Contents
Abstract……..……………………………………...…………..……..................Ⅰ
Key Words…………………………………………………………………Ⅰ
摘要……………………………….…...………………………..…Ⅱ
关键词…..………………………………………………………………Ⅱ
Introduction…………………………………………………………………….……...1
I. The Rejection of the Mainstream Culture…..………………………………….....…3
II. The Tragedy of Pecola as the Result of the Identification of the Blacks………......5
A. The Rejection of the Black Community………………………..….………..…..5
B. The Rejection of Her Parents……………………………………………….…..6
Conclusion……………………………………………………………….……….…..10
Acknowledgements…………………………………………….………………..…..12
Bibliography……………………………………………………………….…...…….13
Abstract
The clash between the black culture and the mainstream culture in the United States as well as the marginalized existence of the black culture is always the focus of Afro-American fiction writers. In their works they depict the twisted black culture and the loss of it, and attempt to call for cherishing their native culture. Toni Morrison is, undoubtedly, one of them, and more importantly she goes beyond that and explores the tragedy of identification. Through the depiction of a black little girl in the novel The Bluest Eyes, who crazily searches for a pair of blue eyes, Tony Morrison reveals the devastating influence and hurts of the concept of value of the mainstream culture, specially the standard of the aesthetic appreciation – blue eyes, golden hair, and white skill – on the black people，especially black women and children. In addition, she shows the loss of their cultural/ethic identities, spiritual breakdown and self-denial during the process of the identification. Based on textual analysis of the novel, the thesis aims at exploring the tragedy of Pecola as the result of the identification of the blacks in the mainstream culture, and further reveals that her tragedy is actually the tragedy of the blacks when they fully identify themselves with the mainstream culture.
Key Words
Pecola; identification; tragedy; mainstream culture; clash
