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“Here Is the House”: a Reading of the House(S) in the Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

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“Here Is the House”: a Reading of the House(S) in the Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison DOI:10.12957/matraga.2019.41284 “HERE IS THE HOUSE”: A reading of the house(s) in The bluest eye, by Toni Morrison Eliza de Souza Silva Araújo (University of Massachussetts - Amherst/UFPB) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5324-3888 Danielle de Luna e Silva (UFPB) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6906-4246 ABSTRACT In the present article we propose a reading of space in The bluest eye, by Toni Morrison, as a motif for plot and character develop- ment. The narrative takes place in Lorraine, Ohio, also hometown to Morrison. Other biographical elements appear in the narrative, the spatial being of utmost importance to this study. We explore the novel’s houses as spatial elements that add to characters’ sub- jectivities and embed the underlying theme of class. The narrative, which tells not only the story of Pecola, the protagonist, but gives us a detailed account of the lives of her mother, father, host family and community, starts with a simple description of a house as a place where a family lives and where everything comes together in harmony. This is done through the presentation of a primer which depicts language used in Dick and Jane books, texts historically used to initiate kids in reading. Such reference also implicates the representation of a perfect white suburban family where everyone gets along. Houses, furniture, backyards and other home-related elements foreshadow the unfortunate events to unravel in Pecola’s life along the novel. In terms of their significance in a broader pers- pective, we grasp that houses are in the novel also to set and depict the families’ background and current conditions in terms of class. Not only do houses help reinforce character traits, they stand as a social criticism to the economic conditions of blacks, also determi- ned by whether their skin is darker or has a lighter shade. KEY WORDS: Toni Morrison. Afro-American Literature. Social status. 496 matraga, rio de janeiro, v.26, n.48, p.496-515, set./dez. 2019 Eliza de Souza Silva Araújo . Danielle de Luna e Silva “Aqui ESTÁ A CASA”: Uma leitura da(s) casa(s) em The bluest eye, de Toni Morrison RESUMO No presente artigo, propomos uma leitura do espaço em The bluest eye, de Toni Morrison, como um mote para o desenvolvimento das personagens. A narrativa se desenrola em Lorraine, Ohio, também cidade onde Morrison nasceu. Outros elementos biográficos apa- recem na narrativa, o espaço sendo o de maior importância nesse estudo. Exploramos as casas do romance que adicionam à subje- tividade das personagens e estão implicadas no tema de classe. A narrativa, que nos conta a história de Pecola, a protagonista, mas também nos dá um apanhado detalhado das vidas de sua mãe, pai, família acolhedora e comunidade, começa com uma simples des- crição de uma casa como o lugar em que uma família vive e tudo se encontra em harmonia. Isso é feito através da apresentação de um primer que apresenta linguagem usada nos livros de Dick and Jane, textos historicamente usados para iniciar crianças na leitura. Tal referência também implica a representação de uma família branca e suburbana perfeita, na qual todos se entendem. Casas, mobília, quintais e outros elementos ligados à moradia prenunciam os even- tos trágicos prestes a se desenrolar na vida de Pecola ao longo da narrativa. Em termos de sua significância numa perspectiva mais abrangente, entendemos que as casas estão no romance para deter- minar as origens sociais das famílias e suas condições presentes em termos de classe. Não só as casas reforçam características das personagens, elas também posicionam uma crítica social à condi- ção financeira da população negra, também determinada pelo tom mais escuro ou mais claro de sua pele. Palavras-chave: Toni Morrison. Literatura Afro Americana. Lugar social. matraga, rio de janeiro, v.26, n.48, p.496-515, set./dez. 2019 497 HERE IS THE House”: A reading of the house(s) in The bluest eye, by Toni Morrison 1. Introduction for Morrison as an African American writer home is in language, in survival through language, in a re-articulation of an imposed language in order to survive whole. ROLAND WALTER, “Out of in-betweenness: reading Toni Morrison’s (double) writing”. I am a black writer struggling with and through language that can powerfully evoke and enforce hidden signs of racial superiority, cultural hegemony, and dismissive “othering” of people and language which are by no means marginal or already and completely known and knowable in my work. My vulnerability would lie in romanticizing blackness rather than demonizing it; vilifying whiteness rather than reifying it. TONI MORRISON, “Preface”. The bluest eye was the first novel written by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and it was published in 1970. In the afterword to the 1994 edition, she states how the idea of the plot came about: as a child, Morrison once attended school with a black girl who confessed to her that she wished she could have blue eyes. In the author’s words: “We had just started elementary school. She said she wanted blue eyes. I looked around to picture her with them and was violently repelled by what I imagined she would look like if she had her wish” (MORISSON, 1994, p. 209). Morrison furthermore expresses that she was angry at her classmate for having that wish, but also shares how the event helped her inquire and challenge her own notions of beauty. She could realize that such a statement made by a child was in a way, telling of a culture that produced ideals of beauty that did not contemplate the complexion or body features of a girl with really dark skin. She also felt that the wish had, embedded in itself, self-loathing. She then questioned where such strong emotions came from and how they could threaten the mind and even the sanity of a young black girl. 498 matraga, rio de janeiro, v.26, n.48, p.496-515, set./dez. 2019 Eliza de Souza Silva Araújo . Danielle de Luna e Silva It is interesting to see how beauty is a theme in the narrative, often revolving around female characters, after all, society demands that women be beautiful and stay beautiful as they age, and does not require the same from men. In another reflection in the “Afterword”, Morrison points out that “[b]eauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do” (idem). This statement may imply that beauty is the driving force of the person who possesses it, but at the same time, it implies that beauty legitimizes a person’s actions. Beauty then, does not simply make one do things, it allows one to do things and have power in the world outside of oneself. The pursuit of beauty drives Pecola, a child, but also adult women like China, Poland, Maginot Line and Pauline. Beauty, in a way, orients their everyday life and makes an impact even in their closest relationships. In her critical essays, Morrison also tackles the topic of beauty. In “Behind the making of The Black Book”, for instance, she points out that the slogan Black is beautiful does not help blacks because it shifts their attention to beauty as if it were a value, and more important than race itself. In “Rediscovering Black History” she adds that such a slogan even confuses people about what their worth is. Because beauty is such a complex and nuanced life element, it is expected that it would govern the thoughts of a young child who seeks acceptance, but beauty is in a way so overrated in American culture, that adults also get distracted by it and depend on it to navigate this world. Beauty and class are also intertwined in the novel, and that emphasizes the idea Morrison articulates in the afterword: beauty in the novel is what one can do. The idea of beauty then, is magnified in this novel as it goes from the individuals to the outside sphere of houses, neighborhoods and surroundings, where beauty also defines status. White people’s houses and costumes are described beautifully, with adjectives of praise, whilst black people’s homes are often described in a more negative way, and the people who live in them are more exposed in their contradictions as being personally chaotic as well. In the present article, we aim to discuss how the space is presented in the novel as a motif for plot and character development. Space and the beauty of space are reflected on the people in the communities described and through space we gather the underlying theme of class in the novel. matraga, rio de janeiro, v.26, n.48, p.496-515, set./dez. 2019 499 HERE IS THE House”: A reading of the house(s) in The bluest eye, by Toni Morrison 2. Autobiographical elements in The bluest eye: a sense of home Armindo da Costa Gameiro (2012) understands that our current times favor the blooming of more and more narratives of the self. The demand for that type of text aims at unraveling the mysteries of the self and one’s place in the world. Nonetheless, Gameiro adds that there are problems involving the first person within fiction. According to him, it may raise questions as to whether the text presents a fictional self or an altogether illusion. All of these matters link to the complexities of self, making it a challenge to believe in what one writes or not, once the self (the written and the performing layers of someone) brings about the idea of a whole and not an easily definable or limitable one.
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