Intra-Racial Exploitation in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye

Abstract

This research has tried to explore intra-racial exploitation in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. To study the causes of social disintegration, this research work studies the roots of social, racial and intra-racial hatred and discrimination and defines racism in different forms. Racism is the mistreatment of a group of either white- colored or black-colored individual in the name of differences in the color of the skin. The Bluest Eye is tries to bring the impacts of these manifestations because of the conflicts within the blacks. The conflict among blacks begins due to the obsessive hankering after the white way of living and finally ends at the social and familial fragmentation among the blacks. Pecola, protagonist of the novel, suffers a lot due to the racial disparity rampant in the USA which makes her develop a feeling of inferiority not only among the whites but also in her black community and amidst the super class blacks, leading her to desire for blue eyes so that she could feel empowered and get social recognition, through the eyes. The research work explores various conditions and causes behind intra-racial exploitation experienced by Pecola and the other characters. It makes Pecola’s realization of her position and forms her own identity. Here Pecola is not only under the victim but all the characters of black community are exploited under intra-race.