and a dubious status,” that is—is to deny their African heritage and subscribe to everything white. it to say, that precisely because they are required to denounce—overtly or “Suffice covertly—their black race, they are reinforcing racism in this country” (Carmichael, p. 31). Racism here, for Carmichael and Hamilton is dangerously and inextricably linked to capitalism—thus, even as Blacks attempt to achieve the American Dream and work to achieve economic stability, they are inevitably forced to subscribe to white hegemony in order to be successful. Therefore, some Blacks, even as they try to in” to the dominant culture and be “fit successful within the paradigm this dominant culture has set up, are reinforcing racism through their full, blind, uncritical subscription to white ideals, white values, and white standards of beauty. Carmichael and Hamilton, further articulate: all times, then, the social effects of “At colonialism are to degrade and to dehumanize the subjected black man” (Carmichael, p. 31). Pecola, the main character in Morrison’s clearly serves as a symbol of the The Bluest Eye, degradation and dehumanization that individuals (and groups of people) suffer due to colonialism and institutional racism. Pecola’s whole family, the Breedloves, believe that they are ugly. They have accepted this ugliness. In fact, they their ugliness, put it on, so to speak, “[wear] although it [does] not belong to them” (p. 38). In the Look,” Ed Guerrero calls our attention to the fact that we must explore how “Tracking “the look” of the dominant social order is internalized by Black characters (27-31). Toni Morrison probably offers the best example of this in The omniscient narrator describes the The Bluest Eye. ugliness of the Breedloves as a profound case. The narrator explains that the ugliness is due largely to their conviction, stating that, was as though some mysterious all-knowing master “It had given each one a cloak of ugliness to wear, and they had each accepted it without question. The master had said, are ugly people.’ They had looked about themselves and saw nothing ‘You
and a dubious status,” that is—is to deny their African heritage and subscribe to everything white. “Suffice it to say, that precisely because they are required to denounce—overtly or covertly—their black race, they are reinforcing racism in this country” (Carmichael, p. 31). Racism here, for Carmichael and Hamilton is dangerously and inextricably linked to capitalism—thus, even as Blacks attempt to achieve the American Dream and work to achieve economic stability, they are inevitably forced to subscribe to white hegemony in order to be successful. Therefore, some Blacks, even as they try to “fit in” to the dominant culture and be successful within the paradigm this dominant culture has set up, are reinforcing racism through their full, blind, uncritical subscription to white ideals, white values, and white standards of beauty. Carmichael and Hamilton, further articulate: “At all times, then, the social effects of colonialism are to degrade and to dehumanize the subjected black man” (Carmichael, p. 31). Pecola, the main character in Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, clearly serves as a symbol of the degradation and dehumanization that individuals (and groups of people) suffer due to colonialism and institutional racism. Pecola’s whole family, the Breedloves, believe that they are ugly. They have accepted this ugliness. In fact, they “[wear] their ugliness, put it on, so to speak, although it [does] not belong to them” (p. 38). In “Tracking the Look,” Ed Guerrero calls our attention to the fact that we must explore how “the look” of the dominant social order is internalized by Black characters (27-31). Toni Morrison probably offers the best example of this in The Bluest Eye. The omniscient narrator describes the ugliness of the Breedloves as a profound case. The narrator explains that the ugliness is due largely to their conviction, stating that, “It was as though some mysterious all-knowing master had given each one a cloak of ugliness to wear, and they had each accepted it without question. The master had said, ‘You are ugly people.’ They had looked about themselves and saw nothing