Reading the section of Cholly's past was a bit thought-provoking for me. Originally, I thought that Cholly was an indifferent alcohol addict; however, Morrison explains Cholly's life to show that he wasn't always a horrible alcoholic. Morrison even demonstrates how Cholly's life has been affected by society, which is something I will try to base this post on.
Before, I write about Cholly, I will like to mention the scene in which Aunt Jimmy, Mrs. Gaines, and Ms. Alice talk about a time when "Everybody in the world was in a position to give them orders" (Morrison 138). The most obvious inference is that the three women are referencing to their lives as slaves. They even remember "When white men beat their men, they cleaned up the blood and went home to receive abuse from the victim" (Morrison 138). Morrison includes this conversation because she wants to establish a connection to the event in which Cholly was caught by "two white men" while having sexual intercourse with Darlene (Morrison 147). Cholly ends up "hating [Darlene] so much" even though it was the white men who forced the couple to continue mating (Morrison 148). Cholly was willing to take out his humiliation on Darlene instead of the "hunters" because "Such an emotion would have destroyed him" (Morrison 150). This incident would be similar to Aunt Jimmy's conversation because Cholly has been abused by white men and wants to "strangle" Darlene (Morrison 149). He knows he could not "strangle" the white men because he knows they have more power over him, so he wants to punish someone who he thinks he has power over (which would be Darlene). The connection Morrison tries to make in this section is between slavery and Cholly's frustrated feelings. It serves as a message that conveys how slavery has a long-lasting legacy on American society, even though it doesn't exist anymore. This legacy perhaps manifests itself in the form of racism and beauty standards, all of which are subjects that Morrison tackles in The Bluest Eye.
Wow I was impressed with how you connected slavery and its long lasting effect on blacks to cholly's situation. I really enjoyed this connection you made. I love how Morrison does this throughout the book, she makes great thought provoking connections to the past all
ReplyDeletethroughout. Good post Joseph!
Nice post Joseph! I like the points you brought up especially the connection to slavery. I also think Morrison intended the reader to think about abuse as she traces the abuse Cholly suffered at the hands of the white men to the abuse Pecola suffers at the hands of Cholly.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Joseph! I liked how you brought up the connection between slavery and Cholly's past. Also, I liked how you incorporated your quotes into your post.
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