Sibling Conflicts Between Claudia and Freida

Claudia and Freida represent the stereotypical sibling rivalry in the novel The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison. The sisters are the only children of the family and are constantly with each other. Naturally, their adjacent lifestyles often causes tension between the girls. Freida is the older sister who takes the role as the braver, more experienced sibling. She attempts to control the actions of her little sister, who is aware of Freida's bossiness. Claudia refers to Freida as, "All authority and zest" (Morrison 28). Freida assumes the role of the leader of the two and expects Claudia to follow her commands. Freida patronizes Claudia and attempts to lower the latter's self-esteem: "You don't have to, dummy. Look" (Morrison 28). Freida is the typical American older sister and commits the conventional actions regularly. Although the daughters do not have the strongest relationship, they are willing to come together during necessary times. For example, when Pecola stays with their family, the girls do not bicker and put all their effort into pleasing Pecola: "Freida and I had stopped fighting with each other and concentrated on our guest" (Morrison 18-19). Their sudden unionship indicates that the girls have the potential of becoming great allies in difficult times. I predict that they will come together to support each other during conflicts later in the novel.