Essay Sample on Similarities and Differences Between "The Bluest Eye" and "Eve's Bayou"

Introduction

"The Bluest Eye" is an American novel by Toni Morrison. The author, in this regard, explores the tragic story of Pecola Breedlove who grew up after the Great Depression. Morrison highlights the events surrounding the young girl since it conveys the key themes and ideas in the text. It is no doubt that the reading has an unflinching portrayal of racism, child molestation, domestic violence, prostitution, and incest. "Eve's Bayou" on the other hand, is an American film by Kasi Lemmons. In this context, Lemmons highlights family issues and most importantly the challenges facing the Black People from a racist point of view. However, "The Bluest Eye" and "Eve's Bayou" have similarities and differences from different perspectives.

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Similarities

The first and the most apparent similarity between the two literary works is about the theme of identity and race. "The Bluest Eye" portrays a society where whiteness determines a person's purity, cleanliness, goodness, innocence, and beauty. Some characters such as Cholly tend to be obsessed with cultural concepts about beauty, innocence, and goodness. Race according to Cholly and other like-minded characters is a powerful determinant of beauty and status and in the society. "All the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured" (Morrison, 26) As such, it is upon an individual to choose whether to overt or covert with whiteness. The white men humiliate Cholly simply because he is of black origin. The ultimate consequence is that the family and women repulse Cholly which later drives him to alcoholism. Pecola, on the other hand, relates her blackness to ugliness and therefore supports the reasoning that some characters worship whiteness.

"Eve's Bayou" similarly to Morrison's novel, portrays identity, especially among the people of Black American origin. The film, in this case, explores the perception of the young African American girls living a black life in rural Louisiana. Lemmon reinforces an idea that women cling to the past and traditional life while determining their future and the present. In this perspective, the archetype is the basis of identifying the Black women in American societies. These people return to their traditional image where they discover their identity. Therefore, this aspect explains why such people celebrate their unique identity. They see themselves as women of African descent in American societies.

The second similarity concerns sex and love. Sexual practices in the two literary works are illegal, violent, shameful, humiliating, and awkward. In the novel "The Bluest Eye" all the major characters except Mr. Mac Teer have sexual desires for teenage girls. Some of the characters that Morrison portrayed having romantic feelings towards young girls are Soaphead, Henry, and Cholly. The argument is evident in the scenes where Cholly raped Pecola, her daughter. Andrews (141) corroborate that Cholly is sexually abusing his daughter showcase the hatred that the men had towards women in their societies. Henry, on the other hand, is shown in settings where he gropes Frieda. The point in the novel is that black girls are victims of sexual misuse. The society perceives them as socially and sexually powerless and thus why men can easily prey on them.

"Eve's Bayou" also highlights scenes where the characters engage in illegal sexual relationships. Eve, for instance, found her father having sex with Mereaux after a night party. It is worth noting that Mereaux had sex even if she was a close family friend to Eve's parents. Cisely, on the other hand, has an affectionate relationship with her father. Such instances, therefore, support an argument that the film portrays a society where its members are misusing sexual relations. At some point, Eve realized that her father whom she had an affair with was engaged in serial infidelity. The situation gets chaotic as the young girls reached a puberty stage. Cisely is shown in conflicts with her mother and sisters during the transition to the adulthood stage. Roz, on the other hand, discovered the illegal affectionate relationship and thus stimulating conflicts between the teenage girls and their mother (Lemmons, 1:34).

Thirdly, both literary works explore the theme of women and femininity from the same point of view. Morrison's novel, in particular, highlights the experience of the Black women in American societies in the early 1940s. It is worth noting that the author presents a realistic view of the options available to the African American women: they could choose to work for the white families, get married and raise children or become prostitutes. Competent performance of feminine deception was the basis of defining femininity _"how to hold, move and dress the body" (Kuenz, 423). Lemmons, on the other hand, depicts a close relationship between femininity and socially defined roles. Men in this society take advantage of the young girls where they sexually molest them. It is argued, in this perspective that "Eve's Bayou" portrays a society where the men are powerful and thus have a high tendency to exploit teenagers. In some settings, Samuel, Jackson, Eve's dad is seen sexually molesting his daughters. The last similarity is that both works feature on multiple perspectives. They incorporate different points of view. In other words, Lemmons and Morrison alternate between first and third-person-omniscient.

Differences

The first difference between the two literary works is about the plot. "The Bluest Eye" follows the conventional plat that involves: presentation of the initial situation, the emergence of conflicts, increase in complications, and climax. It ends with suspense and most importantly denouncement by the major characters. Accordingly, Morrison's novel follows the standard plot that has five stages. The first phase is the initial situation where the author portrays the chaotic nature of Pocola's home environment. The second aspect is the emergence of conflicts, and this is evident in the scenes Pecola develops a perception that blue eyes will change her life. The third phase of complication where the author depicts Pecola as a lady being abused and teased. Fourthly, the story attains climax at a scene where Cholly rapes Pecola. Finally, the settings where Pecola and Pauline moved to the edge of the town creates suspense. "Eve's Bayou" in contrast, does not strictly follow the conventional plot. For instance, it ends with family characters holding hands as they gaze at the sunset and thus not a form of denouncement.

The second difference is in the topic of the two literary work. In this case, the title of Morrison's novel communicates multiple ideas in the reading. The first idea is that it conveys a scene where Pecola is seeking a positive identity in an American society that perceives the white as a sign of beauty. Pecola sees the white women with blue eyes as beautiful whereas the blacks are ugly. The second idea in the title is the desires of Pecola to see the world differently. Pecola, in this regard, believes that she could have viewed the world like the white children only if she had blue eyes. The third idea is the word "blue" which indirectly means "sad." Pecola has the saddest eyes and thus the most tragic character in the reading. Lemmon's film, in contrast, does not convey the key ideas in the literary work but instead the name of the primary role.

Works Cited

Andrews, Rebecca. "Taking Refuge in "How:" Dissecting the Motives behind Cholly's Rape In The Bluest Eye." (2010).

Kuenz, Jane. "The bluest eye: Notes on history, community, and black female Subjectivity." African American Review 27.3 (1993): 421-431.

Lemmons, Kasi. "Eve's Bayou": Cesily tells Eve the story of what happened with her & their father." 1997. Youtube. 9 4 2019.

Morrison, Toni. "The Bluest Eye. 1970." New York 1994.