Prize Winning Fiction

Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye is beautifully written. This work of fiction is written for African American women. It speaks to particular issues and gets inside the lives of African American women. The novel tells the story of eleven year old Pecola Breedlove. However, by jumping between various points of view the novel gains a sense of the community rather than simply one girl’s tale. Pecola’s tragic story is supplemented with glimpses of other lives that flesh out the community in which she lives. The characters jump off the page with spice and texture. Morrison paints the picture of a living breathing town with tangible issues. There is not a two dimensional character amid these pages. The closeness of the subject to the author is evident within the text. Rich in language, color, and content, the novel is a triumph.

The use of color and imagery is particularly fascinating in this work. Some passages even have a distinct smell. The novel actively engages the senses. Packed with self-hatred and concepts of what it means to be black and the levels within that construct The Bluest Eye is powerful, thought provoking, and challenging.