An Essay on Unprettisms :: Essays Papers

An Essay on Unprettisms â€Å"Thrown, in this way, into the binding conviction that only a miracle could relieve her, she would never know her beauty. She would see only what there was to see: the eyes of other people.† (Morrison p.46) The novel, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, is a testament to the individuals who have suffered the generational effects of unprettisms. The Breedlove’s are the main characters of the novel; a family, which has been nurtured with servings of unprettisms throughout their individual and collective lives. It is the intention of this essay to reveal a few of the unprettisms found therein, and the affect they have. Unprettisms: A denigrating statement regarding a person’s appearance and/or character. Delivered within the family structure, covertly, its intention is to inform the receiver of proper etiquette. The impacts of the words are intended to work psychologically in reverse, to produce the proper behavior, by making a person feel negatively towards improper behavior. However, the actual results are not always the desired outcome. A family sets its own rules of behavior within the family as unit and the behavior of each family member outside of the family. The larger society sets the rules of behavior for the family within the larger scheme of things. Within the previous quote, Pecola can only view herself through the past experiences of her family’s anguish, status, and fate in life. Through eyes of suffering, Pecola’s family has taught her to view the world and herself. Here, an adult female delivers an unprettism. She is speaking to a child, Pecola Breedlove, visiting her home. This quote from the novel reflects an aspect of society’s view that Pecola and her kind thrive and multiply in squalor. People like this child; pose great potential to infect all they come in contact with. She thinks,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Tin cans and tires blossomed where they lived. They lived on cold black-eyed peas and orange pop.