The Colonial Legacy of Beauty and Shame: A Post- Colonial Exploration of Toni Morrison`S The Bluest Eye

Abstract

Post-colonial world is enriched with discrimination, violence of people, based upon race, religion, identity, family and all the destructive structures present in imperialist (White) cultures. Therefore, the current study investigates the colonial as well as post-colonial destructive legacy of shame and beauty existed in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970) where the African-American characters extremely suffer from the catastrophic violence committed upon them being black. Eurocentric beauty ideals and systemic racism have marginalized Black identity, leading to self-hatred, fractured families, and societal exclusion. Through the tragic experiences of Pecola Breedlove family, Morrison exposes the internalized inferiority and cultural disintegration resulting from colonial oppression. Employing a narrative style rooted in Black oral traditions, Morrison challenges the dominant White discourses and calls for the reclamation of Black cultural values. The novel serves as a critical postcolonial text, illuminating the enduring psychological and social impacts of racism and advocating for the affirmation of Black identity and self-worth.