Your Name: Rim Es-sagar
Dialectic Journal
Mr. Rose
English 11
Femenist Lense
Quotation
A brownish-red stain discolored the
back of her dress. She kept whinnying,
standing with her legs far apart. Frieda
said, “Oh. Lordy! I know. I know what
that is!” “What?” Pecola’s fingers went
to her mouth. “That’s ministratin’.”
“What’s that?” “You know.” “Am I
going to die?” she asked. “Noooo. You
won’t die. It just means you can have a
baby!” “What?” “How do you know?” I
was sick and tired of Frieda knowing
everything. “Mildred told me, and
Mama too.” “I don’t believe it.” “You
don’t have to, dummy. Look. Wait here.
Sit down, Pecola. Right here.”
(Page 27/28)
Response
The Bluest eye is a novel by Toni Morrinson, a famous and
renowned Afircan-American author. She wrote this novel
exploring two black families: the McTeer and the Breedlove.
Pecola Breedlove joined the household of the McTeer after her
father, Cholly, burned their house and went to prison. This was
the moment Pecola got her period and her reaction as well as
Frieda’s and Claudia’s to it. In this excerpt, the author is
describing a private and important event for Pecola. This
passage showcases how women are expected to have babies
and be mothers from a really young age. When Frieda
explained to Pecola who was clueless about what her
menstruation meant, the first thing she mentioned was the fact
that she could “have a baby!” which she heard from her mom,
Mrs McTeer. Pecola is still 11 years old but she already has this
burden of becoming a woman now. For these kids, becoming a
woman means becoming a mother and having babies. This
further shows how from a young age, girls have such
expectations and responsibilities that they need to attain. In
addition to that, Pecola didn't get to spend this important
moment with her mother. Mrs Breedlove, Pecola’s mother, is
staying with the family she works for because Cholly, her
father, burned their house. This is a salient moment that must
be shared between daughter and mother. Mrs McTeer whipped
Frieda and Pecola because she thought they “were playing
nasty”. On top of not sharing it with her mother, she gets to
share it with quasi-strangers and gets a traumatic experience
from this.