Postcolonial Feminist Theory: An Overview - Igcollege.org

Proceedings of National Seminar on Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature , Jan. 27-28, 2012, NandedA Feminist Reading of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye--Shri. Shaikh G. K.K.K.M College, Manwath.Dist. Parbhani (MS)Feminist literary theory is aninterdisciplinary enquiry in to signifying culturalpractices and products. It is a challenge to all thestructures which focus on gender as the fundamentalcategory. It is the product of women’s liberationmovement of 1960’s and 1972’s. It challenges,ideology, socio-cultural practices. It is a politicalphilosophy working against sexual, textual politics ofmen in life and literature. It is concerned with thechanging uneven gender relationship. Like Marxism,it also believes that interpretation of philosophy is notthe purpose but the point is to change it FeministLiterary theorist believes that there are no facts, butonly interpretations of manmade facts. Feministliterary theory is an oppositional practice. It is longeraccepts of certain lack of politics. Women has simplybeing projection on screen for playing out amasculine fantasy or negative and reconstructive.Toni Morrison is the leading Nobel winnerblack Feminist writer of America. She laid the bandof black women writers consisting of Alice walker,Alice Childress, Paule Marshall, Gloria Naylor andso on. The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Soloman, jazz,Tarr Baby, paradise, Beloved dramatizepsychological progression of black women’s life inAmerica. It is Toni Morrison who embodies the blackFeminist philosophy which Focuses on reconstructionof black womanhood, the question of self image, lossand recovery of black feminine self, womanism,return to black cultural past through folklore and soon.Toni Morrison’s First novel The Bluest Eye(1970) dramatize black women’s existential crisis. Itfocuses on the idea of domination of blacks by theexisting American standards of beauty such as Blueeyes, white skin, and soft silly golden hair. Thestandard of beauty symbolizes the white valuestructured and their ideological implications.Everything that does not go with these standards istaken as ugly, inhuman and inferior. It reduces anegative image of one’s own self. Right from thetime of slavery black women’s psyche was socializedout of existent. Therefore, The Bluest Eye is story ofmillions and millions of black girls who need thebluesteye.The singular and superlative for meaningfulexistence. Failure to fulfill is impossible dreamresulting in to possible death, madness and psychicimpairment.The novel is set in a small Midwestern townin Lorain, Ohio, during the depression. It tells thestory of Pecola Breedlove who hates her black selfand craves for bluest eye. Pecola, 11 years old childof Pauline Breedlove, who works for a white Familyand a slave of slave. Pecola’s father ChollyBreedlove is victimized by white society. further,Cholly victimizes his family and ruins their life. TheBreedlove Family migrated from American South tothe North. Under the effect of liquor, Cholly rapedPecola and became the father of her child. The nameBreedlove is ironical because none of themBreedlove. Cholly beats Pauline, raped Pecola, drinkswine excessively.Toni Morrison has introduced a Justapposing device in the novel. On one side she haspresented the Dick and Jane Shirley primer or a storybooks describing the character. The Breedlove’shome is a converted story showing every mark ofpoverty. Pecola’s mother Pauline has seem all ofdreams Failed in to nothingness. She finds escapefrom her ugliness by working as a servant to thewhite family.Her own Family is destroyed, her husbandbeats her and children mercilessly. so, Pecola’sparents have nothing the parents of Dick and Jane.The Breedlove family is a place of Sexual violence,psychic violence, and poverty. Structures in the bodyof text are also the world of Frieda Macteer andClaudia Macteer. Claudia macteer is the narrator whobegins her account with the fall of 1940. Whenpecola was temporarily living in macteer homethough black macteer Family is descent and living inpeacefulness. As the novel opens one comes acrossthese structural devices. This device Just apposing ofdifferent families intensifies Pecolas’s tragiccondition. Toni Morrison also introduces the seconddevice called four seasons autumn, winter, springsummer etc Within each of section the actionoccurred is indirect opportunity to what the seasonsbring to mind. There are no manifold in the fall of1941. spring does not hold the promise of youthfulbudding for pecola. Pecola is raped by cholly in themonth of spring. In the summer season she waspregnant and top of the town brought madness topecola.Toni Morrison further elaborates a patheticstory of 11 year black girl after her rape. She lies inthe bed and longs to make herself disappear. Shedesires for bluest eye and constantly seeming for363 PLTL-2012: ISBN 978-81-920120-0-1