fulfill her emotional needs. Feeling of unloved and isolated created Pecola becoming an introvert girl. As an introvert girl, Pecola is seen as a powerless girl who is easily bullied. However, this is not apart from the lesson which is taught by her mother. Learning from her mother about the ugliness of her blackness, she starts to dislike herself. Her parents especially her mom also embeds her with fear of life, which gradually leads her to become an introvert girl. The fear that she possess is indeed coming from her mother:
. . . and into her daughter she beat a fear of growing up, fear of other people, fear of life.
(Morrison, 1970:102)
things, which makes people can’t see any of her good either. Consequently, when she is at school, her friends often mock her by making her as the victim of their joke. They use her to insult others. Also, they abash her and humiliate her using her blackness and her father. This negative teasing and comparisons which then also sway the growth of her introvert character.
She also knew that when one of the girls at school wanted to be particularly insulting to a boy, or wanted to get an immediate response from him, she could say, “Bobby loves Pecola Breedlove! Bobby loves Pecola Breedlove!” and never fail to get peals of laughter from those in earshot, and mock anger from the accused. (Morrison, 1970:40)
They danced a macabre ballet around the victim, whom, for their own sake, they were prepared to sacrifice to the flaming pit.
Black e mo Black e mo Ya daddy sleeps nekked Stch ta ta scth ta ta stach ta ta ta ta ta
Pecola edged around the circle cyring. She had dropped her notebook, and covered her eyes with her hands.
(Morrison, 1970:55)
Outside the school as well, she is emotionally abuse by words which is given to her. She is called with “nasty little black bitch”. “Bitch” is a “female dog”, which is very rude to scold someone with it. It is usually refer to impropriate woman too. While using “nasty” which means “dirty and disgusting” plus black made that phrase become ruder and more hurt especially to a child.
“Get out,” she said, her voice quiet. “You nasty little black bitch. Get out of my house.”
(Morrison, 1970:75)
when Pecola was knocked down by her mother in front of her friends, it is also shown that her mother doesn’t love her. She is mentally abused in front of her friends. In addition, when her mother prefers to calm the whites’ daughter down to her, Pecola’s mother sees her as an ugly girl indirectly, who isn’t worthy to be loved.
“Crazy fool . . . my floor, mess . . . look what you . . . work . . . get on out . . . now that . . . crazy . . . my floor, my floor . . . my floor.” Her words were hotter and darker than the smoking berries, and we backed away in dread.”
(Morrison, 1970:87)
We remembered Mrs. Breedlove knocking Pecola down and soothing the pink tears of the frozen doll baby that sounded like the door of our ice box.
(Morrison, 1970:148)
Commonly, scars which are afflicted by a child will not be as painful as the wounds which are left on the child’s heart and mind. A child, like Pecola, who is not only suffer various physical and sexual abuses, but also psychological abuses either from insiders or from outsiders will somehow become more afraid to get along with others. She will eventually lose her faith on everyone and will turn into an introvert girl for no one is able to be trusted and to be depended on.
4.2 Adults’ Failures
people and encourage people who need him. Yet, he does lots of immoral things which are mostly diverse from the norms that have been set or customs that have been agreed. He uses his name and his power to molest children especially the girls. He fails them by deceiving them for his own sake.
The reason why adults’ failures can happen in the society is also because of the low self-esteem of the adults which can be seen in Cholly Breedlove and Pauline Breedlove. Self-esteem is usually gained from well-merited achievement. Generally, people who have higher self-esteem are happier, less troubled, and less prone to drugs. On the contrary, adults that are found in The Bluest Eye like the Soaphead Church, Cholly Breedlove, and Pauline Breedlove are all failed and troubled adults. 1941 in Lorain, Ohio is the time when most African American people are struggling for a better life. As an Afro-American as well, Cholly and Pauline are forced to move to North due to the lack of the opportunities in South. They think that the North will provide more job vacancies which will bring the family to a better state. In fact, Cholly is unable to get a better job because of his low education and status. He drags his family in poverty and himself in alcohol due to the frustration.
Due to the poverty and the belief of their ugliness, the Breedloves are placed on the lowest place in the society. Their self-esteem keeps going down for being frustrated of the inability to fulfill the very basic physiological needs. The low self-esteem is the result of the incapability in solving problems and failures. When someone feels his self-esteem is threatened, he can put other people down by violate them. This is what is mostly happened between Cholly and Pauline. They like to have a fight between each other when they feel they are being looked down.
violence in the Breedloves emerges continuously. At the end, they are only concerned on individual needs not family needs anymore. Cholly for example is neglecting his family with keeping up his drinking habit as Pauline is neglecting her family especially her daughter by focusing herself more on her works. Money turns to the priority.
“Me and Cholly was getting along good then. We come up north; supposed to be more jobs and all. We moved into two rooms up over a furniture store, and I set about house keeping. Cholly was working at the steel plant, and everything was looking good. I don’t know what all happened. Everything changed.
(Morrison, 1970:93)
Their marriage was shredded with quarrels. ……….
Money became the focus of all their discussions, hers for clothes, his for drinks.
(Morrison, 1970:94)
The failures which are attached on Cholly and Pauline Breedlove, as well as the Soaphead Church as an adult in bringing the negative impacts to a child, especially to Pecola, will be described in more details at the next point.
4.2.1 Moral Values Denial in The Bluest Eye
Moral is normal behaviour which is accepted by people. Whether a person is fine or not is judged by his moral behaviour. Though it isn’t only limited to children or adults but the adults is mostly the one that are being hoped to have a good moral. It is not aside from the roles of adults itself who are supposed to be good role models. Yet, the moral values denial means the outrageous behaviour which is usually not accepted. In The Bluest Eye, it is shown by the Soaphead Church.
The purpose is to preserve the status of the family which has been made and to prevent the family being tainted by the blacks. Hence, he is a kind of person that is so proud with his mixed blood for it makes him socially higher than other blacks.
Conversely, he sets his interest on children especially young girls. He is what people know as pedophile. To him, children especially girls are defenseless. Girls are seen as sweet, innocent and powerless children. So, it is easier and nicer to play with them for they will not have any grudge. Even if they have, there’s nothing they can do. Here is the quotation of the deviation behaviour that he has and the reason beneath it:
His attentions therefore gradually settled on those humans whose bodies were least offensive – children. And since he was too diffident to confront homosexuality, and since little boys were insulting, scary, and stubborn, he further limited his interests to little girls.
(Morrison, 1970:131)
As a person who internalizes with whiteness from his family as well, he turns into a person who is too obsessed with whiteness. Whiteness is beauty, whiteness is purity. The purity which is associated by the Soaphead Church is connected with the innocent laughter of children. As, “the light white laughter of little girls.” represents the purity, the innocence, the happiness of the little girls. Little girls are all clean and good, so being with them will also turn him to a good man. Though people around him judge him negatively, he doesn’t agree with the judgment. He merely wants to be friendly with the children since he doesn’t really ruin them.
sweets. As a failed adult, he also fails the children, giving them trauma and distress. Here are the molestations which are committed by the Soaphead Church:
The little girls are the only thing I’ll miss. Do you know when I touch their sturdy little tits and bit them – just a little – I felt I was being friendly? I didn’t want to kiss their mouths or sleep in the bed with them or take a child bride on my own. Playful, I felt, and not friendly. Not like the newspaper said. Not like the people whispered. And they didn’t mind at all. Not at all.
(Morrison, 1970:142)
I gave them mints, money, and they’d eat ice cream with their legs open while I played with them. It was like a party. And there wasn’t any odor, and there wasn’t any groaning – just the light white laughter of little girls and me.
………. With little girls it is all clean and good and friendly. (Morrison, 1970:143)
The failures of morality which can be seen in the Soaphead Church aren’t only the molestation which is done by him, but also in his courage in equalizing himself with God. He often uses the name of God to do and to get things that he wants. He is not only using Pecola as the victim to kill the dog that he hates, but he is also using God as his victim to hide his true identity.
He deceives people around him, he deceives children, and he deceives God. He becomes the Soaphead Church and uses his privilege for his own sake. He abuses children sexually and mentally. As an adult who is supposed to take care of and protect the children, he fails them, making himself as a failure adult as well.
4.2.2 Parents’ Centrism in The Bluest Eye
more about the family, Pauline turns her focus more on herself. Compare with children’s needs, she is more concerned with her own needs and happiness, ignoring the children.
Pauline as Pecola’s mother is the oldest girl in her family. Thus, she is supposed to be a very good role model for her children. She is full of responsibility in dealing with housework. She is a very good house wife indeed.
. . . , and Pauline, now the oldest girl at home, took over the care of the house.
……… She was not only good at housekeeping, she enjoyed it. (Morrison, 1970:90)
However, things are changed when she moved to North with Cholly. Problems are arising day by day. Due to the poverty, a plentiful of basic needs can’t be fulfilled and the family discord issue emerges. She can’t have the basic needs, the love, and the happiness that she yearns for. These cause her to keep on having a fight with her husband. However, woman is a human being that if feel threatened by the low expectations, rather than fighting back, she may identify her interests in somewhere else, just like Pauline. Soon, her selfishness evoked when she found working with the whites is a very calm and happy thing to do. Pauline starts to turn her focus more on herself rather than her children, her family and her house. Her family becomes her afterthought of the day, which means she only gives a little attention and time to them. Her main focus now is her work.
Soon she stopped trying to keep her own house. The things she could afford to buy did not last, had no beauty or style, and were absorbed by the dingy storefront. More and more she neglected her house, her children, her man – they were like afterthoughts one has just before sleep, the early-morning and late-evening edges of her day, the dark edges that made the daily life with the Fishers lighter, more delicate, more lovely.
All the meaningfulness of her life was in her work. (Morrison, 1970:102)
Working with whites makes her praise them more. She becomes totally in love with whiteness. She is more concerned with the cleanness and the beauty of the floor of the house rather than things which are afflicted by her daughter. She soon neglected and isolated her daughter, focusing herself only on her works. She is not only become a failed adult but also a failed parent.
However, not only Pauline but also Cholly, who then become failed parents. The reason why Pauline has to work is also because of the inability of Cholly to fulfill the family needs. The failures that he gets make him lost his self confident and make him frustrated. He then commits himself on drinks. Even Pauline has decided to focus on her own career; Cholly can only spend his time on drinking. The drink which makes him losing more his self-awareness and becomes insensible with his family needs. Also, due to his low self-awareness as well, he somehow sets fire on his own house when he is having a fight with his wife. Consequently, the Breedloves are being separated from one another because of the parents’ centrism and egoism.
The country had placed her in our house for a few days until they could decide what to do, or, more precisely, until the family was reunited. Mama didn’t know “what got into people,” but that old Dog Breedlove had burned up his house, gone upside his wife’s head, and everybody, as a result, was outdoors.
(Morrison, 1970:17)
Mrs. Breedlove was staying with the woman she worked for; the boy, Sammy, was with some other
