The Introduction of the Bluest Eye

To me, the way in which Toni Morrison begins the story of "The Bluest Eye" is crucial to understanding the purpose of the novel. “Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty. Here is the family. Mother, Father, Dick, and Jane live in the green-and-white house. They are very happy…” (Morrison, 3). This passage is repeated three times: once with perfect punctuation and spacing; once more with no punctuation, but correct spacing; and lastly with no punctuation or spacing. This repetitive technique creates the effect of “brainwashing” the reader. Through this, we begin to understand how societal beliefs on how the family unit should be fashioned, what role an individual must fulfill, and especially what criteria must be fulfilled to be considered beautiful by others, affect the minds of those who are most vulnerable to these messages, young children. This introduction is mocking but also strongly admonishing.