The Life of Cholly in the Bluest Eye, a Novel by Toni Morrison

Cholly's early life in The Bluest Eye is told and a significant event that takes place during that time is when Cholly and Darlene have sex, but are caught by two white men. The passage that will be analyzed is the day after, when Cholly is reflecting on the situation and what to do from there. In this passage, descriptive diction, comparison and symbols are used to develop meaning.

As Cholly remembers the past night's experience, his mood and thought rationale is described. He is said to be "Sullen, irritable he cultivated his hatred for Darlene." He is embarrassed, and confused, therefore he takes his anger out on the person who deserves it the least. The two men were described as "big, white, armed" in comparison to himself as, "small, black, helpless." This juxtaposition demonstrates how this encounter reinforces Cholly's position in society as inferior to whites. As of now, he cannot hate them because he was unable to show strength, he was caught in a moment of "impotence." Cholly will develop the ability to hate white people but only when he is in a position of strength over them. The demonstrates a key event that influences Cholly's growth. This emasculation translates into later when he must assert his masculinity over Pauline.

As Cholly continues to discuss his anger, he also attempts to deal with the situation. He remembers Darlene's hair ribbon, which is described as blue. The color blue in the text serves a symbol of desire and longing to be accepted. Darlene demonstrated his teenage lust and desire to please a girl. Since Cholly specifically remembers the ribbon, this demonstrates how Darlene represented a certain desire, and due to the white men, this desire of love and affection was not achieved. The color blue is also seen the character, Blue Jack. Cholly admires and wants to seek the advice of Blue, however is unable to bring himself to do so in fear of embarrassment. Blue represents the fatherly figure in Cholly's life, and this demonstrates that Cholly wants a father, but is unable to truly have one. This foreshadows Cholly's later inability to be a true father to his children. Through the symbol of the color blue, Cholly's desires are revealed and so is his naivety.

Coming to a realization, Cholly's character is further developed by the conclusions he draws. After a long, compound sentence, it states, "It had occurred to him that Darlene might be pregnant." This demonstrates the importance this thought has to Cholly. This thought is described as, "wildly irrational, completely uninformed" which reveals how young he is and how quick he can come to make decisions. This is further emphasized when he comes to a conclusion, "He know then what he must do- find his father." The dash creates emphasis. Both life-altering decisions are emphasized demonstrating the effect they have on his development. Through these realizations that Cholly makes in the matter of minutes, his life is changed forever. These demonstrate how he is impulsive, which foreshadows his temper and his decision to rape his daughter.

Through this passage, Cholly's conflict with society is developed and through this his character development is shown. This passage demonstrates the harmful effects the gaze has on people who have been deemed inferior and how a person's unattainable desires can shape them.

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