Abstract:The Bluest Eye is the first novel of Tony Morrison, who is an American black writer. The novel reveals the dilemma of the African-American’s cultural identity by telling us a tragic story of an eleven-year-old black girl Pecola. She detests herself, thinking white is beauty and longing for the bluest eye. In a society where the white’s value is dominant and under the white cultural hegemony, the hope of the little girl for love and care is crushed by reality and other black people’s indifferences, and finally she becomes crazy.

The thesis is mainly on the cultural identity dilemma of the black in white culture dominant society. 

The first part is an introduction to the writer Tony Morrison and The Bluest Eye. 

The second part mainly describes the aesthetic standard of the black people, the condition that the black people are in the cultural identity dilemma and the cultural loss produced by cultural pressure of black people. 

The third part analyzes the inner and outer reasons of the loss of black culture.

The fourth part is the conclusion. It will state the main purpose of Toni Morrison’s writing this novel and the advice or alarm given by her. 

Through studying this novel, it can be found that only by rediscovering, admitting and loving their own culture, can people survive the cultural identity dilemma and find their soul.

Key words: The Bluest Eye, cultural identity, dilemma, cultural loss

Contents

中文摘要

Abstract

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

1.1 Tony Morrison and Her Major Literary Achievements-1

1.2 A Brief Introduction to The Bluest Eye-2

1.3 Literature Review-3

Chapter 2 Black People’s Cultural Identity Dilemma-5

2.1 Dissimilation of Aesthetic Value in The Bluest Eye-5

2.2 What is Cultural Identity-6

2.3 Loss of Cultural Identity in The Bluest Eye-7

Chapter 3 Reasons for Dilemma of Cultural Identity-9

3.1 The Inner Reasons-9

  3.1.1 Self-hatred Complex-9

  3.1.2 White is Beauty-9

  3.1.3 Loss of Responsibility-10

  3.1.4 The Crux of The Inner Reasons-10

3.2 The Outer Reasons-11

  3.2.1 Infiltration of Powerful Culture-11

  3.2.2 The Control of Language and Thought-11

  3.2.3 Ways out of Control of Powerful Culture-11

Chapter 4 Conclusion-13

References-15