LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:3 March 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
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         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

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Fractured Identities and the Tyranny of Beauty: The Impact of Internalized Racism in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

R. Swathi and Saranya. M., M.A., PGDCA., (PhD)

Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of fractured identities, beauty standards, and trauma within the framework of internalized racism in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Both novels depict Black female protagonists who navigate oppressive societal structures that impose Eurocentric ideals of beauty and self-worth. The study delves into how these characters internalize racial inferiority, leading to psychological and emotional fragmentation. Pecola Breedlove and Celie endure systemic racism, misogyny, and generational trauma, which shape their self-perception and interactions with the world. Morrison and Walker critique the tyranny of beauty through their protagonists’ longing for validation, highlighting how racialized beauty standards perpetuate self-loathing and alienation. Furthermore, the paper examines the transformative power of sisterhood and self-acceptance as mechanisms for resistance and healing. By analyzing these themes, this research underscores the profound impact of internalized racism on identity formation and the struggle for self-definition in the face of racial and gendered oppression.

Keywords: Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, Alice Walker, The Color Purple, Internalized Racism, Eurocentric Beauty Standards, Black Girlhood, Trauma, Narrative Structure

In African American literature, the quest for beauty and self-worth in a racially oppressive society is a major theme, especially in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (1982) and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970). The terrible effects of internalized racism are examined in both books, where a society that values whiteness shapes the prevailing ideals of beauty and self-perception. Morrison and Walker demonstrate through the lives of Pecola Breedlove and Celie how racism not only manifests itself externally through systemic oppression but also internally, resulting in identity fragmentation and self-loathing. A young Black girl's desire for blue eyes, which stand for acceptance and beauty, has tragic results in The Bluest Eye. In contrast, Celie regains her identity and self-worth through resistance and sisterhood in The Color Purple, which depicts a journey of self-liberation. Through an analysis of these texts from the perspective of internalized racism, this paper investigates how beauty standards are used as an instrument of oppression, affecting Black women’s relationships and self-perception, and ultimately affecting their journeys toward empowerment and self-actualization.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

R. Swathi
swathiramachandran730@gmail.com

Saranya. M., M.A., PGDCA., (PhD) Assistant Professor nascmsaranya@nehrucolleges.com

Department of English
Nehru Arts and Science College
Thirumalayampalayam, Coimb atore,Tamil Nadu 641105, India
nascmsaranya@nehrucolleges.com
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