Morrison’s novel, which has become a classic widely read in academia, lays bare how social steriotypes and attitudes about beauty crippled the spiritual, emotional and social well-being of Black girls--and Black people.
BookTalk discussion of The Bluest Eye
At the center of The Bluest Eye, both the novel and Lydia Diamond’s successful adaptation, is the phenomenon of racial color—more precisely how skin color in American society is used to perpetuate a racial caste system in which dark-skinned little girls, and boys, quickly absorb the message that they are ugly, undesirable and worthless misfits.
Facilitator Kerry L. Beckford and Margaret Penn
This is the message that young Pecola Breedlove, the central character, has absorbed in the mid-1940s of her small Ohio town. In an early scene of the play, Pecola sits slightly off center stage with legs crossed, hands clenched, head tilted upward and eyes closed, pleading to God to make her invisible—or to give her precious blue eyes, like the adorable Hollywood child star, Shirley Temple. At the foundation of that prayer is the hope that people, Black and white, will see her, look at her, affirm her humanity.
The unfolding scenes portray how Pecola’s mother, father, friends and the community each act out their own pain, contributing to Pecola’s debilitating end. Photo: Playwrights Richard Fewell and Lydia Diamond talk at Hartford Stage
Director Eric Ting carefully choreographed innovative staging including utilizing linen sheets to create walls and devising a riveting scene that showers water upon an actress in a crucial moment in the play.
The Bluest Eye opened its CT run in Hartford in February 2008 and continued its run at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, through April 20, 2008.
3 comments:
During the discussion after the performance of The Bluest Eye at Long Wharf (Sun. 4/13), the playwright Lydia Diamond said the play "needed to be Pecola’s story—not the hideous act that happens to her--but the hideous racism that caused this small community to collapse in on itself.”
I had many intense feelings in response to dialogue and exceptional performances during that Sunday's show. Overall, Lydia Diamond's statement (quoted above) sums up what affected me most. The scenes of the play traced color prejudice, how it traveled like a poison coursing through every character's life, infecting the the attitudes and souls of the people in the small town of Lorain, Ohio.
"Collapse" is the right word. Any opportunity for nurturing the family or building community seems to always "collaspe" under the burden of insult and injuries inflcted on others because of self or racial hatred.
For example, any seeds of sisterhood and affirmation that might normally develop among the young Black girls walking home together from school were already doomed for Maureen Peal, Claudia, Freida and Pecola because Maureen, as the "golden" child was the recipient of undue affection and Claudia, Freida and Pecola--brown-skinned by comparison--were invisible.
Near friendliness between Pecola and Maureen quickly disintegrated into cutting remarks based on color--Maureen hurling the devastating insult, "Blackey-moes," at the girls and Claudia and Freida spitting back a perversion of her name, "Meringue Pie."
Those stinging words were flung into air, but that is deceptive because in Pecola's mind these hurtful words stacked upon one another as heavy as bricks, creating a mental wall of self-hatred, for her insurmountable.
Absent any life-sustaining foundation, a sense of herself as a child of God, any affirming love from her mother, any righteous nurturing from her father, Pecola's young personality could not succumbed to the onslaught of a people's self hatred.
As heart-breaking as the story is, looking at the reality of this dysfunction still alive in our community is more painful.
"Toni Morrison is a truth-teller" said one of the women who attended a discussion of her novel, The Bluest Eye, in Hartford.
The ugly truth confronted us in the darkended theater. But, as it is said, "the truth is the light."
Question is, what do we do about it in the reality of the light of day?
The river of pain that flowed throw Pecola is intensified by the scene of a down pour (symbolizing the molestation). Pecola so "is" the tragic dilemma that lingers in so many of our hearts, minds, hairdos, rap lyrics, street shootings! The Bluest Eyes represents so much... My God, Morrison is truly a psychological wizard! The cast was phenomenal, pulling us into every line, ever movement. It was a stirring, sustaining 90 minutes. Lydia Diamond did homeage to Morrison's work! Thank you.
As I look at the current political landscape and the recent stirring of race fears, I can't help but ponder the devastation of racial hatred upon all people! But I see it daily in my own people, in myself. The tug-of-war with my hair "straighting or not to straighten", to "weave or not to weave." We have provided billions for others who sell us the hair to match the bluest eyes. We so want our nappy hair to disappear and become the long, blonde mane. How cagey the destructiveness of racism! The healing must begin with me!
Peace & Blessings
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