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The Bluest Eye Research Paper

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Being a Burden Every blessing is a burden. Toni Morrison illustrates children as burdens throughout the novel, The Bluest Eye. Some of the adults characters are often agitated by their children’s actions. Claudia MacTeer, Pecola Breedlove, and Cholly Breedlove experience the tension from their guardians the most. Their parents seem to not have any patience or tolerance for things that they perceive as foolish. Mrs. MacTeer, Claudia’s mother, and Samson Fuller, Cholly's father, are extremely aggressive, when they feel like their children are being a bother. A recurring theme in this novel is ‘children being a burden’ because of how Mrs. MacTeer reacts when Claudia is sick, how alarmed Mrs. MacTeer is by Pecola drinking too much milk, and how …show more content…

MacTeer doesn’t tolerate sickness. She is really rough with Claudia, when Claudia is sick. Claudia explains that, “Her hands are large and rough, and when she rubs the vicks salve on my chest, I am rigid with pain” (11). Mrs. MacTeer makes Claudia feel bad because she is sick. She believes sickness is a form of weakness. Because Mrs. MacTeer is angry at Claudia for allowing herself to get sick, she takes the anger out on Claudia. Claudia says, “My mother’s anger humiliates me; her words chafe my cheeks, and I am crying” (11). Mrs. MacTeer takes care of Claudia while she is sick, but at the same time let’s Claudia know how disgusted she is. The way that Mrs. MacTeer is treating Claudia, makes Claudia feel worst. The fact that Mrs. MacTeer has to tend to Claudia’s needs, makes Claudia a burden to Mrs. …show more content…

Samson doesn’t want the responsibility of being a father to Cholly. Samson states, “Something wrong with your head? Who told you to come after me?”(156). Cholly introduces himself to Samson for the first time, and Samson didn’t want anything to do with Cholly. Samson doesn’t have any patience for Cholly’s presence. Samson states, “Tell that bitch she get her money. Now, get the fuck outta my face!” (156). Samson doesn’t care that Cholly is his child and is repeatedly being rude and verbally aggressive towards Cholly. Cholly is a burden to Samson so much that he doesn’t want anything to do with

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